Chapter 50: Pressure Mounting
"Hello there again," Hiccup said to the titan wing Night Fury as he approached with Reidun. The large dragon appeared relaxed at their presence. He stood in his clearing, watching them with a calm eye.
"He knows we are not a threat," Reidun noted. "This is good. Where do we go from here?"
"Since you already have a relationship, it is better for him and the village to become allies instead of ignoring each other. They villagers may not be ready to meet him yet, but we can lay the groundwork for that." The other dragon riders were currently searching for suitable wild dragons to help train the villagers. Hiccup hoped they could move onto the next step the following day. "Why don't you try giving him a name? Eira told me that helped her get closer to a wild dragon she's trying to befriend on Berk."
Reidun nodded. "Very well." She approached the dragon, who regarded her with interest. "What say you, Night Fury? Would you like a name?" The dragon tilted his head to the side slightly but otherwise gave no response. "I should have something proper to call you in any case." She paused. "Vidar. Your name is Vidar: 'fighter in the woods.'" The Night Fury grunted in appreciation. Reidun raised her hand and placed it on his snout. "I hope we can be friends, Vidar."
Hiccup smiled. He loved witnessing the beautiful start of a relationship between a Viking and dragon. "Maybe Vidar can help you protect the village instead of destroy it."
"That would be a nice change." She stepped back, her eyes still on the dragon. "You don't like the Northern Alliance very much, do you?" Vidar instantly growled at the name. "Do not worry. We are the same in that. And if you help us, we will make sure your cave remains safe."
"I am sure you two will make a great team." Before he could say anything more, a Terrible Terror fluttered down from the sky and thrust his leg in Hiccup's face. "Whoa, okay!" He took the letter, and the dragon scampered off. He quickly scanned the note, and his expression hardened. "This isn't good."
"What is it?"
"Grimmel is attacking one of our allies." He stuffed the note into his bag. "We have to go."
Reidun nodded. "Of course." She glanced at Vidar. "We will see you later." Then she followed Hiccup down the hill.
The Vikings found the villagers training in the normal area. Swiftwings lay at the edge, watching the commotions, and she looked up when she newcomers approached. "Guys, we need to go!" Hiccup said to the dragon riders. "Grimmel is attacking Defenders of the Wing Island!"
"Oh no!" Dagur exclaimed. "Sleuther, come on!" He hopped on his dragon without another word.
"We'll resume your training later," Eret said to the bewildered villagers. "This is an emergency."
"If there's anything I can do to help-" Reidun started.
"You need to stay here in case the village is attacked," Krogan said. He then gave a sharp look to Oliver, who made to join the small group. "You too, kid."
Oliver frowned. "Aww..."
"We'll be back as soon as the threat is taken care of," Hiccup said. Hopefully, Astrid and the others would put up a good front and his own team would only be needed as backup. He had to trust in the chosen warriors.
"Good luck!" Reidun called after the dragons and riders as they took to the sky.
"Hiccup!" Eret suddenly shouted, pointing to the titan wing Night Fury flying towards the village.
Hiccup groaned. "He must have followed us here." Vidar landed near the Vikings, who looked at him with fear even though he made no threatening move. The chief hesitated, unsure if he should stay behind to help.
"I will handle this," Krogan said, catching Hiccup's eye. Hiccup nodded, and Krogan flew back to the ground, saying, "Do not be alarmed. He means no harm."
"Are you sure that big guy is on our side?" Dagur asked Hiccup as they made their leave of the island.
"As long as the villagers accept him," said Hiccup. He had to trust that Krogan knew what he was doing. "He likes Ruby. That will help."
"We need to focus on what we're up against right now," said Eret. "Let's just hope Grimmel is testing our defenses again and not launching an all-out assault." Hiccup could not agree more.
The trio arrived at Defenders of the Wing Island amid a storm of activity. The Berkians and Berserkers had already arrived and were engaged with Grimmel's army on land and in the skies. Hiccup first set out to find Toothless and Eira. Lucky for him, the Night Fury found him first. He had not even entered the island when he saw Toothless hovering before him.
"Hiccup!" Eira said. "Glad you could make it. Want to switch dragons?"
"Yeah, stay still," said Hiccup. He guided Swiftwings right next to Toothless. Then he stood up in her saddle and jumped onto the Night Fury's back, careful to keep his balance. He stood crouching over Eira. "Okay, stand up." When the young woman did so, he quickly slipped into Toothless' saddle for a smooth transition. Eira took a deep breath before leaping to her own dragon.
"Slick move," Dagur said from the left. "Now let's fight!"
"Come on, bud." Toothless zoomed straight into the action, blasting several soldiers as he flew overhead. Hiccup spotted Mala in the midst of the fight. She seemed to be holding her own, so she left her to it. Then he spotted Astrid with Stormfly in the air, directing the Berkian dragon riders. A Deathgripper hovered behind her, apparently unnoticed.
Toothless sped up and shot the Deathgripper before he could strike at Stormfly. Astrid looked back at him in surprise. "Hiccup!"
"Don't worry, I've got your back," Hiccup said, flashing her a smile.
The Deathgripper growled and lunged for Toothless, but Stormfly shot her spines at him, causing him to falter. Astrid grinned at Hiccup. "And I've got yours." The two of them worked together to fend off the Deathgripper plus two more that tried to intervene. "This is fun. We should do it more often."
Hiccup was about to respond, but then he saw something behind her. "Oh no." A huge swarm of dragons flew towards Defenders of the Wing Island, and they were led by Drago and Duskscales. "Just what we need: more trouble."
***
Krogan and Ruby stood in the center of a tense situation. To their left, Vidar growled and scanned his environment for a threat. To their right, the Torleif villagers huddled together, their eyes wide with fear. The wild dragons used for their training - a Deadly Nadder, Gronckle, and Scuttleclaw - suddenly landed in front of the villagers, snarling at the titan wing.
"No, don't attack!" Oliver said, scampering after them. "He's a friend... right?" He looked to Krogan for confirmation, who nodded.
"That's the dragon who's been attacking us!" a villager said, pointing an accusing finger at Vidar.
"He was trying to protect his territory," Krogan said. "We have taught him that we have no desire to invade what is his."
"Then why is he here?" said a young woman suspiciously.
"We were just visiting with him," Reidun said. "When we left, he must have sensed something was amiss and followed us here to help out." She looked back at the Night Fury with concerned eyes. "Do not worry, my friend. The threat lies elsewhere. You can relax."
"It would help if all you relaxed," Krogan said to the villagers. Ruby's presence seemed to calm Vidar enough to keep from attacking, but there was no guarantee that would continue.
"How do you expect us to do that after everything he's done?" said an older man.
Krogan knew they needed proof, so he walked right up to Vidar and placed his hand on his snout. Fortunately, they dragon was comfortable with him enough to allow it. Then he turned back to the villagers. "See? It is safe."
"I know what he is done, but there is not one of you who has not acted wrongly in pursuit of some good," Reidun said. "This dragon has a grudge against the Northern Alliance and could be a powerful ally for us. I say we put the past behind us and forgive him for his actions. I ask you to please welcome Vidar as one of us."
A murmur broke out through the crowd, and the villagers exchanged uneasy looks. Finally, young Jarl stepped forward. At first, it looked like Reidun would stop him when he walked up to Vidar, but then she drew back. The young boy smiled at the Night Fury before touching the side of his head. "Hello, Vidar," he said. "I'm Jarl. Welcome to Torleif Island."
This broke the reluctance with the remaining villagers, and one by one, they approached the titan wing and introduced themselves. Krogan let out a breath of relief. Catching his eye, Reidun smiled at him, and he smiled back. Peace at last.
***
Eira had no qualms about driving off the Viking invaders, but the dragons were another story. All the dragon riders appeared reluctant to battle the angry flock led by the Night Furies. For better or worse, the Deathgrippers enthusiastically pursued the newcomers, so the riders did not have to engage with either.
Swiftwings darted across the island as Eira searched for Drago. Why did he have to come here now? His dragons had no qualms about attacking either side. Did he just want to sow chaos, or did he actually think he could win a three way war? She had to find him and somehow knock some sense into him.
A flash of white below her caught her attention, so she slowed Swiftwings and directed her to the ground. Luna stood there, appearing conflicted as she watched a group of Vikings engaged in combat while a male Night Fury repeated nudged her in the side, growling. It seemed to Eira that he wanted her to shoot into the crowd.
"Hey, leave her alone!" Eira called. The male snarled at her and began to form a plasma blast. Swiftwings spun in the air, dodging the attack, while the Light Fury cried out. Swiftwings shot a water ball at the Night Fury's feet, forcing him to back up and allowing her to land in between him and Luna. Eira looked down at the white dragon. "What are you doing here?"
Luna flattened her ears and looked around uncertainly. Then she turned and fled. The Night Fury started to go after her, but Swiftwings stopped him with a water ball, this time hitting him in the chest. The dragon snarled before taking off in the air in the opposite direction. Eira let out a heavy sigh and resumed her search for Drago.
She finally spotted him headed for the volcano, flanked by two Night Furies. She instantly understood. Knowing she needed help, she quickly scoured the area for potentially allies. "Viggo!" she called, and the Viking in question looked her way after knocking out his opponent. "I think Drago is targeting the Eruptodon!" If anything happened to that dragon, this island would be in trouble.
Viggo's eyes narrowed in understanding. "Then there's no time to waste." He hopped on his Skrill and joined Eira in the sky.
The air grew almost unbearably hot as they neared the volcano. Drago and the three Night Furies stood on the edge, looking down at the large dragon below. "We can find even better lava for you to consume," Drago was saying. "There are volcanoes underground too, you know."
"He doesn't want to live in some cave, Drago!" Eira shouted. "And he's needed here." She and Viggo landed near Drago but did not dismount. The Night Furies growled at them but did not advance.
"It seems to me this village is using him to survive," Drago said.
"And he's using them for his food source," said Viggo. "It's a symbiotic relationship, a model of what could be when people and dragons work together."
Drago scoffed at him. "Idealistic nonsense."
Viggo smiled. "I used to think the same, but if you look at the evidence-"
"I've seen the evidence, and it's unconvincing. This is the way of survival."
"By forcing dragons to follow your will?" Eira said.
Just then, Luna fluttered down, landing in front of Eira and Viggo. She called out to the Night Furies, but they snarled at her. Drago narrowed his eyes at her. "You again? Don't get in our way or we'll be forced to take action."
"You don't want to hurt Luna, do you Duskscales?" Eira said, noticing the hesitancy in the female Light Fury's eyes. "You're like family aren't you? Even when you don't agree, you have to stand by each other."
"Enough," Drago growled. He peered once more at the Eruptodon in the heart of the volcano. "Consider this a warning, dragon. You will join us." Then he gave Eira and Viggo a look of contempt. "We will meet again." He returned to Duskscales and took off without another word. Luna flattened her ears and whined before taking off as well.
Eira sighed in dismay. She was glad Luna seemed to be somewhat on their side, but that was not enough. "How are we supposed to convince him we're right if he won't even stick around to listen?"
"It seems you could use some additional help," Viggo said. "Let me offer you my assistance."
Eira looked at him in surprise. "Don't you have to train Berserker Island's army?"
"I'm sure I can find a suitable replacement."
Eira smiled. "Thanks, Viggo."
By the time they returned to ground level, both Grimmel and Drago had retreated, leaving the Defenders and their allies to gather together and recoup. Eira just missed the address Mala made to the crowd. Following her speech, Hiccup stepped up and spoke:
"I know this looks bad, everyone but I have a plan. We have had success forming an alliance with Torleif Island, and we are going to do the same with other villages. We can face any threat if enough of us stand together. We need to send people to the villages and prove we're friends."
"And how do you expect anyone to accomplish this task?" Mala said skeptically.
"Anyone who is interested should come with me now to Torleif Island. I will give you basic training. We can have a test run today to see how it goes."
"I'm up for that," Eret said.
While Hiccup searched for volunteers, Eira and Viggo made their way over to Ingrid, Snotlout, and Valka. "Good, you're safe," Valka said.
"Since we're all unharmed, I suppose we should get back to focusing on our mission," said Ingrid.
Eira nodded. "Viggo is going to help us. We just had a run in with Drago, and it didn't go so well. We need a new plan."
Snotlout eyed Viggo skeptically. "Don't you have dragon riders to train?"
"I am sure they know all I have to teach them by now," said Viggo.
"If you would like, I could offer them my own knowledge on dragons," Valka said. "It only seems fair if one of us takes your place, and I could be the most useful."
Viggo smiled at her. "Yes, that sounds like an excellent idea. Thank you."
"Hey, Eira, shouldn't you get Toothless?" Ingrid said, glancing at Swiftwings.
Eira looked over at the Night Fury, who was standing protectively by Hiccup's side. "No, I don't think I can convince him to leave Hiccup after that battle. Besides, we probably won't do anything today but talk. We need to discuss out strategy."
Snotlout clapped his hands together. "Then let's get started!"
***
A/N: Hey, everyone! We have reached the second half of the second part of the Hidden World. I hope you're enjoying it. :)