Coming back to Hunter Island, Ann was afraid of Viggo's reaction to another setback. It became even worse when she saw he was waiting for them.
As the ship had docked, Viggo came to greet them, but quickly noticed Ann avoiding him. "What's wrong?" He asked her. "When you act like this, something has happened. Please, sweetie. Tell me what's wrong." He took her in his arms comforting her the way he knows is best effective. Kissing, cuddling and stroking his hand over her back.
"The Riders freed those Gronckles before we had enough metal for your project." She felt guilty again. She could do nothing but watch as the Riders stopped the operation once again.
"Hmm, that's a shame. I really needed that location to work around the clock. Don't worry, sweetie. There are still a couple of other locations that are functional and so, there is absolutely no need for you to feel guilty towards me. Whatever you did, I know you chose for our baby. Didn't you?" He asked her. Ann nodded to him and only pressed herself firmer into him.
"Come now. Let's go to my tent. You can rest up there and tell me everything." Viggo kissed her sweetly and walked with her towards their tent.
They talked about the recent events over the game until a man came in to report something. "Sir!" "I don't remember giving you permission to enter." Viggo looked up strict, but let the man speak. "Yes sir, but reports came in that someone has told Dagur where the gold is hidden." "Who told him that? And where did you get this from?" Viggo growled at the news.
"The report came in from a ship out on the Straights of Baldur, saying someone had been busted on passing over information to him. I don't know who told Dagur, sir." The Hunter told Viggo with honesty. "Fine, we have to move all our gold and hide it somewhere they will never find it." Viggo decided and they left as soon as possible to the island on which Viggo hides his gold.
"Hey baby, where do you hide the gold actually?" Ann asked her husband. "We have a special island which is used for hiding all kinds of Hunter treasures for centuries. It's called Ridgerock Enclave." He smiled at her and took her in his arms, watching over the ocean together.
Arriving at the island, Viggo came down to business almost immediately. Like always, actually. "Alright, move the gold out of the storehouses and bring all of it here!" And so it was done. The men were almost running to carry the gold to the place Viggo showed them to bring it to.
"So, what do you have in mind for the gold then?" Ann came to her husband's side, who almost seemed to be too busy working around. "We will build a structure what will fool the Riders if they come here. We will build an ancient looking structure and hide the gold inside it." "Okay, sounds great. Let's do it!" Ann helped him to plan everything and worked around to get things done faster.
By the time the Riders would arrive, the traps were set and the structure was finished. Coming back to the ship, Viggo ordered to hide the ships from any sight out of the air, with Ann and Luna checking from above. "Hiccup will be predicted to come from the south side of the island and he will find the structure at first." Viggo showed his plans letting Ann think about it.
"That will definitely catch Fishlegs' attention and prevents everyone from destroying it. Nice thinking!" Ann cheered for him. "Yes, but let's not get too far ahead of our heads. We have to capture Hiccup and this time, I will kill him for what he has done to us." Viggo glared at the map of the island. "Calm down." Ann came standing behind him and laid her hands on his shoulders.
"You're getting tensed up again. Don't do that to yourself." She kissed his cheek. "This time, my plan will work against Hiccup Haddock, Ann. I assure you, Hiccup will not be a danger to our little one again. We will have all provisions to keep ourselves in good wealth, including provisions for when the little one will be born." Viggo smiled at his wife and pulled her into a hug. He was confident that he would win this time, but sharing a quick glare, Ryker and Ann thought different about it.
"Will the two of you go out and patrol the area here? The island must be under full control constantly." Viggo asked them and brother and sister went on their way. Calling for their dragons, Sky and Luna joined in for catching any scents that could hang in the air.
As they were talking about Viggo's approach to the situation again, Ann heard something coming from the bushes not far from them. "Ryker!" Ann nodded to the place the sound came from and he followed her.
They found Hiccup, Astrid, Snotlout, the twins and their dragons caught in trap nets and Ryker just found this amusing. "Well, well. Look what we have here. The catch of the day." He joked around. "You take them back to the ship. I am going into the air with Luna. Trying to find the remaining Riders." She said to her brother and took off.
Looking down from out of the sky, Ann scanned the island up and down, from left to right, but she couldn't spot a single thing there. She must've patrolled the whole island maybe two or three times, but no signs of any human activity down there. She decided to get back to the ship.
She then noticed that Ryker had already brought the Riders back to the ship and was talking with Viggo. No matter what Viggo said to him, Ryker reacted angry again. Mad at his little brother again. She decided to land on deck, next to where the cages were driven by. "Ann, get out there! The other Riders are still somewhere out there!" Viggo ordered her, but that landed into the wrong situation.
"Excuse me? I have been flying over the island for two or three times without spotting anything down there. If you say they are out there, then go ahead and be my guest to find them yourself. I'm done for the day!" She raised her hands above her head and walked off to her shared room with Viggo. No matter if she wanted to be left alone, there was just no way you could get some alone time on a ship. Viggo sighed as he realized he did the wrong thing again. "Ryker, take over while I am going to talk to my wife again. And make things right with her." He sighed out and walked off to his chambers where he would find her.
Viggo came inside to see Ann crying again. He stepped closer to her and took her in his arms. "I'm so sorry." He whispered and kissed her in the neck. "Why do you keep doing this? Do you have any idea how much you hurt me with it?" She said through her tears. "I don't know. Guess I am not such of an easy learner nowadays. I didn't mean to hurt you." He held her tight against him, also to be able to let go of his own sadness and anger towards himself. You fool! You have hurt her once again! "Can you forgive me?" He let go of her, held her hands and looked her in the eyes.
Still in pain, she nodded slightly to him and he pulled her back into their hug. Ann got herself out of the hug gently and walked towards the chair standing in the room against the wall behind Viggo's desk. She noticed the map of the island hanging on the wall and studied it for a moment.
"Viggo, I think you're missing an important detail on this map." "What is that, my dear?" He came standing next to her. "The structure! The ancient ruins are not on the map." She explained to him. "I'm afraid we don't have much time left to draw it on there. And I don't think Hiccup will notice it." "Don't be too sure about that. We both know Hiccup pretty well by now and he never misses a detail." "Oh, but he does." "In his own plans, yes, but not in ours. I will have to.." Ann was about to take the map off the wall and draw the ruins on them, but Viggo stopped her. "As I said, we don't have much time. Ryker will be arriving with Hiccup here to talk." Ann growled that he ignored her again, but sat down.
Ryker came in with Hiccup and led him towards the chair. Viggo stood with his face towards the wall, but turned back to Hiccup. "Please, sit." "I'll stand." Hiccup answered, but Ryker pushed him into his chair and held his sword against his throat. "Forgive my brother. He doesn't understand the concept of saving victory." Viggo mocked his brother again. Ryker growled to him and put his sword away, leaving Hiccup alone for now.
Viggo sat down himself down with folded hands in front of his mouth and looked at Hiccup before he spoke up. "You and your Riders could have spent months searching that island and you'd never find my gold." He gestured to the map hanging on the wall. Hiccup looked at it before he answered to Viggo. "Oh, well. You never know. We might surprise you when you least expect it." He mumbled around. "Ah, you're referring to your impending rescue. Don't count on it." Viggo chuckled deep in his throat.
"Now Hiccup, I would love to offer you a new truce. One that will change our courses for good." Viggo started again. "And that is?" Hiccup bluffed. "I'm prepared to give all of Berk's gold back and maybe even some extra if you stop interrupting my business and destroy my empire. One time offer, Hiccup. Time is of the essence if you want to save all of your people's lives."
"Yeah, like I'm gonna do that. We all know what you will do after this deal is closed. You start hunting dragons again and sell them for your own profits." Hiccup raised his voice slightly. "I believe people from your island sell their animals to gain that little bit of money so they can afford themselves the necessary things in life. That's about the same as we do. Your people sell animals, we sell dragons to keep ourselves occupied with work and earn our money well. And i believe your tribe has hunted dragons too." Viggo held his hands folded in front of his mouth in anticipation of what Hiccup was going to say next. "I would never do that, Viggo. You know that as well. You can offer me as much gold as you want, but I will never set foot into your traps again!" Viggo only kept on staring at him and growled under his breath.
The discussion had become quiet for quite some time now and Viggo kept on staring at Hiccup before something was going on up on the deck. Dust was falling out of the sealing and Viggo perfectly knew what was going on. "Look, there are your friends now, coming to save you. Such loyalty. I can hardly keep my own brother focused and on task." He made fun of Ryker again. Hiccup wasn't impressed by it and casually replied to him. "What are you getting at, Viggo?"
Viggo stood up agitated, yet very calm and spoke direct towards Hiccup. "Do you really think after all we have been through I'd expose myself without some... added protection? You are about to have a front row seat for the deaths of your Riders and their dragons." "What? You can't do that, Viggo!" Hiccup tried to defend his gang.
Viggo chuckled at this and sat back down. "I admire your willpower to protect those you can't protect forever. One day, I will have my blade run through your neck." Viggo narrowed his eyes. It was not long before new attacks would come in.
Ann stood next to Viggo's chair and was about to say something when another bang came in and caused her to lose the balance. Not only her, Ryker was thrown against the wall and Hiccup out of his chair, bumping into Ryker's shoulder. Viggo caught Ann just in time, but Hiccup got away. Ryker threw his sword to him but missed.
The sword had dug itself into the wooden doorpost and left a big hole in there. Ann whistled for Luna and chased Hiccup down the hallway. "Ryker, call Sky as well!" And so he did. Sky was already on the chase, but couldn't follow Hiccup's agile movements that prevented him from being stung. Hearing her surroundings, Ann heard something alarming. "The other Riders are escaping!" That fired the determination for both Ann and Ryker to get the boy.
Coming outside, more men noticed Hiccup was trying to get out. "Get him!" Ann yelled from the corridors, but the men were too late to hear her and catch the boy at the same time. Ryker almost had him and raised his sword to slice the annoying boy's head off, but Hiccup raised his hands to shield himself from that fate. His handcuffs were sliced to bits and he was now free to move around. "Hey, thanks!" Hiccup called out to Ryker to mock him. "You take the right, I'll take the left." Ann yelled to her brother and they got up the bridge stairs and had him surrounded now.
Looking around, Hiccup saw a chance to escape. And a getaway. His Night Fury was being trapped by Hunters on another ship's deck, completely surrounded with bows ready to shoot Dragon Root arrows into him. Jumping over the ridge, Hiccup made his escape through the air and called for Toothless. The dragon responded and together, they jumped into the ocean.
Ryker and Ann looked over the rails of the ship and stared at the water with weapons ready to strike. The Night Fury, however, blasted itself through the ship's floors and made his way into the sky.
"For Thor's sake, not again!" Ann yelled out in frustration. Viggo joined them to look how they managed to escape and all of them saw how they returned to Ridgerock Enclave. "We have to get back there!" Viggo yelled, but Ryker stopped him. "Viggo, all our ships have been destroyed. Again. There is no way we can claim back the gold, even if we send Ann with Luna towards them. They would still outnumber her seven to one." Frustration crept into Viggo's mind that started playing around. What if we don't have enough gold to maintain our work? To maintain ourselves? Myself, Ann and the baby? Ann sent Soren out to call for help in the meantime.
The ship slowly sunk into the ocean. All the men fell victim to be in the cold water and would face hypothermia if they wouldn't be helped soon. Ryker had sent Sky out back to the idland, making sure his dragon friend would survive. Viggo made his way over to Ann, who struggled to keep her head above the water this time. "Ann." He whispered as he held on to her, trying to find grip on a floating piece of drift wood. "Hold on." He noticed her teeth started to rattle. "I'm so cold, Viggo." "I know, just try to hold on." Viggo hoped Soren would come back as soon as he could.
After a long while, they heard the owl screech. They were saved! The little owl got some other ships from Ann's fleet brought towards them. With all the manpower the men on deck had, they threw rope ladders down and got everyone on board. Most men were soaked as they had to keep themselves floating in the cold ocean. Viggo and Ann were shivering as they were taken on board and were brought back to the commander's chamber to warm up.
They got rid of all of their clothes, dried the rest of their bodies with towels and laid in bed under a nice warm blanket and the furs. "Unbelievable winter is almost here. The oceans have turned cold again." Viggo sighed out. A shiver ran down his spine and Ann crawled closer to him. "You know? There is another way for us to get warmer again." She started to kiss him all over his face, neck and chest. "I know what you're getting at." He said with a chuckle when she got to his sweetest spot: the nipple kiss. He moaned a bit and played along with her.