A Siren's Song - A Hiccup Love Story (HTTYD/RTTE)

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• • •

A few weeks had passed since Aldru saw Viggo again, and she had finally recieved another letter from him. She was training with Snotlout when the terror mail arrived. Out of breath and sweating, she sat on the ground and unrolled the scroll.

Full moon.

- V.G.

These were the only words it contained, along with a quickly sketched map. On the map there were over ten different islands, but there was no way of telling where she was meant to go.

"What is it?" Snotlout asked.

Aldru stood and sighed, "a riddle." Without any further explanation, she raced off to find Hiccup and Fishlegs. She found them outside of the stables. "Guys," she called for their attention, holding the letter out.

Hiccup took the note and examined it with squinted eyes. "Viggo..." he muttered, "what's this supposed to mean?" He handed it to Fishlegs, letting him have a try.

"Hm," Fishlegs hummed, "I don't get it. Let's go to the club house and have a better look." So the three made their way up to the eye of the fortress. There, Fishlegs set the map down on the table. He then went to rummage around in search of his own maps that might match up.

"He wants to meet somewhere here on the full moon," Aldru assumed as she looked over the map thoughtfully.

"Here are some that match up," Fishlegs unrolled two other maps and lined them up beside each other. After looking between them for a moment, Aldru noticed an island that wasn't on Fishlegs' maps. Right where the two maps met, there should've been a small island, but there wasn't.

With a grin, she pointed to the extra island on Viggo's letter, "that one."

Fishlegs and Hiccup exchanged wary looks. "Aldru, that island doesn't exist," Hiccup told her with a frown, "we've flown over those seas before, there's nothing there."

"But that's the second half of the riddle," Aldru urged, "there is no island there, but that's where he'll be."

"So..a ship?" Fishlegs wondered.

Aldru nodded. "It has to be. He'll be in this location under the full moon; I have to go."

Hiccup took her hand into his and nodded firmly as he spoke, "I agree." He looked her in her beautiful, determined eyes and continued, "that's a little less than a week away."

"But wait a minute," Fishlegs interrupted. He gave Aldru a worried look, "what if you..aren't able to get there?"

She knew what he meant by that. What if her form changing had another mishap? But she only smiled, "I'll bring my strongest dragon, just in case." Excitement served through her veins; she was finally going to get some answers.

• • •

Aldru was at the Northern Markets with Hiccup, the twins, and Johann when a few hunters tried to attack. After some thought, they realized that someone was double crossing them. But who could that possibly be? Everyone in their close group was one hundred percent loyal to the cause.

While the twins argued over why they believed the other to be the traitor, Johann led Hiccup and Aldru to the sandbuster's lair. There, they'd find the jewels they needed to complete the dragon eye two. Once they were below ground, Aldru changed to her dragon form and sang a sleep song directed to the sandbuster. She then began to sniff around for the proper jewels.

"There's one!" Aldru heard Johann shout. She scuttled over to where he pointed and picked up the small jewel with her teeth. But she caught a glimpse of something sinister in the trader's eyes. Her stomach twisted. Trying not to act suspicious, she hurried over to Hiccup and gave him the jewel before turning back human.

Except, she didn't. Her body was failing her once again, and when she needed to talk to Hiccup most. "Alright," Hiccup praised, "looks like that's all of them."

Realizing it was now or never, Adlru stood between the two men and squawked loudly at Johann. "Oh, my," he muttered, flinching away, "Miss. Aldru, is everything quite alright?"

Aldru growled at him, her pupils slim with alertness. "Woah, Aldru, calm down," Hiccup gave her a look of surprise.

The song wing looked up at him for a moment and squawked a bit quieter. She then turned back to Johann and snarled. Finally, Hiccup realized what was going on. He squinted his eyes at Johan and questioned, "you?"

"Me?" Johan asked in false nervousness. But Hiccup and Aldru had already figured him out. So after a moment, he finally dropped the act. With an evil smirk, he spoke, "hmm, what do you know? It is me."

"All this time," Hiccup observed in anger, "you've been working for Krogan and Viggo."

"Hah!" Johann gave a short laugh, pulling a long dagger from his sleeve, "Krogan works for me." He twirled the weapon in his hand and began to pace slowly. "As for Viggo, well..bit of a loose cannon, shall we say? I can smell his uncertainty whenever we're in the same room."

Again, Aldru felt an unpleasant drop of her stomach; Johann wasn't just the double agent, he was in charge. And he was onto Viggo. Hiccup must've had the same thought, for he responded, "uncertainty? He didn't seem that uncertain when he took Dragon's Edge and tried to destroy us with Krogan."

He knew that this was the only way the keep Viggo covered up. Of course, it felt strange to protect someone by bad-mouthing them. Especially when the person he was protecting was someone he'd often bad-mouthed before. But for Aldru, he'd do anything; he would do anything he could to keep her father as safe as could be.

Johann frowned and considered, "I suppose you're right about that; he's committed to the hunt, no doubt." He then gave Aldru a sidways glare, "but something's in his way..and that means that something's in my way." He grinned and pointed the dagger at Aldru. "And when things get in my way...I clear the path."