"Come down here and fight me."
Aym was taken aback. "Why would I ever do that?"
"You're their leader. Show them you're better than me in every way."
"I don't need to prove myself to anyone."
"Are you sure about that?" Skye asked. Everyone could sense the threat in the challenge. And she was right. They all wanted to know who the superior one was.
Aym scoffed. "You're forgetting who's running the place. One word and I'll-"
Skye turned her back to him. She herded the children to Tye, who mercifully, nodded to her. He pulled out his sword to push back any stray warriors or trainers who dared come near the children. The smallest one, a girl with light hair and dirty cheeks, huddled at his legs. He used one arm to hold her back and the other to point the sword.
Aym rolled his eyes. "You've turned my Captain against me, too?"
"I'm not against you, sir," Tye replied. "But I agree with her here. They are still children. I won't let you harm them. And I speak for everyone here when I say, I do want to see you rise to the challenge."
"It's obvious what her plan is. She will use this to kill me."
"Only if she's better than you." The sheer disrespect in his tone would've warranted his death. Tye maintained a still expression, gulping, feeling the tremor of the children against him.
Skye nodded at him. It conveyed a message Tye needed to hear. You're doing well. I have your back if you have mine.
He nodded back.
Skye walked back to the ring of sand, and turned to Aym. Her words rung clear and mocking. "I'm going to raise the stakes."
She bent down, and grabbed Asmund's hair. Yanking it harshly, the man—who had finally become conscious— let out a drowsy guttural groan. His arm had turned black and blue, and his fingers looked terrible, but Skye didn't care. She pressed her sword to his neck, eyes never straying from Aym.
"If you decide that you're too cowardly to fight me," she cooed. "Then he's going to pay for it."
"What's he to me?"
"Your heir," she replied immediately. "He may not be much, but I'm betting that with that title, he tends to learn a lot from you."
Aym rubbed his forehead. "Enough with this foreplay! What's your proposition?"
She merely scanned the crowd, looking for a familiar face. And there he was. His face drained of color. "Step forward, Calder."
The crowd parted for him to shakily step through. Aym's brows furrowed as the beast of a man seemed to be trembling in front of her.
"Tell Aym what I'm capable of."
And Calder did. It instilled a sort of dread in Aym, and Skye could tell he was finally realizing that she wasn't just some puppy he could put on a leash. With or without a dragon, she was still dangerous. On the other hand, she could also see Hiccup step back. Away from her.
He'd probably hate her after this.
Once Calder had told the people of her power, she told him to go away. And he did. Everyone could hear the sheer power in her voice. She was surprised that no one had borne weapons to protect the heir, but they probably thought that she would slit his throat.
"I can gut Asmund in so many ways that he'll be screaming out every dirty secret you've got," Skye said. "But if that isn't enough incentive for you, would you like me to hurt your lover as well?"
"Whatever are you-"
Skye dropped Asmund like he was a sack of grains, and pulled up Ambrosia. The mad grin on her lips grew as Aym turned red. Her sword danced above Ambrosia's stomach.
"Tell me, Aym, do you value her life as much as you value those cadets?" Skye spat out. The General was groaning. She was still groggy, but awake.
Tye had stiffened. She could tell he had feelings for the woman. But she had also noticed that night at the feast, when Aym had chatted with Ambrosia, and they shared silent and soft touches and glances. Her suspicions were confirmed when Ambrosia had stopped Aym from slaughtering those children. But Tye didn't have his feeling reciprocated. Skye hated to do that to Tye, but she could get the upper-hand. She would get the upper-hand.
Aym slammed his fists against the stone wall. "Skyla, you're playing a game you won't win."
Her eyes connected with his, and even Hiccup, who was standing so far away, could sense the rage behind her words.
"Then show me I'll lose."
A tick went off in his jaw. She waited with bated breath. His hands let go of the stone and he straightened his posture and made his way to the yard.
While he walked at his own pace, Skye let go of the woman and allowed Tye to drag the siblings' bodies off the ring. She looked around the yard, at the bunch of warriors near the weapon station, the leaders on the bridge, and the huddled children—to whom she had spared comforting smiles, still knowing they were deeply terrified of not only Aym, but also her.
"Tye," she murmured. The Captain grunted in response. "I'm sorry."
"Save the lies, Einar. You know what she means to me."
In their relationship where they both had different loyalties, she knew it still struck him deep that she bargained with Ambrosia's life. She would've hated him if he had bargained with Hiccup's life.
Aym swaggered in, flinging aside every weapon of his except his sword, that he wielded in his hand. He stepped into the ring with her. Skye's aching muscles grew stiff as she took her stance. Her blood boiled at the sight of the red-headed devil before her.
They charged.
Aym was a skilled swordsman. He was very casual in his movements, deflecting parries and countering with swift thrusts of his own. Most eyes couldn't follow the quick movements of their blades, but every clash echoed over the yard.
Skye's shoulder felt like it was detached. Aym managed to get a few cuts on her arms, and she managed to slice his thigh, but that was as far as they went.
It was halfway through the fight that Skye thought to make things interesting. It was obvious Aym was holding back. She had given him many opening to stab her, and realized that he wouldn't go for it. He wanted her alive. She didn't have the same regard for him.
The next time their blades met, Skye flipped and used her free hand to lock his arm and hit it up from underneath. There was a small crack that made him scream, and she swiveled the sword out of his hand. She swept his feet from under him and pointed both swords at his neck.
He breathed heavily. "Go on then. Do it." His eyes darted to the side, and then fixated back on her.
Seeing him on his back was a familiar sight to her. She had been here before, only then, she was younger, less trained. Less hesitant to kill.
She saw his face, the one that haunted her in her dreams. His eyes that had softened at her. Rayl, who had realized, even as a teenager, that he had to let her kill him. He was here now, telling her to do it. She didn't want to. All she wanted was to go back home to her mother, and her heart squeezed.
Her mind had pushed at everything not to swing down the sword then, and now, her mind was doing the same. If she did it, she would be one of them. A murderer. A monster.
The other warriors had never treated her right. Spitting slurs at her and causing fights, she was always temperamental and did nothing to rein it in. She would never back down from a fight, and with every fight she won, she had sent a message— she was powerful. She relished seeing their regret and fear, and vowed to always make her opponents feel that way.
But this was different. She felt like a child again.
She thought she had grown from that frail child. Hiccup showed her that she hadn't.
And now, it was stopping her from doing what needed to be done. What could make her a free woman.
Looking up, she saw Hiccup clenching the wall tightly. She could sense every muscle in him was tensed, and could almost see his forest-colored eyes boring into her. She could hear his voice. Pleading with her to stop.
Please don't do it.
Her body shivered imperceptibly at him. Her fingers trembled against the sword, and Aym's smirk grew wider. She wanted to cut his face apart, but Hiccup—the thought of disappointing him, of losing him was enough to make her heart race.
Sweat dripped down her temple. The sun was too bright. His voice grew louder in her head.
Don't do it, Skye.
You're better than this.
You're better than him.
I love you.
Skye blinked back tears, feigning it as sweat. Her sword was still pointed at his chest, but her quivering had become visible. She knew she shouldn't look at Hiccup again, because just the sight of him would make her stop.
DON'T BECOME THE MONSTER YOU THINK YOU ARE.
PLEASE DON'T KILL HIM.
YOU DON'T NEED TO DO THIS.
DON'T DO IT.
And then everything became quiet.
I don't want to lose you, Skye.
She sucked in a breath. She clutched tightly at the left sword and shifted, steadying herself. She let his voice fade away and focused on her breaths. She brought up the sword, and let it go it with all the strength that she could muster.
The sword went barreling until it struck an archer in the arm. His bow and arrow that had been pointed at her had clattered to the ground. He let out a shriek and fell as well.
She turned back to the leader. "Don't try pulling tricks like that again."
She fought the urge to look back at Hiccup. She didn't want to give away his position. But she could feel his pride for her. That she hadn't killed again.
Her relief was short-lived.
Aym let out a slow laugh that grew louder and louder, until he was clutching at his stomach as he laid on his back. He looked maniacal. Skye stepped back, allowing him to stand up, but she kept her sword pointing at him.
It was surprising that the people in the yard weren't rioting yet.
"You are much smarter than I gave you credit for. But, you still aren't there yet."
She faltered. "What?"
"Like I said before, Skyla," his words were mocking, and she was ashamed to say it got to her. "You're playing a game you just can't win."
He snapped his fingers. Her stomach turned as she saw one soldier walk from the crowd. Skye pointed the other sword at him warningly, but it was unneeded. He stopped a few paces away from them, and then held out his closed fist. He opened it, and Skye's heart dropped.
The whistle sat in his palm, shiny and small.
"You've put your reputation to shame, darling. For being Number One, you're not much."
He couldn't use the weapon. If he had learnt how to use it, it would doom everyone.
Without hesitation, Skye lunged at the soldier. She heard the wind whistle behind her, and narrowly side-stepped to the left. A wooden arrow flew past where she had been, and struck the ground. She turned around, glaring at the new archer, before springing up to the soldier, who had retreated a few paces away. A group of soldiers stood by him, weapons out.
The smell of sweat and blood overwhelmed her senses. Her body ached but her mind was in panic.
"Give it up, Skyla," Aym crooned. "You're fantastic, no doubt. But you aren't a match for every single person here."
"Try me," she spat.
He sniffed. "I am curious though. You didn't have this-" he picked up the whistle and inspected it. "When we brought you here. It begs to ask the question—where did you get it from?"
Her eyes narrowed at him. Her heart began racing again, and she realized that he was a step closer to figuring out Hiccup. She couldn't let him touch Hiccup.
Skye raised her sword at Aym. It was a shaky movement, but it was real. "Give me the whistle."
His brow raised. Quietly, discreetly, his eyes darted to Hiccup's figure. Skye caught on, and his smile grew. Horror wrapped around her like a snake would coil around its prey.
"No!" She darted forward and thrusted the sword, but Aym used the momentum to put her off balance.
When Skye lifted her head, she could only watch as two soldiers caught Hiccup and whipped off his mask. He called out her name in fear, struggling to get away, but in swift movements, they pinned his head down on the edge of the bridge.
Skye pushed herself up frantically. But a sword at the back of her neck made her freeze.
"You move and he dies."
The whine of a sword rang through the yard as one soldier put the blade to Hiccup's neck. The rider flinched, and he inched his head to the side to see her.
Their eyes met. Skye was purely in shock, but he was terrified.
"How did you know?" She murmured. They hadn't broken eye-contact, and she was trying to relay every comforting message to him.
Aym snorted. "His plan would've worked if I hadn't caught him in his room without his helmet a few days back. He didn't know, obviously, that I had been snooping. But I was curious about him. He seemed to pop out of nowhere."
"So why didn't you use him then?"
"I wanted to see what your plan was first. You almost did have the upper-hand." His hand brushed her shoulder and she fought the urge to shiver. "But I like a challenge."
"Are you going to hurt him?"
"Are you going to give me a reason to hurt him?"
All of Skye's fears came true, and she shook as she whispered, "no."
Aym sniffed. "That's your problem. You always try to protect your weaknesses, and in the end, you just bring them to the fire."
"You're saying that as if you don't have a weakness," she snapped. Her stammering made Aym turn to her and hoist her up.
He shrugged. "None that you know of."
Her brows furrowed. "I threatened Ambrosia. She-"
He leaned forward to cut her off. No one heard him except her. "You could've killed her and I wouldn't have batted an eyelash."
Skye wanted to recoil, but her limbs were stiff and stuck. The way Ambrosia had looked at the leader seemed so sincere, and he reciprocated the same. Was he bluffing? She didn't want to answer that question. The last time she had thought he was bluffing, it nearly killed those children.
Skye slowly straightened herself, sparing a glance at Hiccup that nearly broke her heart. He looked so helpless. "Do what you need of me. Just don't hurt him."
Aym grinned. "Wonderful. Take them to the dungeon."
The guards dragged Hiccup into the building. Skye allowed two guards to grab her arms and shackle her. She looked around the courtyard, mostly at Tye, who had sheathed his weapon.
Had he been playing along with Aym's scheme?
She couldn't see the answer on his face as she was taken away. She barely remembered the trip to the dungeon. She could only worry about Hiccup.
They shackled her to the wall of the dungeon. She could stand easily, but if she tried to sit or kneel, her shoulders would strain. Through the bars of the cage, she saw Hiccup on the ground with only cuffs around his wrists and ankles.
He clicked his tongue. "I could've sworn this would work."
Skye exploded. "Oh, did you, now? If only there was someone who warned you how crazy your plan was!"
"Excuse me for trying to rescue you."
"None of this would've happened if you just let me go on my own."
"Can't you hear how ridiculous you sound?" He snorted. Pulling himself up, he clasped the bars of his cage. "As if I'd just let you walk to your death."
"I was perfectly fine without you here."
His eyes latched onto hers. His lips curved into a smile. "Don't tell me you weren't happy to see me. You melted in my arms."
Her cheeks warmed at his smirk. "What happened to my sweet, innocent Hiccup?"
He chuckled softly, but not whole-heartedly. They were still trapped. They had no plans to escape. They grew silent.
"I want you to promise me something, Hiccup." She bit the inside of her cheek as he nodded. "No matter what happens, you can't tell them how to use the whistle."
"But what if they hurt you?"
"I can handle that. I just need you to do this for me. And protect Sinless at all costs. They can't get their hands on her."
He pursed his lips. "And what if they hurt me? They'll use me against you."
She sighed. "I don't know."
"That's not reassuring."
"Hiccup!"
The rider sat near the bars. "I hate seeing you like this."
"Trapped in a cage? Tuffnut's trapped me in dragon cages many time." She joked, even when she knew no one would laugh.
"I saw the way you looked at Aym. You wanted to kill him. I've never-"
A lump formed in her throat as she waited for him to complete.
"I don't know what to think."
It hurt more than saying he was scared. Trying hard not to shed tears, Skye nodded. "This place brings out something else in me. I never wanted you to see this side of me."
He shook his head. "If I can't accept you when you're like this, I shouldn't want you at all."
She frowned. "What do you mean?"
His fingers tapped the bars. "You're not Skye without this part of you. You can hide it, but it's still there. You've done bad things-"
She bit her lip. Why was it so hard to hear these words from him?
"-and you might still do bad things. Hiccup said. "I honestly want to say I didn't know what I was getting into by loving you."
Rage flared in her. The chains rustled as she tried to step forward. She interrupted him by growling, "well, then, maybe it was a mistake."
He took it in stride. "I don't think so."
Her eyes looked at him questioningly.
Hiccup sucked in a breath. He noticed the way her body tensed, like she was ready to pounce. "I didn't know what I was getting into. But now, I do. And I'm not changing my mind. Nor my heart. You hurt people, no doubt. But you can change that."
"And my past?"
"It's exactly what it is. The past," he replied. He smiled that buck-tooth smile of his that melted her heart. "Everything we do is going to be tough. But I don't care as long as we do it together."
***
"It's been days," Snotlout groaned. "How much longer are we gonna have to wait?"
Astrid rolled her eyes. "When he gives the signal."
"How do we know he's not captured?"
"Hiccup gave us the time slot. Now shut up and eat your food."
"All we have are berries," Ruffnut whined. "Now I know how Skye feels."
Tuffnut had been jotting down something in his book, but he looked up thoughtfully. "I just realized how many loopholes are there in our plan."
Fishlegs took a bite of his fruit. "Are you going to make sense this time or are you actually thinking?"
Tuffnut flashed his book at his face. "I've sketched everything Astrid had told us about the island. Plus, my own scouting allowed me to take down the major topography of the place."
"You went scouting on your own?" Astrid squawked. Sinless beside her had fallen asleep. "Do you know how risky that was?"
"If they saw me, we wouldn't be here."
She had to admit, she couldn't fight that one. "Keep going, then."
"On our last rendezvous with Hiccup, he managed to give us all the sentries and their shifts as well as all the defenses, right? So, what about offense?"
"We fight through it. I don't see a problem there."
Tuffnut smacked his sister's forehead in his frustration. She hissed at him but he batted her off. "None of us could even beat Skye in a spar. The only one that managed to get a few hits in was Astrid. She's been trained on that island. Everyone there is as trained, if not more, as her. What chance do we have?"
"Dragons, for one."
"How do we know they don't have weapons for that?"
"How do you know they do?" Snotlout snapped.
Tuffnut grabbed Snotlout's neck and dragged him to the edge. He squeaked as Tuff pointed at the island. "Tell me what you see."
"An idiot."
He shook him by the shoulders. "Tell me!"
"Okay, okay!" Snotlout relented and looked at the island. "Land, couple of trees, buildings, so?"
"Now tell me what's missing."
Astrid dropped her fruit. "Dragons."
"Bingo!" Tuff snapped. "Ruffnut, take this down."
She took up his book and began writing as he spoke. Surprisingly, they made an efficient team for detailing the plan. It was a case so often due to their prancing tendencies.
Tuffnut paced. "With no dragons in sight, despite having various smaller and luscious islands nearby-"
"Can't spell luscious, gonna say lucky." Ruffnut interjected.
"-it's clear that Shruiken managed to-"
"Can't spell that either, gonna put sheep instead."
"-either ward off or capture every dragon that lived here. Any other dragons passing by must've known what would happen, and hence, they completely avoid the area. So, we need to revise our plan."
"I can believe I'm saying this, but," Fishlegs pinched the bridge of his nose. "What do you suggest?"
Astrid spoke up, "we have the small dragons. They're the diversion. That can work for a short enough time to cover for our invasion."
"And so, we would have to use stealth over strength. The dragons should drop us and then fly to a hiding place, and wait for our call."
Ruffnut snapped her fingers. "What if we could make a bigger diversion?"
"I like your thinking," Tuff said. "But I'm not following."
She grinned. "We could make a storm."
Everyone grew silent. They turned to Sinless, who had been resting beside a rock.
Except, she wasn't there anymore.
"Where's Sin?"
The flap of wings drew their attention as they turned back to the cliff. Sinless snuck away and began flying to the island. It was already night, and so her figure was a phantom above the ocean.
Astrid blew out a breath. "We need to do this now."
"What?" Snotlout screeched. "We're not prepared."
"Get on your dragons, everyone. Follow Tuff's plan. Get the smokebreaths!"
Tuffnut whooped. "This is gonna be awesome!"