The Lost Boy V - Short stories

Haze AU 2

Hey guys, merry Christmas to y'all ! Hope you've had a good time with your family / friends :)

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Haze AU 2

The mission

The room where they went for diner was smaller than the throne room, still it was huge and impressive too. Decoration was the same, tall and thin colored windows, spiralling pillars supporting the vaulted ceiling. Once more, the vikings noticed guards posted everywhere in the room, they seemed ready to defend the royals at any moment. In the middle of the room was standing a long table settled for them.

The queen sat in a fine chair in the shape of the throne but made of stone, wood and fabric instead of the ice crystal. The other chairs were more humble but still confortable. Nikolaï Santoff sat by his wife's right, then both invited the dragon riders to join them. Hiccup sat by her left side, Astrid and Eret next to him, Fishlegs and Snotlout on the other side of Santoff while the twins decided to settle a couple of chairs away so they could chatter and gossip without being heard. They marvelled at the cultery in front of them, it was thiner and lighter than those of vikings, they also noticed the pints were translucent, small and perched on some kind of foot. Needless to say how much this clan seemed to have different ustensils than vikings, and a different way of life.

Once everyone was settled, servants entered the room, coming through discreet doors blending on the back wall. All of them were wearing the same dark-colored outfit, with silver edging, and were holding plates they placed in front of each guest. Some of them even brought plates to the dragons, filled with all kinds of fish. Obviously, the dragons were delighted and didn't wait to dive in and engulf their food.

The berkians and hazians filled their meal with a polite conversation. The queen certainly knew how to make people comfortable and the jolly nature of her husband was heart-warming. Hiccup could have almost forgotten the queen's rank if not for her way to steady her tone and articulate clearly every syllable. The discussion first focused on the viking's travel, the queen assuring them rooms had been prepared for them to rest whilst they were at Haze.

Seeing there were a few empty chairs around them – almost half of the table – Eret tentatively asked if someone else was joining them for the meal. The queen smiled softly, her whole face lighting up, and explained her children would be joining soon. Then her smile faded and she seemed suddenly serious, and turned her head to address Hiccup.

''I rather make use of their delay to explain the reason of thy presence here.''

Instantly, all vikings, even the twins, dismissed their food – no matter how delicious and exotic it was – to listen to the queen. They were all ears. The letter they had received at Berk only talked about payment, hospitality, food and roof, but there had been no details at all concerning their mission, it only said it was a delicate problem for the kingdom. Actually it had been this mystery, combined with the fascination for Haze's history, that convinced the dragon riders to come.

So they were finally about to know what they had to deal with. The queen straightened in her chair, joigning her hands on her lap.

''The royal family of Haze is ancient, much like our kingdom. Even if we prosper, we are not sheltered from conflicts, might they come from oustide or within our clan. Usually, we manage to face it by ourselves, but I fear this time is different.''

''We've been betrayed by a trusted man who has a long arm at Haze.'' Santoff added, his face gloom and angry.

The way he was frowning and clenching his large fists made him way more intimidating than his usual jolly. The queen placed a hand on his as if to calm him down silently, before she resumed the explanations.