I jolt awake, startling Nightstar as the ship slowly comes to a stop. I must've dozed off or at least zoned out. Outside our trap, I can hear dragons roaring and explosions going off. Drago's voice barks orders to his men.
I hug Nightstar's neck, suddenly feeling even more anxious. We're actually going to be fighting in a war, and war means death; I know that all too well. Still, the idea of losing my best friend scares me more than I'd ever like to admit.
"I love you," I whisper.
She growls lovingly and nuzzles my hair. "I love you too."
"Ready the traps!" Drago bellows.
I climb onto her back, my breaths slow and my heart racing. I have no doubt that hers is doing the same.
I listen as the first set of traps is sprung open. The wailing of the trapped bait dragons inside rings out into the chilly air. The second set of traps is cocked open, revealing us to be on a snowy beach before a large icy spire of a mountain.
Instead of dragon cries emitting from our traps, Zippleback gas seeps out followed by an explosion. The twins rocket out of their trap, riding Barf and Belch.
"Surprise! Yeah!" Tuffnut whoops.
"WHAT?!" Drago screeches.
Nightstar leaps from our trap, shooting a blast of plasma into the air. Her banshee like screech echoes across the battlefield, announcing the presence of the dark dragon. Every type of dragon fighting in the sky seems to become even more determined and confident at the call of the Night Fury.
The others emerge, bursting out of the traps atop Meatlug and Hookfang. Eret comes flying out last aboard Stormfly. He struggles to hold on as she rejoins Astrid; who's riding Meatlug, along with Fishlegs. He gives us a sheepish shrug. Astrid leaps onto Stormfly, steadying them easily.
"Let's go!" she calls.
"Time to do what Vikings do best!" I yell.
"Dragon riders coming through!" Tuffnut shouts.
Together, we dive-bomb the traps, setting them aflame. The yokes and leather bindings restraining the bait dragons are incinerated, freeing them to fly away unharmed.
"CUT THEM DOWN!" Drago commands.
Projectiles are launched, one of which knocks Ruffnut off her dragon. She plummets past Eret toward the rocky shore below. She screams for help before suddenly being grabbed by both of her arms before hitting the rocks. She looks up to see Snotlout and Fishlegs on either side of her.
Above us, more catapults fire, bringing down massive spires of ice. Nightstar and I dodge them expertly, shooting blasts of white hot flame at the traps that are still standing. The lagoon seems to emanate roars and blasts and smashing ice sounds.
Suddenly, a blast of flame hits Nightstar, knocking her off course. She collapses to the ground, both of us immediately being surrounded by a net. Soldiers move in, weapons ready. I struggle for my knife, cur
A familiar blast of plasma smashes the netting cannon, knocking it on its side. I look towards the harbinger of the blast, only catching a glimpse of a second black dragon before Stoick chops the trigger line and nets the soldiers. He races over to me, cutting the net away and helping my dragon and I up.
"Thanks Chief." I salute.
"Go fight for our dragons," he orders, a kind light in his eyes.
I take off into the sky with Nightstar, both Night Furies letting out their battle cries. We meet up with Toothless and Hiccup halfway, both males giving us big smiles. Astrid and Eret zoom past on Stormfly as we keep flying.
"Welcome aboard, dragon rider!" Hiccup calls to Eret.
"Thanks. I think," Eret responds nervously.
Hiccup laughs and does a banking turn, meeting me by my side.
"Where have you been?" I ask.
"Oh, y'know. Catching up with mom." He points skywards.
I follow his finger to see the mysterious figure from earlier rising from the towering ice spikes atop the four-winged dragon. She has a staff raised high in the air. An earth-trembling roar follows as an absolutely humongous white dragon with large tusks rises from the ice behind her, roaring. My mouth falls open, knowing that that dragon can only be the legendary Bewilderbeast I had heard about in stories so long ago. It blasts an epic explosion of ice upon the attackers.
"That's your mother?!" I ask, bewildered. I had wondered what had happened to Hiccup's mom, seeing as I had only met Stoick. He had mentioned that he had never met either, but this...
"Well, now you know where I get my dramatic flair!" he yells. He flips his helmet down and turns Toothless.
On his mom's command, a swarm of Zipplebacks set themselves aflame and roll like fiery wagon wheels through the battlefield, scattering soldiers and destroying war machines. Two get caught underneath traps that look like Venus Flytraps. Hiccup and I make eye contact, nodding.
We double back and zoom into the sky, arcing gracefully. We flip over and blast the two traps in complete synchronization, freeing the trapped dragons. We high-five in victory as we fly past one another.
I look to the ground, where Drago stands near Hiccup's mother. He turns to the flagship and yells savagely, whirling his bull-hook overhead. The heavy chains are released. The underwater creature, now freed, breaks the surface in a cascade of seawater. It rises toward the shoreline, revealing itself to be a second Bewilderbeast; bigger, meaner, and covered in scars that indicate years of training and abuse. The chains fall away from iron cuffs fastened to its massive tusks.
"Another one?" I gasp.
"I WAS WAY OFF! THAT IS A CLASS TEN! CLASS TEN!" Fishlegs shrieks.
Drago's challenger lumbers onto the beach, focused on our side's Bewilderbeast.
"Come on! Take down the Alpha!" Drago hollers.
My eyes widen as Nightstar and I zip through the sky. The white one is the Alpha...like, the leader of all dragons?
The two Bewilders crash tusks, battling for dominance. I fly closer to the icy mass with Nightstar shooting boats as we go. Down on the ground, Drago and Stoick are now fighting. I do a banking turn, my mind racing for a plan on how to help.
What feels like the very earth shakes as the enemy Bewilderbeast takes down ours, plunging its tusks into its neck and burying its opponent's lifeless body under an avalanche of snow and ice.
I don't say a word, although my lips mouth the word "no" as I watch the mighty beast fall. It didn't take long for Drago's to win.
I watch in horror as dragons everywhere land and bow their heads in acknowledgement of the new Alpha; Drago's Alpha.
"Now finish her!" Drago commands, pointing to Hiccup's mom.
The gargantuan beast inhales and blasts ice at her. She hops on her dragon and tries to fly away. I spot Hiccup near me, his face fearful.
"Thora! Remain nearby!" he orders as he zooms towards Drago. "Don't interfere unless you need to!"
"You got it!" I call.
I urge Nightstar to fly down to the ground, landing near enough to catch their conversation. I don't know what he plans to do, but I hope to Odin that he has some sort of idea.
"Stop! STOP!" Hiccup lands Toothless a few paces from Drago and removes his helmet, his chest rising and falling with his less than regular breaths.
Drago eyes him, incredulous, and then begins to chuckle. "This...is the great dragon master? The son of Stoick the Vast?" A dark grin flits across his wide mouth. "What shame he must feel."
Toothless snarls, ready to blast, but Hiccup calms him with a hand gesture.
"All of this loss, and for what? To become unstoppable? To rule the world?" he asks, gesturing his hands to the wreckage. Drago smirks and turns away from him. "Dragons are kind, amazing creatures that can bring people together."
"Or tear them apart." The tyrant laughs mockingly before removing his false arm, revealing a stump at his shoulder. Hiccup looks completely taken aback. "You see, I know what it is to live in fear. To see my village burned, my family taken."
All too quickly, fire burns in my mind. I hear the screams, feel the heat, smell the ash that invaded my lungs. I grip my head, the memories like an angry swarm of dragons beating at my brain. Nightstar growls nervously and nudges me. I try to calm my breathing as I look back up at Hiccup.
Drago reattaches the prosthesis, circling Hiccup menacingly. "But even as a boy, left with nothing, I vowed to rise above the fear of dragons and liberate the people of this world."
"Then why a dragon army?" the younger Viking asks.
Drago grins smugly. "Well, you need dragons to conquer other dragons."
"Or maybe you need dragons to conquer people. To control those who follow you...and to get rid of those who won't."
"Clever boy."
Drago grabs his bull-hook and re-approaches Hiccup. Toothless readies himself.
"The world wants peace. And we have the answer, back on Berk. Just let me show you," Hiccup pleads.
"NO! Let me show you," Drago snaps.
The tyrant shrieks madly, summoning his Bewilderbeast. It turns to look at him as Toothless circles Hiccup protectively. Drago jabs his bull-hook into the ground, his persona commanding. The Bewilderbeast flinches and stops, submissive.
"No dragon can resist the Alpha's command. So he who controls the Alpha, controls them all," Drago says, his tone like venom.
Drago points to Toothless. The Bewilderbeast stares and hisses, forcing Toothless to cower. Toothless struggles against the Alpha's command, writhing and grinding his head against the ground. Nightstar makes a distressed noise at the sound of her companion's plight.
"Toothless? You okay, bud? What's going on?" Hiccup asks desperately.
Toothless fights the command, shaking his head in protest. The Bewilderbeast insists with a mesmerizing glare and a low, throaty grumble until Toothless finally succumbs to its control. He raises his head, his stare vacant and robotic, as his pupils turn to slits.
Drago then points to Hiccup. The Bewilderbeast responds, hissing again at Toothless.
"Witness true strength. The strength of will over others. In the face of it, you are nothing," Drago declares.
Toothless slowly turns to face Hiccup, advancing animatedly.
"Uh, what did he just tell you?" he asks.
I look past him to see the burly figure of Stoick bounding across the ice, pushing himself to make it to his son in time. I realize what's going on, my heart racing.
"Toothless, what's the matter with you? What're you doing?" Hiccup keeps trying.
He's backed up against fallen ice with his dragon advancing mindlessly and nowhere to run. Toothless opens his yawning mouth in a menacing snarl. Gas seeps from his throat.
"Knock it off! Stop! Snap out of it!" he yells, his voice nearly breaking.
Stoick barrels through ice formations and over war machines, racing against time. Nightstar whimpers, but I can't get my body to move. I'm frozen with shock and numerous other emotions, the memories of my past still making it hard for me to focus.
"Toothless! No! Toothless! Don't!" Hiccup pleads.
"Hiccup!" Stoick screams.
"STOP!"
"SON!"
My mind seems to click in an instant. I leap over the ice wall I'm hiding behind and start racing towards the pair.
"STOICK! HICCUP! GET OUT OF THERE!" I scream, hearing Nightstar galloping along behind me.
Hiccup sees me for a fleeting moment, then he sees his dad about to run into the fray. "DAD! NO!" he shouts.
Toothless shoots the plasma blast growing in his throat. Stoick leaps in front of it, shoving Hiccup out of the way and absorbing the blast in the process. He's thrown against the ice with great impact as it crumbles. I skid to a stop, feeling like my heart has stopped.
Drago glances back, seeing Stoick laying lifeless in the aftermath, pleased by the sudden turn of events. He shuffles off, leaving the Haddock men in the wreckage.
Stunned, Hiccup scrambles to his feet and rushes to the pile his dad lays under, shoving the boulders on top of Stoick's body off of him.
"Dad!" he shouts, his voice breaking.
His mother arrives, winded and aghast. "Stoick..." she whispers, a slight accent in her tone.
She helps Hiccup to turn Stoick's body over. She presses her ear to her husband's chest, confirming his death with a mere glance to her son. He tears up, overwhelmed.
"No...you..." His head droops, resting on his dad's chest. He covers his face with his arms, crying freely.
Gobber and the others arrive, their mouths slack-jawed. Satisfied, the Bewilderbeast turns away, releasing Toothless of the trance-like state. The Night Fury blinks a few times, utterly confused.
Without a second thought, I dash to Hiccup's side, my feet working on autopilot. I place my hand on his shoulder, which shakes with his sobs. I feel tears coming to my eyes too, but none spill over. Toothless creeps forwards, nudging Stoick's limp hand with his wide nose.
"No! Get away from him!" Hiccup yells, swatting Toothless away.
The Night Fury recoils and makes a small noise in his throat, a whimper.
"GO ON! GET OUT OF HERE! GET AWAY!" he screams, his voice breaking.
Toothless retreats like a scolded dog, ear plates back and head hung low. Nightstar gallops to his side, making small noises of condolences to him, nuzzling his face. Hiccup's mother watches, broken-hearted, as her son falls upon Stoick, inconsolable.
"Hiccup...it's not his fault," I say, unable to make my voice any louder than a miserable whisper.
"He didn't know what he was doing," his mother adds. "You know that."
On the battlefield, the Alpha bellows, calling all of the dragons to gather. Meatlug, Stormfly, Hookfang, and the others all follow the command. They take off, mindlessly following the Alpha, who in turn, listens to Drago. I spin around just in time to see Nightstar lose control; just in time to see my best friend's pupils narrow into slits.
"Good dragons under the control of bad people do bad things," Hiccup's mother murmurs.
My heart catches in my throat as I get to my feet, moving past Stoick's corpse. Before Nightstar can take off, Drago grabs her and pins her to the ground. My anger flares.
"Let her go!" I scream, running at him.
Tuffnut grabs me, his arms surrounding my body and holding my arms down, but I still struggle against him. Drago has Toothless in his grasp too, seeing as the dragon can't fly without a rider. He climbs onto his back with Nightstar beside him, the Night Furies completely numb to everything but his command.
"GATHER THE MEN AND MEET AT BERK!" Drago commands. His soldiers cheer in the thousands.
"Toothless!" Hiccup screams, trying to reach his dragon.
His mom holds him back. "No, don't. It's too late."
"I now have the last two Night Furies, and soon I'll have Berk too!" he says, cackling.
Toothless takes off and Nightstar follows without so much as a glance back at me. Drago jabs his bull-hook and points toward the horizon. The Alpha bellows as it leads the way.
"Move out!"
"Nightstar..." I whisper, the tears streaming down my face as I watch her disappear into the sky along with all the other dragons.
Tuffnut releases me as I sink to the ground. I cover my face with my hands, feeling Tuffnut rest his own hand on my shoulder.
"Thora, it'll be fine," he says, trying to sound hopeful but failing. "Nightstar's your best friend! She'll-"
"No," I croak. I look back to the sky. "My best friend is gone."