𖣯 ✹ 🌷(úlfheðnar) ꏍ ！┈─❟
╰───►chapter thirty-one; yrsa
❝ war arrives! ❞

YRSA DIDN'T want to think how Drago had found them. She refused to focus on that right now, not with an entire army crowded the shores with dragon traps and lit projectile weapons catapulted towards the mountain, shattering geysers of ice to the ground. The dragons from the sanctuary were trying to stop them, diving in and hoping to overwhelm, but for catapult destroyed, five more surfaced. For every group of soldiers scattered, a group twice the previous size took their place.

Valka growled, furious. She spun on her heel, storming back towards the inside of the cave. Yrsa, Hiccup, Stoick and Gobber all shared a glance before rushing to follow.

"Val," Stoick tried to stop her. He grabbed her arm lightly, "Val, it's all right, it's all right. We're a team now."

She took a deep breath, nodding. And underneath all that fury, there was worry. Even with the sanctuary and their own dragons, they were vastly outnumbered. Now, usually, Vikings loved those chances, but even they understood they were fighting a losing battle.

But that didn't mean that stopped them.

"Now," then said Stoick, determined, "what do you want to do?"

Valka set her jaw, "We have to save the dragons," she told him, and he nodded.

"Aye, you got it," Chief Stoick the Vast set off at a run beside his wife. "Come on, son!" he called after Hiccup. His son met Yrsa's gaze briefly and she replied with a firm nod, telling him she was with them.

"Let's go, Gobber!" she shouted to the final member of their team and off they went, racing back into the trembling mountain for their dragons. Yrsa dodged falling rock and ice, gripping the hilt of her axe tightly and praying to the gods. She saw Helrose waiting for her, howling in her distress.

"It's all right, girl," she quickly reassured her, fixing her saddle with hurried fingers. "It's all right. We'll help them; we're going to help them."

Beside her, Hiccup tugged on his helmet, covering his face in sharp leather and iron. He spun his leg to flying mode and in seconds, was on Toothless's back. Yrsa never really got used to how different he looked like this. He went from someone so sweet, and considerate with a nervous smile and awkward laugh, to this battle-ready warrior who knew how to command an army even if he said he didn't. But Yrsa had a flutter in her chest, because in this short moment, watching him grab the front of his saddle to steady himself as Toothless arched his back for a defiant roar, Hiccup looked more than a warrior, more than a dragon trainer; he looked like a chief.

He met her gaze, "Ready?" he asked her as Yrsa shook herself from her thoughts and pulled herself up onto her saddle.

She nodded, "As ready as I'll ever be. Stay careful."

Yrsa knew he had a small grin under the mask, "I have Toothless, I'll be more than careful."

She narrowed her eyes and pointed swiftly at Toothless, "Keep him in one piece, bud."

The dragon purred a determined, Don't I always?

"Okay," Hiccup readied his legs, hovering his chest close to Toothless's back. He glanced over his shoulder where his parents and Gobber were ready (well, Gobber was sort of ready; he was on Grump's saddle, but the dragon was still slowly waking back up). "Let's go!"

Yrsa gritted her teeth and tapped her knees inwards. At the touch, Helrose launched into the air just as more ice and stone toppled down behind them. Together, she, Hiccup, Valka, Stoick, Gobber and their dragons joined the stampede heading out of the ice mountain towards the battle raging outside. There were explosions, yells, roars and squawks━an entire eruption of the sounds of war, deafening and thrilling at the same time.

Yrsa spun out of the way of ice shards, gripping onto her saddle handles tight with her axe on her back. She gazed up at the damage, rays of evening casting a haunting glow on the place that had only just been a peaceful paradise minutes before.

Getting closer outside, Yrsa saw chaos. Dragons were falling into open traps, hitting the ground tangled in chains, bolas and ropes. Vikings were now on every inch of the northern shore, most now having left their ships and now shot volleys of arrows at dragons in the air, striking flanks and underbellies. They knew what dragons to target, too. They focused on Prickleboggles, who had a wonderful ability to heal other dragons, Windstrikers that could burn their flesh, Monstrous Nightmares and Zipplebacks notorious for explosions and Nadders with their purest, magnesium fire. Drago knew his dragons, and he organised his men to make sure they were in the upper hand. It both scared and infuriated Yrsa.

But then, something strange happened.

They weren't even out into the battle when one of the traps oozed out green, noxious gas. Only one spark before it exploded in a furious firestorm that sent bits of iron and nearby Vikings flying. Out of it, burst forth a familiar green and yellow Hideous Zippleback with two very familiar blonde's on either neck.

"SURPRISE!"

Yrsa couldn't help but chuckle in relief and delight to see the rest of their friends emerge from the traps with their dragons. She didn't expect any less. She heard Snotlout's cheers and the Twins' jeers. Fishlegs's shout of, "YEAH, FISHLEGS!" with Astrid clinging onto Meatlug behind made Yrsa throw up her hand in her own cheer of celebration. And the most strange of them all, barely holding onto Stormfly's ascending flight, was a screaming, terrified Eret Son of Eret.

In seeing this, Hiccup laughed and dived Toothless down to pick up speed. Yrsa joined him, Helrose folding her wings in so they could catch up. Weaving in and around dragons, ice and stone, they stayed together as they came closer to the battle outside. Above, Valka and Cloudjumper danced━a glorious, magnificent sight of elegant spins, twists and manouvers that Yrsa really, really wanted to learn more about! Stoick and Gobber tagged along behind, a little slower than the others, and Yrsa is pretty sure Gobber almost dropped out of the sky as Grump dozed off yet again. Skullcrusher might not be the fastest of the dragons, but he was surely the most stubborn, he and his rider barged through the stampede with Gobber hovering along behind. Stoick hollered the Hooligan battle cry, spinning his axe.

Breaking forth out of the ice, Yrsa could see Astrid now on Stormfly with Eret, evading catapults and arrows upwards towards the ice. Catapults and traps were exploded into flames and Ruffnut was being pulled away from a deathly fall by the likes of Fishlegs and Snotlout together. Yrsa didn't have time to even wonder what the Hel that was about.

She was too busy following Hiccup upwards towards the tops of the mountain, following Astrid and Eret who were getting overwhelmed. Eret was struggling in trying to fly Stormfly, and with catapults striking left and right, they needed help.

They ducked one blast, spinning to the left when another struck. Astrid gasped, "Look out!" Gigantic blocks of ice fell, and they would've been crushed━

"There, bud!" Hiccup shouted.

Toothless didn't waste a second. With a shriek, the ice shattered in a mighty blast of purple, giving Astrid time to guide Eret and Stormfly away. She glanced back, shocked, only for a grin to slowly come onto her face when she saw them all dart past her, diving down to the action below.

But while Hiccup continued towards the traps, setting his shoulders for a bone-trembling blast vibrating in the back of Toothless's throat, Yrsa and Helrose dipped right back upwards. Yrsa held on as tight as she could manage, flushed against her dragon's saddle as she spun around, and around, and around━faster and faster and faster until they were nothing but a blur. The wind drew around them, and the two of them disappeared into a minature tornado. Following the explosion below and Hiccup's cry of, "Yeah, baby!" Yrsa and Helrose shot back down, billowing past with winds so strong men tripped, fire grew, and the explosion rattled further across the plains of snow, attatching itself to more wooden catapults, traps and other projectile mechanisms in such ferocity men had to flee to avoid getting burnt with them. Dragons burst free, returning to the skies with triumphant cries, and Yrsa pulled back with all her might, she and Helrose coming to a gradual stop before bolting back towards the others. They passed Skullcrusher who very much crushed a supply wagons, and Gobber who dipped Grump's clubbed tail along a line of archers, knocking them aside like they were nothing.

Yrsa was yet to see Drago, but she knew he was down there somewhere. She scowled down at the battle before catching back up with Astrid and Eret, pulling Helrose into a hover beside them.

"This I need an explanation for," she stated, gesturing to Eret in disbelief.

On their other side, Hiccup and Toothless joined. "Welcome aboard, dragon rider!" Hiccup flung up his visor, grinning smugly.

Eret eyed his grip on Stormfly carefully, only managing a weak, "Thanks! I━I think...?"

Astrid shook her head, unable to believe what she was seeing. "Where have you two been?" she demanded, eyeing both Yrsa and Hiccup with what she attempted to be anger, but was showed up instead as delighted relief.

"Where have you been?" countered Yrsa, and Astrid rolled her eyes, shaking her fist at her briefly.

"We've been quite productive, actually," said Hiccup cheekily. "Yrsa met the entire family, we had dinner together, oh! And━you know, just catching up with Mum."

For a moment, Astrid was very confused. She tilted her head, brows furrowing until Hiccup nodded upwards. The blonde continued to frown, but followed his gaze, and she gasped.

From the tip of the shattering ice castle, the king finally emerged. Mighty and collossal, he bellowed a breath of mist and ice, shaking them all right to their bones. And in his shadow, on her Stormcutter, with her armour, mask and staff, was Valka.

Astrid couldn't speak for a second, she was so stunned. She and Eret looked very similar; absolutely shocked. Finally, their friend managed a breathless, "That's your mother?!"

"Yep," agreed Yrsa, "now I guess we know where Hiccup gets his dramatic flair."

With that said, she ducked back down into battle. Hiccup frowned after her, "Wait━dramatic flair? What dramatic flair?!" He snapped his visor back down (dramatically, of course) and followed.

The Great Bewilderbeast burst from the foundations of his fortress with a shower of stone and tusks of ice. The battle below faltered a little as they all gazed up, a mixture of horror and awe as the sea dragon climbed his way out. The king had surfaced, and he was beyond mad. Webbed talons clawed around jagged cliffs, beady eyes flickered with fury━he stood more than a third of his castle in height, and only half of his body was visible.

Dragons, riders and soldiers alike all had to dive and spin to avoid the waves of ice that froze into menacing spikes as soon as they touched the ground. They shattered remaining traps and catapults, froze unlucky men mid-run and shout, even extended out far enough to the ships; those closest breaking apart at the very hulm, rising up into the air half-impaled by the Bewilderbeast's icy flame.

"That thing is insane!" shouted Snotlout, joining Yrsa briefly. "That's gotta be bigger than the Red Death easily!"

"Way bigger," corrected Yrsa as the two of them soared a wide arch to avoid shards of spitting crystal. "So, what have you been doing?"

"Getting captured by Hunters," replied Snotlout nochanantly. "What about you? Decided you want to marry me instead yet?"

Yrsa laughed, "Never!"

The Dragon Riders came together, back as a team for perhaps the very battle of their lives. Their past at Dragon's Edge finally returning with every threat promised. Yrsa took a deep breath, gazing at each of her friends in turn. Hiccup, Astrid (and now Eret), Snotlout, Fishlegs and the Twins━they had come a long way. Yrsa went from not being able to let any of them in to knowing she could trust each and every one of them with her life. Finally, all of their gazes settled on Hiccup, awaiting his signal.

All it took was a nod, and they were off, working like a well-oiled team whenever they needed to the most. Snotlout and Yrsa paired off, taking out ships and creating hurricanes of fire from the wing strength of Helrose. Hiccup and Fishlegs took an offensive long-range point of attack, focusing primarily on the catapults and traps that seemed to just keep on coming. Astrid led Eret on Stormfly with the Twins, adding a little more of a blast to their explosions; the magnesium sparked dangerously well, rocking the shore with billowing, gigantic clouds of flame.

The battle quickly became a blur of dragons, explosions, fire and projectiles. The riders kept to their pairs, crossing paths here and there to help the other out. It was natural━they've been in situations like this many times, except not on this scale. But they adapted to it quickly, and as the winter night slowly arrived, things started to seem like they were actually heading towards their favour.

That was until the ocean began to rise.

𖣯 ✹ 🌷(úlfheðnar) ꏍ ！┈─❟

     a/n: hey guys, hope you like the chapter even if it is a bit short! but I just really wanted to get this out, and then have the next bit in hiccup's pov for when he confronts drago. sorry if it seems fillery, but oh well. it's sometimes so hard to write separate descriptions for the same event like; sometimes I get so stuck because I used such a good metaphor or simile in valhalla then i get to here and I need to come up with a whole other one. There are only so many metaphors! And I love my metaphors! 😂😂

    I'm definitely one of those writers where the curtains aren't just blue, lol. I like adding so many things and inner meanings, references to the book, foreshadowing all that poetic shit. my curtains are most definitely blue for a symbolic reason ahahaha. why do I put this much effort into fanfics? I dunno, but here we are ahahaha.

     also, yrsa, snotlout and eret are the bi disaster trio it's true.

     oh, and yrsa 🤝 hiccup
         being a power couple

     and toothless 🤝 helrose
          dealing with their shit