<Hey guys. A few of you requested for the bonus chapter I mentioned that is basically about what went down with Ryker and Viggo before... well... Ryker's mutiny. This chapter will be in Viggo's POV since I did say this was going to give you some background on why Viggo was acting so strange in the last chapter. Hope you enjoy!>
I stared at the Maces and Talons board sitting atop my desk, my hands clasped together in front of my face as I thought. It wasn't rare that my thoughts ran so deep that I tended to get lost in them, but the reason for my thought process to be like this was different than usual. I usually tried to keep my mind on the tasks ahead, on making plans, not only that, but on trying to find ways to get rid of Hiccup and his dragon riders. However, my mind had recently been... wandering. Sometimes I'd ask myself why my thoughts were wandering even though I knew the reason. My gaze flickered from the board to the note a Terrible Terror has brought to me earlier in the day. Melia had sent it, the note saying that she had something of an urgent matter to tell me and to meet her on the high cliff above the docks at sundown. I shook my head, turning my gaze back to the board. I had to stay focused. Project Shellfire was complete, the plan could be put into motion... But as I tried to focus my attention back on the plan, my mind wandered once more, my gaze going back to the paper. I sighed pinching the bridge of my nose. What was wrong with me? I didn't even need to ask, I already knew the answer. In the beginning, I had only pretended to be friendly with Melia, get her to trust me, fool her in to a false sense of security. Then, I found out she had feelings for me and I used that to my advantage. It was working well, I had her at my disposal, everything was going right. That is, until I realized... I wasn't pretending anymore. I actually started to have feelings for Melia as well. I groaned, running a hand through my hair. Why? Why did I have to go and fall for a dragon rider? As I thought on it more though, she interested me. She had the unusual ability to get dragons to trust her. She even talked to them as if... I paused, thinking. No... There was no way she could actually understand the beasts. The stories my parents had told Ryker and I were just myths. Legend. Fairytales. Not true. Dragon whisperers were just a story told to scare children like the legend of the Lycanwings. I shook my head, laughing at how stupid it sounded. I took the note and shoved it into a drawer before getting to my feet. The sun would be setting soon and I made it a point of never being late. I stepped around my desk just as Ryker stepped into my tent.
"Ryker? Shouldn't you be preparing for the launch of Project Shellfire?"
"I need to speak to you." Ryker said, brushing off the question.
"Can this not wait?"
"No. It can't, brother." I raised an eyebrow at the way Ryker said the word "brother". His tone sounded like poison. It was unsettling.
"Then make whatever you have to say quick. I'm busy at the moment."
"Oh? Are you going somewhere? Or perhaps to see someone? That pest perhaps." I sighed shaking my head in disapproval.
"Why must you make it a habit of calling her that? She done nothing to you."
"She has actually. The mere fact that she's here, in our camp!" Ryker spat, gesturing to the tent's flaps.
"She's supposed to be here. Besides, she's been quite useful." Ryker stared at me for a moment before starting to laugh.
"Oh... I see now. She's got you in so deep that you can't see her for what she really is, can you." I could hear how he opted to make what he said a statement, not a question, but what he said confused me.
"What are you blabbering on about?"
"She not human! Those stories father and mother told us about women who could speak to dragons. That pest is the exact example of what they told us!" I stared at him.
"Now I know you've truly gone insane. Dragon whisperers are not real. Get that through your thick skull!" I snapped. I went to push past him, but Ryker just grabbed my arm, shoving me back into my desk. I winced and glared up at him. "Have you gone mad?!"
"No. You have. I've seen what that beast has done to you, what she did to a small number of our hunters actually, but I never believed you'd truly side with her." Ryker growled, glaring at me. I registered his words in my head, my blood running cold.
"What did you do?" Ryker shook his head letting out a dark chuckle.
"I'm afraid you won't be around long enough to find out." Before I could do anything, Ryker lunged forward, grabbing me by the head, slamming my skull into my desk. I groaned in pain, holding my head in my hand as I stumbled back, Ryker having released me. I looked up at him, my vision blurred, only for him to kick me back into a table, causing myself, the table, and everything on it to topple to the floor. I tried to get back on my feet so that I may, at the very least, fight for my life, but Ryker kicked me back down. Every time I tried to get up he'd kick me, over and over until I just didn't have the strength to fight him anymore. I stopped trying to stand and just lay on the ground, submitting to Ryker's torture. Eventually he stopped kicking me and I rolled onto my stomach trying to, at the very least get up on my hands and knees. I tried, but my body hurt too much and I collapsed onto the ground again, gritting my teeth in pain. I froze as I felt Ryker's hand on the back of my neck, he hadn't grabbing me yet, his fingers mere inches from my skin, the hairs on the back of my neck standing on edge from the ghost of his touch. "I could just kill you now. It'd make things so much easier." Ryker thought aloud, "Then I would be able to get rid of that pest and the riders so much sooner."
"Don't you dare tou-" I was cut off by Ryker grabbing my neck, fingers digging into my windpipe. I gasped as he lifted me up, reaching my hands back to claw at his wrist.
"Don't worry, little brother. I'll make her death quick. She won't feel a-"
"What's the meaning of this? I wish to speak to Viggo." My eyes widened at Melia's distant voice. She was outside the tent. I tried to call out to her to get her to run, but Ryker dug his nails further into my throat, making me hiss in pain.
"It seems your pest has come to check on you. Well, how untimely." Ryker grumbled before turning towards the secret hatch in the floor I had for emergencies, shoving me down into the hidden space. I coughed, sucking in air. "The riders were seen off the horizon. They'll be here soon, so be thankful I'm leaving you for them to deal with." Ryker slammed the hatch shut before I could utter a word out, plunging me into darkness. I coughed some more, my throat raw from Ryker's grip.
"Where is Viggo? I wish to speak with him." Melia. I stared up at the hatch door, listening.
"Viggo asked for complete privacy. No one is to see him." He was lying. Melia was to smart to be fooled by his lies. I opened my mouth to call out for her, but as I tried to let out noise, I coughed more. "Come. I wish to speak with you." I froze, staring up at the hatch. No. Ryker was going to kill her. I tried to climb my way out of the pit, but the hatch was too high above and my body started to hurt from Ryker's beating. I fell to the ground, groaning in pain as I leaned back against the stone wall. Ryker had said the dragon riders were coming, hopefully they'd get here before Ryker did anything to Melia. I laid my head in my hands, hoping she'd be alright. I thought for a moment, thinking back to Ryker's words. No, he was just trying to get inside my head. Dragon whisperers didn't exist. Then again... How was she able to get dragons to do what she asked? How was she able to gain a wild dragon's trust so easily? Especially dragons that were vicious and practically impossible to get close to. Perhaps... Could it be that dragon whisperers were real? I jumped with a start at the sound of explosions outside the tent. The explosions could only be from the Shellfire. Ryker was using it to attack the camp. I buried my face into my knees, dozing off, my mind filled with worried thoughts.
~~~
I woke with a start, the sound of dragon growls and footsteps, dragon and viking, rousing me from my fitful sleep.
"Oh, Thor!" I jumped at the sound of my desk and my Maces and Talons board clattering to the ground. "What is it gonna take to catch this guy?" That voice? Hiccup? I took a breath as one of the Maces and Talons pieces clattered against the hatch. I heard dragon growls, most likely the Night Fury's, outside the hatch before the hatch opened, light flooding the pit, blinding me. Squinting, I covered my eyes with my arm, hearing the Night Fury charge up a plasma blast. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold your fire!" In the brief moments I was given to contemplate my situation, I made a decision. If I was to stop Ryker and make sure Melia was still alright, I had to team up with the riders. I lowered my arm and looked up at Hiccup and his Night Fury.
"I never imagined that these words would come out of this mouth, but, my dear Hiccup, I am overjoyed to see you."
<And with that, I bring this bonus chapter to a close. As you can see, Viggo's head is currently working through the shock of being beaten up by his own brother, learning Melia is a creature that he only knew from his parents' stories, and worry for Melia's life. He's got a lot going on. I'm sorry this took so long, but my life has been a mix of procrastination, stress, and not to mention an extreme case of writer's block. Hope that by posting this now and having you guys enjoy it can make up for it. Ta ta for now!>