My heart hammered violently in my chest as I crouched down beside my poor dragon, breathing heavily from the impact of the dragon root arrow. Astrid had tried her best, but Shriek could be a difficult dragon to control, and somehow, it seemed like Ryker knew exactly what we were doing.
Ryker... The mere thought of that man made me want to hurl. I saw the smirk on his face as our dragons got shot—the same one he wore now as he towered over all of us. If there weren't arrows trained right on us, I would've taken my sword and run him through by now.
"Your pathetic tricks won't work on me," he sneered, only making my resentment grow. "I'm a Dragon Hunter! I know that Gronckles are immune to dragon root. I used your worthless escape plan to lure your friends in closer."
I jabbed out my elbow as a Dragon Hunter approached me, attempting to force me to stand up. He grunted, caught off guard, but unfortunately, where I crouched didn't give me enough of an advantage, allowing him to grab me just a second later and force me onto my feet. Still seething with rage, I reluctantly followed, leading the way for Astrid, Fishlegs, Ruff, and Tuff into a cell. The lackey tried to put a hand on me again, sending my anger past its boiling point. I whipped around, glowering at Ryker.
"Where are our dragons?" I demanded, not caring about the fact I could feel my throat ripping apart. "What did you do to them?"
"Oh, if I were you, I'd be more worried about yourself."
My eyes flickered past Ryker, trying to get a glimpse at the cages behind him, when someone passed by that caused my brain to go completely haywire. I hadn't seen that mass of black hair in ages, didn't even know if she was alive or not. But the shimmering silver armor cemented it for me. My heart tried to jump out of its chest as I watched her walk by.
"Heather?" My words came out cracked and strained, relieved to see my sister but also worried about her presence here.
"No way," I heard Tuff whisper.
"Run!"
My entire body completely froze as another figure popped up behind her, flashing a bright, satisfied smile in my direction. What were they both doing here?
"Surprise!" Dagur sang, smirking specifically at me. "Did ya miss me? Of course you did! And, of course, you remember our sister, Heather. You were all buddy-buddy not too long ago."
Heather crossed her arms against her chest, shooting that same smile right at me. Gods, they loved this.
"Hey, family is family," she shrugged.
"Heather, what are you talking about?" My voice trembled now, still trying to collect myself. "I'm your family, too."
"You abandoned our family, Reign," she scoffed, "all for some guy. There was only one real choice."
Heather's words completely gutted me, leaving me feeling like nothing more than a deflated balloon.
"I know it's not Dragon's Edge, but it will have to do." The bars of the cell slammed shut in front of us, igniting that hatred again. "Enjoy your new home, sister. You're going to be here for a while."
My brain completely left my body as I slammed myself against the green bars, starling Heather enough for her to back up. All if a sudden, I was no longer in control of my own body, evidenced by the way I started to thrash between the bars, trying to get a hold on Heather and shake some sense into her.
I screamed and flailed as Astrid grabbed onto my arm and pulled me back from the metal. Her words weren't discernable to me, but something about the tone of her voice brought my awareness back slowly. I felt limp now, like the life had been completely sucked out of me. My mind, however, was still working at the speed of a Night Fury, pushing me right back up to my feet. I paced the room for ages, trying to bring everything back together and make it make sense. By the time I could speak again, the sun had completely disappeared from the sky.
"Dagur is here?" Fishlegs trembled. "And Heather is with him?" I slammed my hands against my sides, turning to glare at him.
"Yes, let's keep talking about it," I deadpanned. "Trusting her turned out to be a big mistake."
"Yeah. Who puts loyalty to their brother ahead of loyalty to their friends?" I whipped around, focusing my attention on Ruff, who shrunk back slightly. "And also their sister, I guess." I shook my head, trying to keep myself from completely exploding again. Besides, we had bigger things to worry about than my unhinged family.
"The bigger question is, who are these Dragon Hunters and what do they want from us?" I huffed.
"You're about to find out."
Heather's irritating smirk remained plastered against her face as she pressed her arms against the bars, igniting that uncontrollable hatred constantly simmering in me. My gut instinct told me not to trust her when we were younger, but all of that got brushed aside when I learned she was my younger sister. For a moment, I'd let myself forget who our family was.
"Ryker wants to have a little chat with you."
The bars to the cell opened, and Heather strode inside, confidently eyeing me down like she had some sort of power over me. Pushing her luck, she tried to shove me out of the cell, something I responded to by planting my feet. I heard Heather let out a frustrated grunt, then she pushed me harder, causing me to stumble outside. Though I desperately wanted to turn around and deck her across the face, the axe pressed to my back swayed me otherwise.
"You're lucky these guards are here, or I'd take your head off," I hissed.
"You'd try," my sister chuckled.
"After everything we did for you. Took you in. Taught you to ride. Saved your life more than once." The further back I thought, the more my anger melted into a protective sort of desperation.
"And I thank you for that." Her cold tone indicated she thought otherwise. "But I have to follow my destiny."
I stopped dead in my tracks, turning around to momentarily face my sister. Her eyes were still that same green my family shared, a fear hidden behind them I always recognized in her; Heather never went anywhere without it. There was something different in her, something that made her easier to manipulate and sway, especially by someone like Dagur. If there was anyone to be angry at, it was my brother. Deep down, I knew this was his fault, and the Heather all of us had come to know was buried in there somewhere.
"Heather, you can't be serious. Betraying your friends and joining this Dragon Hunter scum? You honestly think that's your destiny?" I expected her to force me to keep moving, but strangely, she just stood there with me.
"You don't know what it's like to be truly alone, Reign," Heather snapped. "When you got lost, you found Hiccup, and Astrid, and all your other friends. I had no one for so long, until my adoptive parents found me. And after they died, I was alone again." There was almost something sad behind her relatively frustrated tone. "Dagur is my brother."
"Yeah, I think I got that," I groaned, rolling my eyes. "You seem to forget he's mine, too. You also seem to forget he's the one that killed your adoptive family and made you go off alone again. I tried to be there for you, even before I knew we were related."
"I trust him with my life," she shot back, turning me around and pushing me forward.
"You'll regret that. Believe me."
Heather brought the two of us to a halt in front of a large, ornate door, crossing in front of me and knocking on it with her axe.
"Hm. Well, your concern is touching, but if I were you, I'd be more worried about myself." I rested my hands against my hips as, from inside, a voice called to us, prompting Heather to push the door open. "Ryker wants information and he can be very persuasive."
I straightened up slightly, trying to keep myself as tall and proud as possible as I stepped into the room. The scene that greeted me was extremely stereotypical: a single light hovered over Ryker's head, casting shadows across his face meant to be threatening. My brother stood on one side of the chair opposite the head Dragon Hunter, while Heather took her spot on the other, all expectantly staring at me. Remaining collected and calm, I crossed over my siblings and sat down, staring down Ryker with one brow slightly raised. He remained silent for a moment, clearly thinking that would make me uncomfortable, but I guess all that interrogation training Hiccup and I had put the gang through way back when actually paid off for me as well. Granted, Hiccup was much less intimidating, for several reasons, but it all seemed to be working now.
"Your brother tells me you've got a base out here." Ryker folded his hands against the desk. "If you just tell me where it is, we don't have to go through this whole process."
I remained stern and silent, leaning back in the chair slightly and running my tongue against my teeth behind my lips. He wanted to play this game with me, but that'd be a little difficult for him if I didn't speak. Even when Dagur slammed his fist against the back of the chair, I refused to flinch.
"Reign inherited that familial stubbornness." Something in the way Dagur's face changed made my stomach lurch lightly, but I continued to be a stone. "Not unlike their leader, Hiccup." He cast a glance to Heather, who smirked and continued his train of thought.
"She's very close with Hiccup. Aren't you, Reign?" I kept my exhale silent as I glared at her. She knew Hiccup was a line not to be crossed, not to mention she had a better look at our relationship than Dagur did. "I suppose that's a bit of an understatement, though. They're close as two people can be—probably know every little detail about each other."
"What's your point?" Unintentionally, I snapped a little bit.
"He's the one who rides the Night Fury, correct?" Dagur nodded. "The price I could fetch for that dragon..." I snickered, causing Ryker to turn his attention back to me. "What is she laughing about?"
"First of all, you can address me directly." My voice was lower than normal as I leaned forward in the chair, smirking at him. "Secondly, you wouldn't be able to get your hands on that dragon if you tried. Hiccup is extremely protective of him, and vice versa. And, of course, you'd have to go through me as well."
Ryker leaned back in his chair again, remaining silent and just staring me down. He likely thought that would be some sort of intimidation tactic, the silence somehow bribing me into spilling, but I just copied his body language, returning the intense glare. The two of us engaged in a match of who could be silent longer, and I wasn't quite sure how much time had passed when he realized neither of us was losing.
I remained completely still as Heather suddenly brought her axe down in front of my face, panting heavily and baring her teeth at me. Her intentions were obvious, but I could only muster and eye roll and an unamused glance at her; it was already an old, antiquated move, but the fact it was coming from my younger sister made it that much more annoying.
"Seriously?" I scoffed. "You thought that would work on me? You know me, Heather."
I watched all three facial expressions darken a bit, adding fuel to my own fire. There was something satisfying about this—forcing them to rework their tactics and scramble to try and get answers out of me. Dagur, in particular, looked like he was about to throw himself out the porthole.
"This isn't getting you closer to leaving," Ryker grunted. "You're going to tell me where your base is, no matter how long it takes."
Our battle continued for several hours, neither side willing to relent. I never allowed myself to speak much, but then again, neither did Ryker. After our brief conversations near the beginning, he kept his mouth shut, opting instead to just stare me down. From that moment on, it was just Dagur and Heather teaming up on me. Trouble was, I'd never viewed my brother as anything but a joke, and Heather wasn't exactly the best at intimidation, so they weren't getting any closer for a while. I didn't start to crack until the sun began to rise outside. Even if my brother and sister weren't great at interrogation, they certainly knew how to wear me down, purely through annoyance and amusement. I liked to think I could keep my wits about me constantly, but exhaustion proved to be the thing that would take me down. Unfortunately, Ryker picked up on that, and slowly, I began to spill about Dragon's Edge, completely unconsciously.
Defeated, I was escorted back to the cell where the rest of my friends were sleeping. Once the door opened, they all immediately sprung up and surrounded me, all eyeing me worriedly.
"Reign, are you okay?" Fishlegs asked with a trembling voice.
"Just tired," I sighed. "They questioned me all night. Wouldn't let me sleep." I shook my head, slumping against the bars as I attempted to wake myself back up.
"They?" I crossed my arms against my chest, the recent memory only bringing back more annoyance.
"Dagur and Heather, mostly. That Ryker guy doesn't say much. He just... stares. Although, he does play the intimidation game well."
"Yeah, but you hung tough," Ruffnut stated confidently from the floor. "You didn't crack. You never talked. Way to go, Reign."
I averted my gaze momentarily, attempting to be sorry for my actions. If the guards caught onto what I'd done, no doubt they'd bring me back to Ryker and my family and run me through another round of questioning; I didn't mind the interrogation again, mainly because I knew I could withstand again, but I definitely didn't want to have to be put in the same room with Dagur and Heather again.
"Actually, I did talk." Ruff sat up abruptly and raised an eyebrow at me, frustrated and unamused.
"Way to go, Reign," she muttered, this time completely deadpan.
"I told Ryker what he wanted to know. The location of the Dragon Eye." Momentarily, I glanced back, making sure the guards were still within earshot. Though I'd already told Ryker this, I wanted to make sure it was reinforced.
"They're after the Dragon Eye?" Astrid asked as she moved to stand next to me.
"It's important to the Dragon Hunters. They've been looking for it for a long time," I informed my friends.
"And where did you tell them it was?" Given the twins' nature, I was impressed Ruffnut seemed to be throwing me a bone.
"Back at Dragon's Edge where it's being guarded by all the other Riders we left behind." Maybe the shouting of that last part was a little too much, but it was two-fold; I had to convince both the Hunters and the other Riders to go along with the story.
"What?" Tuffnut scoffed. "No one's—"
"Supposed to know about it," I emphasized, gesticulating in a desperate attempt to get the twins to catch on. They were the biggest problem in all this.
Thankfully, only a second later, Astrid stepped into the conversation, supporting me like she always had.
"Yeah, Dragon's Edge is like a fortress. Lots of Dragon Riders." I flashed her a smile as she winked at me.
"Under the command of Captain Gustav." Astrid, Fishlegs, and I had to hold back our laughter at that thought. There was something so horrifically hilarious about the thought of Gustav as the captain of anything, let alone a fleet of Dragon Riders manning dangerous, large, fire-breathing reptiles.
"Wait. 'Captain Gustav?' He outranks me?" I rolled my eyes and crouched down a little closer to the twins, trying to keep the guards from overhearing what I said next.
"It was the only thing I could think of to keep them from taking over Dragon's Edge," I hissed.
"Ha!" I jumped and tried to shush Ruffnut's boisterous exclamation. "They bought it?"
"For now. Eventually, Ryker will send someone there to check it out."
"You bought us time," Fishlegs declared, smirking.
"Exactly," I nodded. "We need to get out of here before they find out I was bluffing. Dagur helped boost the believability of my story by talking about his encounter with the A-Team, but he's not exactly the smartest man, so I'm not so sure Ryker believed him. We have to get out of here ASAP. Any ideas?"
"Way ahead of you. I have the perfect plan." Instinctually, I didn't want to trust Tuffnut, given his track record, but yesterday he actually came up with some pretty genius ideas. Maybe he had something worth listening to.
All that faith went out the window when he proudly held up a mug.
"We tunnel out." Only furthering the ridiculousness, Tuff began to scrape against the wood boards with the vessel.
"Through the boat?" I groaned, my hands plastered against my hips.
"Into the middle of the sea?" Astrid sounded just about as done with this as I was.
"Exactly!" Tuff's confidence remained unwavering. "They will never see it coming. Even I won't! Especially because I don't know how to swim. Okay, mental note, learn how to swim. By tomorrow, or next week."
I turned to Astrid and Fishlegs, my jaw slightly agape, and the three of us shrugged. If this kept Tuffnut entertained and out of our way, I'd take it for now. I had my two best resources beside me, anyway.
"Okay, so in terms of an actual plan..." I tried to conjure up something, anything, but all my brain kept giving me was the screams of exhaustion. Not even a semblance of a plan wanted to present itself. "I'm sorry, guys. I can't think of anything. Dagur and Heather really wore me out."
Astrid slid a little closer and offered me a hug, eliciting a sigh of relief from me. Astrid had been there to support me before I even got to know Hiccup, and I hoped she'd be there for me for the rest of our lives. Heather was my blood relative, sure, but Astrid was more of a sister to me than she ever would be. After this—even if deep down, I knew it was all manipulation from Dagur—she was dead to me.
Sad that my entire blood family wasn't a source I could rely on. But, then again, what did I expect?
Our attentions were drawn away at the sound of grunting and struggling, bringing us to look ahead of us. Fishlegs was attempting to rend the mug from Tuffnut's grasp, creating chaos between the two of them. Frustrated, I rolled my eyes and turned back around, now simply relying on Astrid for ideas. While everyone started to throw some around, none of them struck gold, and most were just flat-out awful.
"How about this?" I turned back to Tuff, the mug no longer in his possession. "We set our cell on fire, and—"
"Uh, no!" Fishlegs shouted.
"I have an idea," Ruffnut piped up. "We—"
"How about psychological warfare?" Fishlegs suggested. "We learn our guards' names. Get them to like us. And eventually, they'll lower their guard and..."
"Boring!" Tuffnut yawned, shutting the idea down. I had to agree with him on that one—that plan would take far too long.
"What if—"
"Acid!" Tuff cried, without thinking about where we would possibly find acid in the middle of the ocean.
"Okay, fine. Shutting down the Ruffnut idea farm," the female Viking grumbled. "No milk served here."
"But the Tuffnut idea farm has a mighty fine harvest. We use acid to cut through the bars!" I rolled my eyes again, reaching my breaking point with the twins.
"And where do we get the acid?" I proposed, stumping the male twin.
"I'm still working on that," he admitted.
"That plan won't work anymore than your 'Ruffnut marries the guard, divorces him and gets the key in the settlement' plan. Which, by the way, is so creepy and degrading for so many reasons."
I turned my eyes to everyone else, hoping at least Astrid had come up with something, but they all just shrugged, leaving us bone-dry. I hit my head back against the bars, tired and frustrated, when Heather's voice caused me to whip right back around.
"Ryker wants to see you," she declared, her eyes oddly settled on Fishlegs. Had they figured out the easiest one of us to crack this early on?
"Me?" the subject questioned, pointing right at himself.
"No, all of you. Let's go." That wasn't a good sign.
I allowed everyone else to exit the cell before me, and on my way out, I took care to lean just a little too far to the left, jabbing my elbow into her side. She grunted, the air flying out of her lungs for a second, but she quickly collected herself and turned to glare daggers in my direction. Rather than humoring her or feeding into the silent war, I merely sidled up closer to Astrid, making a show of who I trusted more. Her eyes remained glued to me as she approached the doorway to Ryker's chamber, where Dagur was already situated. She issued that same knock on the door from earlier, and only a moment later, Ryker emerged, smirking and glaring down at us like he'd already won.
"I am Ryker," he announced, as though we didn't already know. "This is my ship. You are my prisoners. And your dragons are now my dragons." He stepped back, allowing someone else to take the floor.
"And how they get treated is entirely up to you." Dagur extended his arms out, lilting his voice like this was some sort of game—which, to him, this probably was.
The five of us remained in place as Ryker turned and headed into the next room over, only complying once one of the guards pushed the twins, creating a ripple effect that moved all of us along. I kept my horror contained within me as we stepped in between the rows of cages, completely filled up with dragons. Nadders, Monstrous Nightmares, and even a Changewing started out the line of prisoners, eventually coming to a halt in front of Meatlug, who was being fed various rocks.
"Meatlug!" Fishlegs cried, sounding as though he was genuinely in pain. Upon hearing his voice, she looked to her rider for a moment, only brought back to her slavery when a lackey pulled on one of her chains, startling her.
"This Gronckle is being very helpful," Ryker laughed.
"Her name is Meatlug," Fishlegs snapped back.
"I don't care. All I care is that it makes me metal, all day and all night." In time with Ryker's words, Meatlug barfed up some magma, positioned to be cooled correctly.
I stared down my brother's and sister's backs as they pushed Fishlegs along, leading us to the next dragon, the one we'd been trying to rescue this entire time. One of the lackeys slammed down a weapon, startling Stormfly, which caused her to shoot out spines into another lackey's shield.
"Hm. Perfect. Razor sharp tips for our spears and ballistas." Another one flew directly at Ryker, but he managed to catch it before it pierced any flesh.
"You can't do that to her," Astrid barked, stepping closer to the head hunter. I watched her with caution, but wasn't about to hold her back from bearing down on him.
"Oh, I can." I tensed as he pointed the spine right at Astrid's neck. "And I will."
My hands balled up into fists when we passed by to the next cell, watching as two lackeys got up in Shriek's face and started to bang down weapons against the ground. Though she was hard of hearing, it still made her feel intimidated, and all of us were only saved from the magnitude of her sonic boom by spotting the telltale of her rearing back slightly, allowing everyone to cover their ears before she screamed.
"This Thunderdrum's got a powerful roar." I already knew this, and of course, Ryker understood that. "She'll be useful in battle. Once we figure out what triggers her to kill."
I glowered at the man, my buttons officially pushed. Shriek was tempestuous and assertive, but she wasn't a killer, and she never would be. The Hunters could push her to her brink and she wouldn't break, but the mere thought of the torture she would endure as a result caused my blood to turn boiling hot within my veins.
"You think she's going to cooperate?" My laugh came out forced and bitter. "Shriek's even more stubborn than I am."
"Oh, she'll cooperate," Ryker glowered. "I don't think you want to know what'll happen if she doesn't."
I shuddered a little, out of fear for my dragon, before I was forced to move my feet again by the guards. My eyes flashed back to Dagur and Heather, who both momentarily hesitated under my stare.
"Poor Barf and Belch," Ruffnut lamented as we made our way toward their dragon's cage. "What torture are they enduring?" Everyone flinched as Shriek boomed again.
"I can't look... because my hands are over my eyes."
My brows furrowed when we stared in at Barf and Belch, lounging on their backs and purring as two lackeys tossed them fish and rubbed oils into their scales, pampering the Zippleback beyond anything we'd ever done for them.
"Well, this is more like it," Tuff laughed, put slightly at ease for the moment. "Someone recognizes quality."
"He likes the fish," one of the lackeys called out, like it was something they'd just discovered. Shouldn't everyone know dragons liked fish?
"Hey, rub me down with some of that grease," Ruff requested as she sidled up to the bars. "I'm feeling dry." I gagged slightly and yanked her away from the bars. She shouldn't have been colluding with the enemy, even in the slightest.
"This hide'll fetch top prices in the northern markets." My eyes widened, disgusted, but Tuffnut didn't seem to catch on at first.
"Sure," he shrugged. "It's soft and supple, the color... oh, the col—" Suddenly, he fully processed what Ryker said. "Wait. What?"
"Ooh, Zippleback boots," Dagur cackled, smiling right at Tuffnut. "I always wanted a pair."
For a moment, that unquenchable rage returned, turning my brain off. I lunged forward, heading straight for my brother and taking a swipe with my fingers; I likely would have scratched him up, had Astrid not grabbed onto me and yanked me back, keeping her grip firm on me until I calmed down. Ryker stood, calm and cool, until I'd completely collected myself and took my place back in front of everyone.
"This is what faces all of your dragons." Ryker snatched an empty cup from one of the lackeys tending to Barf and Belch. "Of course, they could get better treatment." I crossed my arms against my chest and jutted out a hip, already sensing where this was going.
"Don't just leave me hanging. How?" I remained still as stone as Ryker chucked the cup in our direction and got right up in my face.
"Start giving me some real answers!" He shouted. In spite of the circumstances, I smirked. To act like this and drop his calm demeanor, he must have been getting desperate. "Tell me what you know about the Dragon Eye." He grabbed onto my tunic and yanked me closer, his disgusting breath falling over my face. "Exactly how many Riders guard your base?"
My response consisted only of raising an eyebrow.
Ryker finally released his grip on me, but when no one else answered his questions, he turned his attention back to Barf and Belch.
"Very well. Keep fattening this one up. More to sell."
Upon hearing that, Ruffnut launched herself forward, collapsing onto one of the guards and slowly sliding down his waist.
"Please! Please, don't hurt our dragon," she begged. "I'll do anything."
"Then tell me what I want to know." Even in her desperate moment, Ruffnut didn't give in.
"Come on."
"Ruff. Stop!" Tuffnut barked. "Thorstons don't beg. Except for food... or money, or housing. Or any other thing that we need. This isn't a good argument." It wasn't until his sister fully collapsed to the ground that Tuff shut himself up.
"You want to save your dragon? Give me some information."
Out of nowhere, Ruffnut completely turned herself around and composed herself. She dusted off her vest and got up, her posture assertive as she faced Ryker.
"No, never!" I heard the guard she'd just clung to grunt in confusion, but no one protested as she rejoined us.
"Sorry," she muttered. "Lost my head there for a second." There almost seemed to be a concealed smile hiding behind her apologetic expression, but I shrugged it off in favor of focusing on Ryker.
"Interesting. Something you and your dragon may soon have in common. Get them out of my sight."
Dagur tried to take hold of my elbow, but I violently threw him off, grumbling about how I could guide myself. The walk back to the cells was completely silent, no one bothering to protest the actions as the guards slammed the doors shut on us again. However, the moment the guards were gone, everyone but Ruffnut started scheming, more desperate to get out of here than before.
"What if we tunnel through the ceiling?" Tuff suggested, swinging his cup in the air.
"Technically, that's not a tunnel," Fishlegs pointed out.
"It isn't? There's no such thing as a ceiling tunnel, Fishlegs?" All their bickering gave me enough time to briefly come up with a vague semblance of a plan.
"Guys, I have—" Whatever Ruff had to say, her breakdown earlier discounted any sort of plan she could invent.
"Listen up." I stepped up into the middle of the group, drawing everyone's attention to me. "I've memorized the guards' schedules and I have a plan. But we need a way to get this door open first."
I was completely taken aback as Ruffnut held up the shimmering, silver key that fit into the lock on our cell.
"You mean like this key that I stole from the guard?" she smirked, shaking the key back and forth slightly as it dangled. The rest of us stared at her, dumbfounded that she'd actually managed to do something extremely helpful.
"Wait." Astrid managed to find her voice first. "But how did you...?" Ruff stood up, setting her hands on her hips.
"Easy," she shrugged. "I just grabbed the key when I flung myself onto the guard—managed to get in a bite of a yak drumstick he had on him, too." The cup slipped from Tuff's hands as we all fell into a stupefied silence again. "Yeah, you guys should try listening to me every now and again. Ruffnut idea farm. Back in business."
I found myself smiling at her—a silent thanks for making this plan significantly easier.
"All right. As soon as Astrid and I take out the guards, we split up and get our dragons. Then we blast our way outta here." Astrid extended her fist out to me, which I triumphantly bumped with my own. Things were starting to come together.
"Okay, and go where?" Tuff asked, raising a reasonable point.
"Straight up," Astrid suggested, adding on to the plan. "Out of the range of those arrows."
Following a brief nod to each other, Astrid took the key from Ruff and passed it to me. A Nadder across from us squawked quietly, curious as to whatever I was doing, and I gently shushed it before reaching my hand through the bars. Inserting the key into the lock and turning it proved to be much more difficult from my angle, but I somehow managed to pull it off without dropping the thing. The moment I heard the 'click' of the door unlocking, I slipped the key into one of the pouches on my belt, then turned back to Astrid. The two of us stared at each other briefly, mentally asking which of us would pretend to break.
"I've got this," she assured me, pressing a hand against my shoulder.
"You sure?" Part of me felt bad. "I don't want you to have to—"
"No way am I letting Dagur and Heather think they've gotten to you." Her voice dropped significantly when she said that. "They're not getting a victory."
I sighed happily, once again grateful that she was a consistent force in my life, then stepped back to let her steal the show. Astrid hesitated a moment, shifting her posture forward, then she slammed her hands against the bars and started to shout.
"Guard! Guard! I can't take it. I want to save my dragon. I'll tell Ryker everything he wants to know."
Astrid stepped back a bit at the sound of two guards' footsteps, giving herself enough of a head start to slam the door open when the first one passed by. He collapsed to the ground immediately, unconscious, then she pulled the door shut again and stepped aside so I could repeat her actions when the next one stepped up to check on the first guard. The two of us smirked at each other, satisfied with our teamwork, but we didn't have time to revel.
"One last thing. If this is like the other Dragon Hunter ships, there could be booby traps anywhere, so be careful," I warned.
"Oh, great, now she tells us," Tuffnut bellyached.
I chose not to shoot something back at them, instead too determined to save Shriek. I sprinted out ahead of the group, turning into the corridor with the dragon cages. My heart pushed against my ribcage, begging to help the other dragons escape, but the logical part of me knew that only increased our chances of getting caught. I had to focus on Shriek for now, and if we had the chance to take down this ship, then we'd free them. Hopefully, Hiccup and Snotlout would come back for us by then... if they weren't stranded somewhere.
I shook away those thoughts immediately, catching myself beginning to panic. Knowing Hiccup, he'd gotten the two of them somewhere safe, and they'd probably come up with a plan ages before we could even start to think about escaping.
Shriek's cell was midway down the hall, forcing me to pass a few stray dragons along the way, as well as Fishlegs and Astrid with their dragons. When she saw me, she immediately began to bounce, her yellow eyes filled with love. It felt like my chest literally swelled up as I got her cage open and avoided the alarm trigger, running up and embracing her.
"It's gonna be okay, Shriek," I whispered, already starting to work on her chains. "We're getting you out of here and back home."
I'd just started to unwind the bonds from her small leg, when a bell went off, loud enough for anyone below deck to hear. Desperately, I started to yank as hard as I could without hurting her, knowing I'd only have a few seconds before a guard came in to try and stop me.
Unfortunately, it wasn't a guard at all. When the cell door slammed shut and I turned around, I was greeted by my sister, her axe held firmly in her hands as she stood before me. Without any other weapon, I held the chain up toward my chest, ready to fend her off with it.
"You're not going anywhere, Reign," she snarled.
"Maybe not. But I'm really going to enjoy this." Heather's confidence never wavered.
"I doubt that."
The cut on my arm pulsated and burned as Heather dragged me up onto the deck, tossing me toward the rest of my friends, who were turned to face Ryker and Dagur. The pair looked down on us, their expressions drawn downwards into scowls. I could feel blood starting to leak through the hole in my shirt Heather had created, but I pushed through by convincing myself I'd been through worse.
Not to mention, there were much bigger things to worry about now. Nothing made sense anymore, and our plan had completely failed on us.
"Ryker, Rykey, Ryker-man." Even though my brother wasn't addressing me, his incessant use of nicknames bred annoyance deep in my bones. "Can we please just work together on this? You know dragons, I know Dragon Riders."
"And...?" Ryker inquired.
"Send a message. Throw one over the side." Dagur began to cackle uncontrollably, twitching with delight. "It'll be so fun."
He didn't have to say it for me to know I was the one he wanted to throw into the depths to drown. The realization he was willing to kill his own sister for fun made my stomach lurch; Dagur's insanity knew no bounds.
"An excellent idea." Heather strode over to the pair of men, taking her place right beside them. "Unless, of course, you think Viggo might want to question them personally about the Dragon Eye."
I turned to Astrid, confused. I thought Ryker was the head of the Dragon Riders. Who was this 'Viggo' character?
"I have a better idea. Why not put them to work?" Though Heather's save from a death sentence looked like a blessing, something told me this one was far worse than what Dagur had proposed.
"I'd prefer to go overboard," Tuff announced, raising his hand.
"Uh-huh," his sister agreed.
"Split them up so they can't plot any more escapes," Heather ordered. "And make them serve you, as their dragons do." Ryker pretended to consider it, but I could tell by the look on his face that he'd already made up his mind.
"You know? I like that idea. Put 'em to work. But the next one who tries to escape goes over the side."
Reluctantly, I turned on my heel and picked up a mop as one of the guards pressed a crossbow to my back, forcing Astrid, myself, and Tuffnut to begin cleaning the deck. I tried my best to just focus on what I was doing, but I couldn't help myself from looking to the last two members of my family. I expected to feel a burning anger toward them, but as I watched Dagur embrace Heather, something else in me felt like it was shattering. There was part of me, deep down and severely repressed, that wished the three of us could have been normal. As I mopped, my mind started to wander, wondering what it could have been like if we all had been on the same side of this war—hopefully on the Dragon Rider side rather than the Hunters—but I forced myself to brush it away.
Betrayal ran deep in the family, yet no matter how many times I reminded myself of that, it never seemed to stick unless one of them was saying it to me.
Thankfully, Tuffnut distracted me only a moment later, completely eliminating the thoughts I struggled with.
"So, let me get this straight: Heather took you down all by yourself?" At least now I felt anger toward my sister... and Tuffnut, as well.
"She had an axe," I reminded him. He paused for a moment, considering my reasoning, but it wasn't good enough for him.
"Yes, and you had two arms, which are axes without blades." That logic made no sense to a rational person, but I'm sure in the brain of Tuffnut, all the dots connected perfectly. "This is yet another argument for why I say always carry an axe."
"I don't have an axe, Tuff. I have a sword."
Annoyed, I went back to mopping and sweeping, banishing thoughts of my family any time they tried to pop up. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Astrid glancing at me worriedly every now and then, but if the two of us tried to talk, no doubt we would be thrown overboard by the guards, and neither of us wanted to risk that for the other.
Astrid is my family, I thought, and so is Hiccup. The phrase played on loop, but it did nothing to ease my mind.
Though Astrid and I didn't want to risk talking, I felt no need to do the same for Tuff, immediately fixating back on our conversation from earlier.
"How do you not understand that having a sword—or an axe, for that matter—is a huge advantage in a fight?" Tuff merely leaned against his broom, picking the dirt out from under his fingernails.
"It isn't if you have a mace." My hands gripped the mop tighter, seconds away from breaking it.
"I didn't have a mace, or an axe, or a crossbow," I seethed.
"Now we're getting hypothetical? Bet you didn't have eyes that could shoot fire, either." I resisted the urge to remind him no living Viking could do that.
Thankfully, an uplifting set of news snapped the two of us out of it.
"Dragons sighted off the starboard bow!" a soldier shouted from above. "With riders!"
Even from that distance, I could clearly distinguish the black and orange dragons quickly sailing closer to us. Finally, they'd come back for us!
"Standby catapults. Archers at the ready. Wait 'till they're in range." Despite Rykers orders, the closer Hiccup and Snotlout got, the more I felt my determination rising back up. "Hunters, fire at will!"
My hand flew to my mouth as some of the arrows loosed stuck against the bottoms of Toothless and Hookfang, but it fell away when neither of the dragons reacted to the dragon root, somehow impervious to it. It wasn't until the pair circled back around and dove a little closer that I noticed something white covering the two dragons. They'd crafted armor! There was that genius I'd come to love.
Toothless' plasma blasts destroyed some of the arrow launchers, and when Ryker and Heather were knocked onto our level, I turned to Tuff with a smile.
"Now or never."
I swung up my mop and struck the guard in front of me, knocking him to the ground in one swipe. Astrid rushed to our sides, offering her help as soldiers rushed toward us. I heard Tuff shout about hating cleaning as he knocked his guard over the side of the boat, fueling the hatred all of us had stored away.
"Yeah? Well, looks like there's some more cleaning up to do."
All three of our strengths combined helped us cut through the guards like dying blades of grass, their bodies thudding against the wooden deck, unconscious, as Toothless and Snotlout's blasts disarmed weapons and rocked the boat. By the time we'd finished swinging and kicking, there weren't any soldiers left, except for two aiming arrows in our direction. I prepared myself to deflect their attacks, when the two of them were suddenly thrown to the ground, revealing Heather.
"She's mine!" my sister declared.
Astrid and Tuffnut rushed below deck at my urging, leaving me to fend off my own sister. That anger and hatred I'd become too familiar with on this boat came rushing back as I deflected the swings of her axe, encouraging me to push back against her frantic and erratic patterns of attack. Once I actually managed to defend myself, Heather snapped the mop in two, but that only provided me with a better advantage. Taking after her, I swiped at her with the wood as fast as I could, forcing her back just far enough to the point where she tripped over a board and slammed her head against the deck, rending her unable to get up. Satisfied, I threw the wooden sticks down by her head, then marched below deck and into Shriek's cage.
The chain came off much easier this time around, without the added stress of someone catching us.
"Shriek, we're leaving."
I was about to drop the chain, when, yet again, Heather appeared in the doorway. She'd recovered from that way too quickly, but she definitely wouldn't be a problem for any of us.
"Don't you ever give up?" I groaned.
"That doesn't run in our family," she smirked. "I'd say you should know that, but you couldn't possibly have been part of this family long enough for that."
My grip on the chain tightened. She'd pulled on the one thread that completely undid my mind, and she knew it.
I really was going to enjoy it this time around.
Part of me felt afraid as I stared down at Heather, sprawled out against the floor, and felt no remorse, but there were always bigger things. I could feel the boat shaking violently now, meaning we had to leave before we went down with everyone else. I climbed up onto Shriek's back, and she flew out through the hole we'd gone in through. When we emerged, I was greeted with the sight of Ryker aiming an arrow straight at Hiccup and Toothless, the latter of who's armor had begun to come undone.
Not on my watch.
I pushed Shriek to dive, somehow without Ryker noticing, and she slammed her head against the side of the boat, causing Ryker to drop the weapon. I smirked down at him as the two of us took to the air, joining Hiccup.
"I told you, you were messing with the wrong Vikings!" I heard Astrid shout as she emerged from below deck.
None of us left until the entire group was with us, and even when we had the background of burning ships, I felt sick to my stomach.
"Was that Dagur on that ship?" Hiccup questioned, turning to me. I could spot the relief behind his eyes, but I didn't want to entertain it at the moment. That question made everything bubble back up. "Is he with the Dragon Hunters?"
"Not just Dagur," Ruff declared, like it was something to be excited about.
"Hiccup, we have a lot to talk about," I sighed, unwilling to spill anything more before we headed back to the Edge.
The rest of the group talked and laughed with each other on the ride back, but I paid no mind to it. I wanted time to just let everything simmer and sort itself out in my mind, so that when Hiccup and I talked eventually, it wouldn't all come out as jumbled garbage, like it usually did.
By the time we got back to the Edge, night had fallen, making the yellow glow of our lamps from our huts that much more enticing. The rest of the group headed to the clubhouse to eat and discuss what just happened, while Hiccup and I made our way back to our hut. The moment he shut the door, I crossed the room and wrapped my arms around his waist, wanting, more than anything at the moment, something stable to hold onto. Like always, he didn't try to push me into explaining, allowing us to just be for a while together. The steady beat of Hiccup's heart calmed my racing mind, reminding me that he was here, and I'd come back home.
"Heather was with the Hunters, too," I finally muttered into his chest. Hiccup paused a moment, pushing me away slightly to look down at me, his expression completely baffled.
"Wh-what? How is that--?"
"She started going on about how she was alone in the world, and Dagur was the only family she had left." Without noticing, I started to get choked up. "I know, deep down, that he just manipulated her in some way and probably lied to her until she cracked, but then she started talking about how I was the traitor to the rest of our family." My words started to pick up steam, spilling out of my mouth faster and faster. "And at first, I didn't listen to her because I was like 'my other option was Dagur, and he sucks'. But, the more she kept saying it, the more it sunk in, and the more I started to realize that I abandoned my family. I'm the middle child, for Thor's sake! I have an older brother to look after me, and a younger sister to look after—that leaves a pretty big gap in the family."
The coherent thoughts devolved into choking breaths, stopping me in my tracks completely. Though I couldn't speak anymore, Hiccup seemed to understand exactly what I was thinking, pulling me close again and occasionally pressing kisses against the top of my head or my cheeks. It wasn't until he'd assured me I was in the right place, and muttered a thousand 'I love you, and I can't imagine life if you hadn't stayed on Berk's that I managed to come back out of my thoughts, and he pressed a gentle kiss against my lips.
He was reluctant to leave to get food, but I assured him I'd be fine, and he promised he'd come right back.
Guilt settled into my chest as I watched him leave, leaning against the table.
Keep it up, Reign. You've got this.