Chapter 12: A Tragicomedy of Justice

It's the hardest part of the movie for me to watch and to write. But it is vital to the plot. I hope it turned out okay.

Disclaimers: I own no Vikings, dragons or characters in here. Also, standing up for the right thing can be dangerous, but it also is very admirable. It's the only way things can change for the better. Take some time to remember and appreciate those who put themselves at risk do the right thing...

"Being intelligent is not a felony. But most societies evaluate it as at least a misdemeanor".- R. A. Heinlein (The Notebooks of Lazarus Long)

The sun came out and the day proved to be beautiful. What an irony. Still, I could sense the weather would turn later in the day. The wind was strong, and I smelled rain in the distance. This region of the world was famous for its powerful fall and winter wind storms, and this was right about the time of the year they started.

I paced around nervously as the sun soared higher. I should have been hungry by now, but all I could think of was Hiccup and what he was experiencing right now. I wished with all my heart I could have been there, but we both knew the consequences of that.

Eventually, as the sun began to filter into the canyon, I forced myself to lie down in a heated nest. I needed my strength. Sleeping seemed impossible, but I closed my eyes and made each muscle relax one by one. It was a trick my mother had taught us. Eventually I was able to doze off.

It was a very irregular sleep. I kept being awakened by bad dreams. There was nothing concrete, just feelings of wrongness and terror, and flashes of black lava stones and the most sickly, greasy fire I had ever seen.

The saddle and harness were not comfortable, either, and kept digging into my shoulders.

And then I was jarred into wakefulness as my sensors and memory stone flared into painful throbbing.

I heard Hiccup's scream of terror slice across my mind. If there had ever been any doubt we were linked telepathically, those were put to rest.

I jerked my head up and felt adrenaline kick into me.

Oh, no! You're in danger, Hiccup! I'm coming! I'm coming! I'm coming!

::Hold on!:: I roared so long it reverberated around the canyon.

I did not even question that I could not climb out of the canyon. It was not an option. I launched myself at the wall and started climbing. Adrenaline and my concern for my Rider gave me the strength I had been missing before.

It was not easy, and my claws were strained to their limit. But I HAD to get to my Hiccup!

Up! Up! Up! Come on! You can do it!

My hindquarters were more powerful than ever, thanks to our training. I felt them thrust as I made the last push to throw my body over the lip of the canyon.

And then I was over the edge.

Hang on, bud! I'm coming!

Through my link with Hiccup I could feel ...terror, running, running, running and never being far enough ahead of an angry dragon. Hundreds of voices screaming and one voice, over all the others, shouting in anger and disappointment.

I was grateful for that cursed ground work we'd done as I bounded through the forest. It had given me more powerful leg and hip muscles than I ever had in my life, but it still enabled me to be sleek enough to fly or run rapidly.

I shot through the forest, leaping over tree trunks, twisting around sink holes, leaves splattering everywhere under my claws. Deer and rabbits and grouse leaped out of my path as I charged through, all of them staring at me with horror in their eyes.

You certainly don't see a saddled and harnessed Nightfurygetdown come cantering through the forest everyday.

One time I leaped onto an embankment and then plunged off it, right into a herd of red deer. The herd scattered madly in all directions. A young stag and I wound up running neck to neck for a moment, both of us matching each other for stride.

The stag was horrified I meant to hunt him, but I sent him a thought message that I was trying to get to a friend. He was safe from me.

He skidded to a halt and watched me bound off, his nostrils flaring in amazement.

Hold on, Hiccup! I'm coming!

Still more screaming. Someone opening an iron door. A hammer flying and hitting an angry Person.

As the trees began to thin out, I began to do some short glides, sailing as far as I could before the tail fin collapsed on itself.

Hold on! Hold on!

My Firemaker running for the exit, heart pounding against his ribs. But then he is cut off! Desperation fills his being as he turns and runs back the way he way he came.

I was now on the outskirts of the village and then half loping/half gliding through the main road of the town.

All the noise was coming from a huge area on the edge of the village, a flat rock surface with a type of metal "forest" around it. My Firemaker's memory told me it was called the Kill Ring.

Hundreds of people were surrounding this surface, and there were large, colorful cloth strips waving in the high wind.

I saw all these images as bare impressions. My sensors were getting more and more urgent impressions from Hiccup's thoughts.

My Firemaker was suddenly knocked flat on to his back by a Person- I got the impression it was a Self Burner. He was trapped by its paw, and that paw was wider than he was, effectively imprisoning him.

He tried to struggle and the claw tightened, digging into my friend. I screamed angrily as I caught pain from Hiccup as one of the Self Burner's claws scraped down his left arm, ripping through cloth and skin. But he did not scream- he was worried it would cause the Self Burner to maul him even more. So he bit his lip instead until it bled and screamed inside.

First blood! No! That Self Burner will pay for this!

I hoped against hope and launched myself in the air.

The incoming heavy storm wind caught me and blew me right towards the Kill Ring. I adjusted my wings to sail into a dive, and my fire rose up in me as the banshee scream that is the trademark of my tribe.

(Well, when I was still part of a tribe)

As Firemakers around the Kill Ring began to run away from me, I let loose an indigo plasma bolt. It sheared through the iron "forest" barrier on the Kill Ring, and smoke rose up around the Kill Ring.

Cries of NIGHTFURYGETDOWN rained down around me as I dive-bombed right into the Self Burner holding my Rider under her claw.

The force of my dive-bomb knocked her right onto her back, releasing my Firemaker. I hoped he would roll out of the way.

The Self Burner and I tangled into a knot, each of us trying to get at the other's throat. Her snarls and hot breath flared up around me as I snapped at her. Neither of us shot our flames. That is an understood code among our People. When we fight, we fight with claw and tooth.

::Keep away from the Fire maker!:: I yelled at the Self Burner queen as I used my powerful back legs to kick against her, thrusting her away from my abdomen, ::He's mine!::

::I claimed it as my kill! I blooded it! It is not yours any longer!:: The Self Burner roared back at me as we tussled.

She sank her teeth into my neck where it meets the chest and dug deep.

I loved the look of anger on her face when she realized that my harness protected my neck, so she was only getting a mouthful of leather. That scorched saddle was good for something after all!

I took advantage of her shock and shot out from under her, righting myself in a lighting swift roll. Now I faced her, snarling and my pupils now shrunk to slits of anger. I was only one third her size, but I was pissed off, and you don't want to make one of my kind angry! We are not strong, but we are fast, and she knew I could have my teeth shooting into her neck and slicing her jugular vein before she even shook her head in surprise.

I spread my wings, blocking my Rider from her, and I snarled and snapped at her, jumping at her aggressively, but never connected, always bluffing. The move was one I had learned from watching snow leopards fighting back in the Pamirs.

::Back off, sister! I really don't want to hurt you, but I WILL kill you if you come any closer!:: I snarled in a bloodcurdling way ::The Fire maker is MINE!::

Firemaker voices boiled in the background, a constant wave of cries of NIGHTFURYGETDOWN and HICCUP IS A TRAITOR.

The Self Burner launched at me again, snarling and baring her teeth.

I did a lightning strike at her, launching at her vulnerable throat area where it meets the chest. I deliberately turned away, but my teeth snapped together, very close to slashing her neck.

Then I was back in front of my Rider, rising on my hind legs and wings spread out in a lightning swift move.

::Want a repeat performance? I can strike closer if you like, ma'am!:: I told her.

She snorted, ::Have it your way, you annoying creature. You're welcome to the Firemaker. And may it give you indigestion.::

She backed away, glaring at me balefully. Then she turned and moved towards some sort of unusual cave against the wall of the Kill Ring.

I thumped down to all fours, my chest heaving.

Oh, thank the gods!

Then my Firemaker was by my side, urgency in his eyes. He pushed at me. Hard. Some distant part of me noticed that his hands were two different colors. One was his skin color. The other was red, and when he lifted that hand from my neck for a moment, a perfect bloody hand print was on my neck..

The Self Burner had carved right down his arm from upper arm to elbow, and he was bleeding pretty heavily. The sleeve of his tunic had been ripped away at the elbow and hung down, now more red than green.

Ironically he had been wounded in the exact same place where Thundershadow had wounded me.

He did not seem to notice the injury in his fear for me.

"C'mon, Toothless! You have to get out of here! NOW!" he yelled at me, pushing at me. As slight as he was, fear gave him some strength and when he pushed against me, he actually rocked me off my front legs for a moment.

I looked back at him and stood my ground, bracing my heels against his pushing. I snarled at him in protest.

::You're in danger! You're hurt! I'm NOT leaving you!::I yelled right back him with a mind-send. ::I told you I'd fight by your side, and I will!::

And then Firemaker men were converging on us, and cries of NIGHTFURYGETDOWN, HICCUP- TRAITOR, KILL HIM, OUTLAW HIM were filling my ear sensors.

Ahead of me, an enormous powerfully built Firemaker strode towards me, one hand out and both fists closed.

It was the red-furred alpha male, the one who knocks the largest of us unconscious with one blow. I knew this was also Hiccup's father. Their body shapes were different, but I could see- and smell- they were related.

Still, this man was striding towards Hiccup with anger in his eyes. I didn't care if he was Hiccup's sire, I would not let him hurt my Rider.

I launched at the man, timing my leap so I was able to knock him flat onto his back. He crashed back, his helmet coming off and rolling away.

He stared at me angrily out of the same grey green eyes that Hiccup has, but there was no compassion in his eyes.

I felt the fire rise in my body, and I opened my mouth to add oxygen so I could blast this man into another reality.

"NO!" Hiccup's agonized voice cut into my anger.

:::That's my father! NO!::: his thoughts screamed in my mind.

I closed my mouth and looked back at Hiccup where he was standing, just a little bit behind me.

::Very well:: I told him, ::For you, I'll do this::

But I moaned in sorrow because I had not been able to protect him from his father's wrath.

The red bearded Fire maker climbed to his feet and then walloped me across the face.

That was a blow to stun a Self Burner and knock it onto its knees. I am much smaller than a Self Burner, so I was knocked right off my feet. I soared in the air for one moment…

.. and then I crashed heavily onto my side, my head exploding in a thousand stars. For a moment the world tilted on its side.

Then I felt Firemaker men surrounding me, pushing me down, pinning me to the ground, forcing my jaw shut so I could not breathe fire.

I wished that I could flame them., But I promised Hiccup I would not! I don't even think I could shoot fire if I wanted to right now. I was so dizzy….

"No! No! No! Please! Leave him alone! He won't hurt you!" Hiccup's desperate voice cut through my haze of dizzy pain.

He was struggling angrily, but Ástríður was pulling him back, trying to save him from being beaten by people who now saw him as a traitor.

He did not understand and clawed desperately, trying to reach me. Blood from his injury spattered on the Kill Ring floor, "NO! NO!" His voice was strangled and I saw tears gathering at the edges of his eyes.

A crazy part of me was surprised. I thought we People are the only species of life on this world that can shed tears when we cry. Go figure. Firemakers shed tears in sorrow, too.

It was a discovery I would have preferred not to make.

The alpha male climbed to his feet with a cat like grace I would never have guessed for a man his size. One more thing he and his son have in common. He wore his hair long and back in a woven braid, but in the struggles, his hair tie had gotten lost and his wavy dark red hair was starting to come loose.

He swept it out of his eyes in a gesture that again echoed his son's, but the look in his eyes was hard with hatred.

"Put it with the others!" he said in his strong and powerful voice.

He strode over to where Hiccup was waiting, still restrained by Ástríður. He reached over and grabbed his son's right shoulder, hauling him off. Hiccup was knocked off of balance, but he recovered and let his father push him towards a huge building decorated with many motifs of Firemakers killing my People. He held his left arm as he was pushed along, but he was still bleeding. I noticed in sadness that he left behind a trail of blood drops in his wake.

Then he and his father were gone.

I heard a little sob and looked up at Ástríður. Her shoulders shook as she took in me and then glanced at where Hiccup had been pushed. Then she rushed out of the Kill Ring, tears now running down her face.

The Viking men who had restrained me now had the joyful task of getting me "put with the others." The main problem was that all the cages were now full, and they did not want to throw me in with another Person.

Luckily the Kill Ring was a cage of its own sort, even if I did blast it open.

Taking advantage of my stunned state, they wrapped chains around each of my legs and across my wings. Next they tied a strap of nasty leather around my jaws to keep me from blowing a fire blast. They dragged me towards a corner of the Kill Ring where there was a large pole. They fastened my pretty much immobile form to the pole. And then they set up a very heavy, fence-like wooden barricade that made a temporary cage, pinning me into the corner.

In my dazed confusion, I looked up at the top of the pole and saw it had the skull of a Self Burner mounted on the top.

I sighed sadly. That must have been last year's lucky debutante at the coming of age ceremony.

This arrangement had the extra added benefit of putting me on public display. Just like my hapless Rider, I had now become a freak show exhibit.

I hate being stared out, being a shy sort of fellow, so it was torture to have a constant parade of Firemakers coming over to the Kill Ring to see what a real Nightfurygetdown looks like.

I wound up curling up into a ball and hiding my face behind my tail. If they were going to look at me, I would at least give them the most boring view possible!

Some were scared by me. ("Look at those evil green eyes! Hey, Hiccup has green eyes like that, too, with flecks of gold- yes, I know Stoick has green eyes, too- but Hiccup has gold flecks like that dragon does! That's proof that Hiccup has been possessed by an evil spirit all along!" "Oh, yes! That black cat dragon is his familiar! I knew it! He's a warlock! We have to burn him- right along with that monster!")

Some were shocked I was so small in size ("That little pussycat has been the one trashing our village? Off spring of lightning and death, my eye! It's just an overgrown alley cat!").

And they all hated me. ("Well, it won't be around much longer to torment our people!")

Someone lobbed a maggoty fish head at me, "Here, kittykittykittykitty!"

Thankfully, his aim was bad. It landed quite far from me.

::Aw, come on! What kind of admission price is that? If you're going to throw stuff at me, can't you make it salmon? Now get out of here! The show is closed!

I snarled at him with particular venom, and the coward ran away, laughter in his shadow.

I also felt voices of my People reach out to me as dragons in the cages realized I was there.

::Hey! It's a Lightning Person! Now I've seen the day. I guess the world ends tomorrow!::

::What kind of Lightning Person would ever be stupid enough to be captured?::

::Hush now, my colleagues:: This was a rich, sophisticated, cultured voice, I thought maybe he might be from the area the Firemakers call Wales ::Were we not all stupid enough to be captured? Let our brother rest in peace.::

I sent a silent thank you to that unknown Person.

::When I fought the little pest, I saw he was wearing a saddle like a horse. He's letting that tiny red- haired Firemaker ride him- like a pet!:: This was the Self Burner

I growled loudly::Just shut up! All of you! I really don't give a flame blast what you think. JUST! LEAVE! ME! ALONE! SCORCH IT!::

And they were all quiet.

Except for two voices in the middle cage.

::Roses are red...::

::Violets are blue::

::I am schizophrenic::

::And so am I::

Ah, a Double Headed person.

::Would you please shut up!:: what I thought was a Magnesium person roared from her cage.

The Double Headed Person said, with total dignity ::We are just talking to Ourselves, ma'am. You must admit, sometimes, it is the only way to have an intelligent conversation here.::

I rolled my eyes and let my aching, dizzy head fall back to the ground.

May the Blessed Three save me from idiots! All of you- Person and Firemaker.

More tourists came to view the evil, sideshow attraction of The Evil Nightfurygetdown.

Several younglings decided to show their courage in battle by taking on a Nightfurygetdown when it was chained and helpless.

I wound up being pelted by more garbage and some things I won't mention. All I could do was snarl and snap. The Firemakers had put a leather strip around my muzzle so I could not flame.

"Oy, back off, lads! What kind of Vikings are ye, then, to be throwing stones and garbage at a creature who canna' fight you back!"

A large Fire maker with strange, blond and twisted facial hair pushed into the circle of younglings now tossing midden heap scraps at me.

They bleated at him, but he did not listen to them. Instead he put them on the task of cleaning out the dragon pens.

Most of the unsavory donations from the adoring youth of the village had not hit me, but I still had to shake off some unpleasant presents from my back and wings. I snarled in anger.

The big man leaned on the wooden barricade and stared at me with intelligent blue eyes. He was a powerful man, but also a wounded man. He had lost a hand and a leg to my People, but he moved himself along with his own special grace. He wore a small piece of wood crudely shaped like a foot on one leg, and a hooked piece of sky iron on the end of one arm.

I picked up from Hiccup's memories that this was his blacksmith mentor, whatever his name was. The man looked at me, arms crossed on the barricade and his blue eyes oddly sympathetic.

"Yer not at all what I would have thought ye to be," he said finally, "I was thinkin' bigger and scalier. But I canna' help and think you are a marvel of design. Yer built for speed, y'are. It's just a design I would not have considered. Ye have your own unique style, Night Fury."

::Getdown:: my mind supplied, and I growled at the Fire maker to remind him I had some strength left in me to fight.

Heavy steps and then Hiccup's father joined the blacksmith near the barricade. His hair was once again woven back into its braid under his horned helmet.

I was expecting a look of vindication on that alpha male's face, but what I saw instead was misery and sorrow and- to my surprise- tears in his eyes. But he was fighting them with all his strength.

I would not have expected that from this man.

The blacksmith raised his remaining hand and clapped it on the alpha male's shoulder, "Ya all right, Stoick?"

"Aye, I am," Hiccup's father said, "For what it's worth."

He had been carrying something in his large right hand, and he let it drop to the ground.

Hiccup's boots.

The blacksmith looked at them and I saw a look of heaviness cross his eyes.

"I see, Stoick. Outlawing. What a choice to have to make."

The red bearded alpha male leaned on the barricade and looked over me, too angry to meet my gaze.

"It was that or execute him. We know the laws. He knows the laws. Protecting and harboring dragons is punishable by burning or by outlawing. He's let the enemy right through the gates of our village with that damn black beast. Where one comes, the others follow.

" At least with the outlawing he has some chance of a future."

"But winter's comin', Stoick. Where's the lad gonna go? He'll have to keep himself alive out in the wilderness through the winter until he can hook up with a trading ship here- if someone does not try to kill him when he gets to the harbor- anyone can shoot him on sight now- and, being a chieftain's son, bounty hunters'll be lining up for the chance to take him down if he shows himself in civilization."

"Is there any time that is good to be outlawed?" Stoick asked sadly, "It had to be done, my friend." He brushed a hand across his eyes, "I just never realized my son was walking in Lóki´s shadow as much as he was. We're a small village. We cannot afford to have a trickster among us, someone who succeeds by manipulation and deceit."

I snorted in sad exasperation. Truly, truly. No act of kindness ever goes unpunished.

"Ah, Stoick. It's just hard that it had to be yer own son."

The chieftain sighed sadly, "When I took the vow, it meant the village came before my needs. What kind of leader would I be if I let family members of mine be judged on different standards from everyone else?"

"Aye, you have the right of it. So, it's done, then."

"Yes. After I told him he was outlawed and no son of mine, some of the council came into the mead hall and knocked him out- gently, but they had to. The laws say an outlaw has to be taken to the wilderness with nothing but the clothes on his back and his boots have to be left at home. I asked the men to take him somewhere he had a chance to live, but far enough away it would be hard for him to get back here easily. I'm afraid he will try to come back, and I do want him to have a chance to make it. I think they took him to the salt marshes on the far end of the island"

Stoick stood straighter. He locked his eyes with mine, and now I saw no trace of sorrow only anger and hatred. "One thing I got from the boy is that this dragon – this demon- can lead us to the Nest. So we need to bring it with us on the mission."

I stared back at him, my heart sinking. I had no wish to meet the Lady again, and I knew these Firemakers had no chance in the frozen hells of winning against her.

I was going to bring these people to their deaths. And my Firemaker had been dumped like garbage somewhere in the wilderness in the hopes he would do his people all a great favor and die on them.

The rest of the day was weird. I saw just how efficient these Viking Firemakers are. Their whole lives are geared around warfare, so everything is ready to be assembled into an attack force in a very short time.

They reminded me of horned ants in the way they mustered their great boats, assembled weapons, and packed supplies. They even had enormous wooden towers on wheels that they called a "Cat-On-A-Pole" but I found nothing remotely feline about them in shape.

Firemakers and their imaginations. I was feeling mightily sick of Firemakers by now, with the exception of one. He was worth more than all of them put together, and they'd punished him for that.

Various peoples came to gawk at me. One time I was awakened by a group of younglings who had strangely compassionate faces. There was a stocky boy with shaggy blond hair and intelligent hazel eyes, a powerful idealized young man with dark brown hair and blue-gray eyes, two tall and thin blond younglings who I thought to be twins. The girl had hip length braided hair and gray eyes. The boy (who did indeed look a lot like Gatalas) had strangely matted hair and brown eyes. And then Ástríður was there, too.

I was too tired to catch their conversation, but they were actually admiring me and seemed oddly supportive of my Firemaker. Good. He needed all the support he could get.

A female drudge Firemaker with tangled, loose, curly blond hair and a sooty face and a threadbare dress with a long hood came around to feed me, pouring some sort of fish gruel in a bowl near me. She was too scared to get close to me and wound up sliding the bowl to me with a dirty bare foot. She was breathing heavily in fear and whimpering a bit.

I was feeling evil, so I spat/snarled at her. She shrieked in terror.

She cried out something that sounded like: "Go dtachta an diabhal thú!" with a very Irish sounding voice and dropped her pot, spattering gruel on the ground near me before running away.

At least it meant I got a bit more swill than intended.

The idea of fish gruel was I would be able to drink it with my muzzle on. I hated it, but I did drink it. And I gritted my teeth and licked the spattered gruel from the ground as well- and what was still left in the pot the drudge had dropped.

I needed my strength, especially if there any way to escape and try to find my friend. The gruel did not taste bad, but I would have preferred fresh fish.

The Viking long ships were being prepared to set sail as soon as possible, but the Sky Lady had the last laugh when the promised wind storm I had smelled this morning kicked in.

I had to roll on my chained up side and laugh as Vikings took cover when the powerful winds blew in. It looks like they had to delay their mission until tomorrow.

The windstorm was the typical fireworks you get here in the North Atlantic. The wind slams hard against buildings. It rolls the ships in the harbor. When rain falls, it drives it perfectly horizontal.

We got all of that with this storm. The barricades protected me from the worst of it, so I could enjoy seeing how the powerful winds raged through the town. Sometimes the winds would blow a piece of a ship or some sort of heavy farm tools and one time even most of a heavy tree through the village. I would have found it incredibly amusing except I knew my Fire maker was having to make do in the wilderness in this crazy weather.

Three hours past midnight, the winds died down. I sighed and let myself flop on my side to rest a bit. I could hear the village guards start to stir and build up their fire. The smells of burning birch and oak filtered into the sky. Almost everyone had gone inside to either sleep or make last preparations for the invasion (translation: suicide mission) tomorrow.

I became aware of soft footsteps, so different from the usual heavy boots. I opened my eyes and rolled over onto my stomach.

:::Lovely evening, isn't it, Toothless? Perfect ending to a perfect day.:::

My first impression was of a Firemaker's bare feet. They were mud splashed and crisscrossed with scratches from branches and brambles. And then torn and muddy leggings. I raised my head and found my self looking up at Hiccup.

::Hey there, Firemaker. Yup, it's been such a fun day. I hope I never have another like it::

Somehow he had managed to find his way back to the village from where the guards had left him. Then again, this is Hiccup the Useless. He probably had explored the whole island in his childhood. He'd find his way back here if he were blind.

He dropped to his knees in front of me, shivering from the cold. Other than being very muddy and scratched up, he looked unharmed. He had cut off his entire left sleeve and used it to bind up the slash on his left arm. I just hoped it would not go septic.

::You shouldn't be here.:: I warned him, ::If the guards…::

He sighed, and I picked up :::I don't care. I came… I … wanted to see you… one last time.:::

The emotion of the moment must have been making him more susceptible to my thought patterns, but I still think he was reacting mostly to my nonverbal behavior. I'd like to think that, over time, we might have developed a telepathic bond. Well, you know the saying: could have, would have, should have. Too late for it, now.

The barricades came between us, but he tried to fit a hand through one of the wider slats to touch me. I stretched myself as far as I could to the end of my chains and leaned my neck and muzzle out as far as it would go.

It was not far enough. My Fire maker dropped onto his stomach on the Kill Ring floor to give himself more length. His hand and my muzzle met… almost. But not enough.

No magical forbidden friendship bonding tonight, kiddies. The powers that be had won out in the end.

I heard someone moan in sorrow and realized it was me.

Hiccup let his head drop to the ground and I saw his shoulders start to shudder as he broke down into tears. His sobs were as quiet and shy as he is, but to me they tore to the bottom of the soul.

My Fire maker may be small, but he is a Viking. He does not cry easily. For him to have broken down meant he really was at the end of his rope. And who could blame him? He´d lost everything: his family, his tribe, his best friend, and very possibly his life.

I hated it. He had comforted me when my People had banished me, but chained up as I was I could not comfort him. I was heartbroken as I watched him sob his heart out, lying bedraggled and defeated on the Kill Ring floor.

I summed up what strength I had left in me and shoved against the chains and my harness. They dug into me, cutting in to my skin like that vine trap did so long ago. It hurt like the frozen hells, but I pushed against it anyway. My scales and hide stung as the chains dug in, reopening the carefully stitched shoulder wound. Oddly the pain gave me strength, so I pushed harder. I felt blood start to run down my chest and shoulders from various cuts.

And then I was able to flop against the barricades, and my muzzle went into my Rider´s outstretched palm, as it had on the day we bonded.

::Okay. Is this better?:: I asked.

Hiccup raised his head and laughed in irony, but grief tears still ran down his mud spattered face. It was all so ironically tragicomic.

He could not say- or think- anything. The only clear thing I could pick up was that is was all his fault this had happened.

I snarled. ::No! I am the one to blame, Fire maker. I used you. I wanted to get out of that canyon. But I dragged you into it. And you are the one to suffer.::

It was true. I could count the hours I had left in my life on my teeth. But my Fire maker would have to go on living long after I was killed in this invasion. And he would be suffering. Bonds are great, but when they end they hurt terribly.

I think we spent the next few minutes arguing about whose fault it was. Each one of us insisted on taking the blame. It actually would have been funny if it were not so sad.

Finally I put an end to it, ::It doesn't matter. I just want you to know that these last weeks were the best of my life, Hiccup. And it was honor to have known you, sir.::

:::Damn. Same here. Same here. ::: My Fire maker could not speak for quite a while. He put a hand over his eyes and wept softly at what we'd both lost. I let him cry and wished I could wrap my wings around him and give him strength to help him through the lonely days ahead.

Then a cold thought ran up my spine.

I nudged my muzzle furthher into my Firemaker's hand, ::Listen. I just thought of something. You and I know how this will end. That creature will not be content to destroy your Dad's boats. She will be scared. And she will want to destroy every Firemaker – uh- human settlement- in the next few miles to make sure she is never attacked again. This means your village is in danger. You have GOT to make sure some of you survive. I don't care if you are an outlaw. Grab Ástríður and the little kids and anyone else you think will listen to you. Run into the forests. Hide underground. Do… awww… scorch it.::

He was not listening to me. He wiped his face and looked at me with dead gray eyes, but it was as though he had closed me down. He truly had no thought of his future. All he had in his future was anger and self hatred.

There was a rustling from the guard camp and someone called out, "What's going on in the Kill Ring?"

There was a rush of air and when I looked back at my Fire maker, he had vanished swiftly through the Kill Ring bars and into the night.

Well, that's that. Goodbye Hiccup. I wish you well wherever you go. And I wish you did not have to s-suffer for ...my selfish decision... to b-bond... with... you. Oh... damn these tears! Damn!

Against my best wishes, I was starting to cry now, too. At least I had followed the advice of my mother to never cry in front of the ones of I cared about most.

(::Stormthrill, you can cry, wail, be scared, shriek and drool in terror all you want, son. Just remember to do it where no one can see you. ::)

Thanks, mom. Right as always.

I let myself flop on my side. Tears gathered in my own eyes at the thought of what I had done to my Rider.

One of them broke loose and ran down my face in a hot trail.

Stupid dragon tears. The Firemakers of my home region think dragon tears have healing powers, but how can anything that is created from suffering have the power to bring healing?

A dragon thought-voice cut through my quiet weeping.

::Amazing. Simply amazing:: one of the People in the cages called out to me.

Huh? Whassat? I'm not crying. No. No. Just have a really b-bad cold! I choked back a sob.

:: You may be an annoying little Lightning Person, but you and that Fire maker really do have something special.::

It was the Self Burner, to my surprise. And her voice was filled with wonder.

::They're not all evil:: I told her hoarsely, wishing I could lift my paws to scrub those embarrassing tears from my eyes.

::I know they are not:: said the Magnesium person shyly, ::That Fire maker he scratched me on the jaw and made me happy.::

::Yes:: said the Two Headed Person, ::He did scare Us with the evil eel, but when the others left he came back and took it out of Our cell. And he sneaked Us something nice to eat- some lamb We think it was.::

::And We agree with that::, said the other head.

::Yes, that is true, it is, it is!:: a silvery Sticky Fire Person's thought voice chirped up from behind a door that was marked EXTREMELY DANGEROUS in runes. I thought her thought patterns marked her as coming from Ireland, ::When it was me turn to attack the younglings, he turned it into a fun game for me, he did. He made a magic bug appear out of nowhere and I chased it. It was brilliant fun, it was!::

The beautiful Welsh voice rumbled behind its door, ::It is true, my comrades. When it was my onerous duty to fight with the younglings, he presented me with a lovely specimen of Sky Grass, and I did indeed feel as though I were frolicking in the Elysium Fields::

I think my jaw fell open as far as the binding would allow, ::Are you a Lava Person?::

::Aye, young Lightning Person. That I am. I admit I am a bit more erudite than most of my kind. I attribute that to eating a manuscript at a monastery in Wales in my wayward youth. It was my curiosity about these Firemakers that led me to being captured , I always lingered longer at the edge of the village than I should. I attack the younglings and all, but I also am quite curious about them as a species. I rue to speculate that I have been here longer than my comrades.::

I had to smile a bit. The Lava People are my favorite of the Peoples because they never cease to surprise me. It is so easy to dismiss them based on their physical appearance but the few friends I have made among the People in this region are Lava People.

This surprising Lava Person continued in his dignified way, :: I can say for true, that the Vikings imprison us, but they are not overly cruel. Not like SHE has treated us::

That resulted in a variety of squawking and roaring.

::I just learned about her:: I thought sent, sitting up a bit against my chains, ::Both my Rider and I. We're trying to figure out a way to defeat her. Well, we were anyway.::

I let my head drop, sorrow at my poor banished friend filling my heart.

The Magnesium person purred, ::I remember you, Lightning Person. I think I had scolded you for not growing up on the night you disappeared. I got captured right after that.::

I raised my head ::I guess I did grow up a bit. Just not the way I expected.::

There was some general laughter in the cages.

::We'd never have thought We'd hear a Lightning Person say that!::the Two Headed Person laughed

::We neither:: added the other head.

I snorted ::I am not one of them:: I said bitterly.

The Self Burner roared in surprise, ::That is exactly what the young Fire maker said today. He was not one of them. And he threw off his horned hat. He really did try to be kind to me. He let me know he was a friend. I wanted to believe him, but the red bearded alpha male got mad and hit his hammer and I got scared and attacked.::

::I am not from this region:: I said, willing myself to stand up, though I was shaking with tiredness and pain, ::I grew up knowing that Firemakers are not evil. I have seen Firemakers who think we carry messages to the gods and treat us like divine spirits.::

General purring from the cages.

::I've also seen Firemakers who see us as brave warriors that they want to imitate. They organize entire armies based on our strength and power. They see us as brothers in arms and honor our strength, and they are honored to know us as friends. It's only in this area that we People are hated. And I really think that the creature… the one who calls herself a Lady… is the one who has caused this.::

More roaring.

::Somewhere it has to end. Most likely this Viking chief will try to fight her and get destroyed and she will come and destroy all humans on this island.:: I said sadly.

::I don't know about you, my Brethren, but if the Lady attacks us, I do not want to go down trapped in this cage without a chance to strike a blow:: the Lava Person said, ::Young Lightning Person… I know you hate to be called that now, but I don't know your actual name…::

::It's Toothless:: I said. ::And, yes, it's a Fire maker name. But there is no name I am prouder to carry.::

More grumbles from the cages, but maybe with a bit more admiration.

::Well, then, Toothless. If there is a chance to fight back, then I will be at your side. If we can get out of these cursed cages.::

I was touched by that ::Thank you, sir. The only way I know, though, is to bond with the Firemakers. It's really in their hands. If they get it in their heads to let you out of your cages and take on the Lady, would you be willing to let one of them ride you, to even bond with them as a Rider?::

::What's to gain?:: The Magnesium person asked warily.

I sighed in a memory of what I had now lost, my ear sensors and cheek sensors drooping in sorrow ::We complement each other. I know it from my Rider. We are friends. We work as a team. We People can provide the speed and firepower, but they have the intelligence and the way to solve problems we do not. And, with a Firemaker on your back, the Lady cannot control you with her mind.::

::That might work for your Rider:: the Two Head said, ::But not all Firemakers are like that.::

::True::I said and forced my sensors to stand up to show my determination :: But there are many who are. You have to take the chance. Certainly, thanks to my Rider you can see there is someone who is willing to teach the others the right way to work with you.::

They all agreed with that. All of them had been touched in some way by Hiccup's kindness. And, it turns out, the other younglings had started to pick up on Hiccup's actions. I heard that this current group of trainees had started to try some things like petting dragons, whispering to them, feeding them fish. They just did it when the teacher was not watching.

So there was hope after all. We just had to hope someone would free the People form their cages.

I knew my Rider was a lost cause. He was so shocked from his outlawing he would not listen to me. That made me wonder if we should be working instead of convincing Ástríður to free the People- or, better yet, to somehow shake Hiccup out of shock so he would teach the other younglings how to bond with the People.

It was all out of my paws, sadly. My time on this planet was winding down. I just had to hope these others would step in continue the struggle after I died during the attack on the Lady's lair.

Morning came, and it was a disgustingly beautiful one, too. The ships were about ready to go.

I awakened, sore in my muscles, and aching around my shoulders and chest where the saddle had dug in during my attempts to touch Hiccup's hand last night. (Did that really happen? Or was I dreaming? Am I now senile at 17 years old?)

The Irish drudge with the unbound blond hair came again with more fish gruel to dump in my bowl. I noticed she walked straighter than she had last night, and she came right up to my barricade, pouring the gruel into my bowl with a newfound confidence.

She pushed it under the barricade to me with her hands instead of her feet. The wind picked up her curly blond and blew it away from her ash smeared face.

Nope. This was not the drudge from last night. There had been a change in staff.

Somehow Ástríður had managed to swap places.

I crooned in surprise as she met my gaze.

Tears gathered in her eyes as she took in my appearance. I must have looked the sight with garbage remains and dried blood stains.

Then I noticed she was staring at a particular blood stained hand print on my shoulder.

"No one keeps the son of Lightning and Death chained up like a midden heap mutt," she whispered, "And no one throws my friend out in the wilderness to die because he stood up for what was right."

"Yo, Brigid! Can you finish feeding the beast sometime before the next Millenium? We have an invasion to go on, you know!" the guard's voice cut down to us from his post outside the Kill Ring.

Ástríður looked back at him and simpered (I could feel her irritation at having to play this kind of role), "Wht's it to ye now, Bashnose. I was just lookin' at the big pussycat. Sure, and he's a creepy lookin' lizard, he is!"

She actually did a pretty good impression of a Gaelic accent.

The guard snorted and turned away.

Ástríður wiped a hand across her face, cleaning away most of the soot. She pulled a leather cord wrapped around her arm and quickly wove her thick, beautiful blond hair back into its trademark braid, tying it with the leather cord. She pulled the drudge's cloak hood over her head, hiding her face.

The gaze she gave me was the feirce blue of glacier ice. When she braided back her hair and became Ástríður again, I knew she had made a decision of some sort. She nodded at me.

And, to my surprise, I nodded back at her.

I watched as she slipped past the guard, who seemed to have bought the whole act. She walked with a particularly flirty wiggle to her stride, and the guard whistled at her.

I looked at the bowl of fish gruel. I was not hungry- actually even upset to the stomach, but I choked it down. This might be my last day of my life, but I wanted to go down fighting, so I needed my strength.

As I finished, a group of Vikings came into the Kill Ring, carrying a strange sort of wooden platform. As I stood up from my breakfast, someone threw a small hammer at me.

It hit me on the side of the face, knocking me on my side. Stunned, I could only lie there as the Viking Firemakers wrestled me (surprisingly gently) onto my feet and then onto that platform. They chained me in place there.

They pulled the leather band off my muzzle and put something stronger on my muzzle. And then they fastened a heavy brace around my shoulders and chest, locking me firmly into that platform.

This was scary for me. I hated being out of control. I am embarrassed to say I dissolved into terror. As I was lifted by some sort of strange rope contraption that lifted my platform onto a ship, I screamed in terror. I lunged against my prison, I shrieked, I struggled.

No one seemed to care that I was so frightened. Hiccup would have put his hand on my forehead and sung or whispered to me until I was calm and ready to step on board the boat. These Vikings just let me scream in terror until my voice went hoarse.

Then I was placed on board one of those boats, My stomach rose up to my throat at the sickening heaving and pitching. There was no such thing as ground anymore, and without Hiccup the sky was beyond my reach.

It was also humiliating to see the crowd who wished us off. Just like that mother lynx had done to me on the day I had been brought down in the vine trap, I saw Firemaker mothers and grandmothers pointing me out to their offspring, telling them the evil Nightfurygetdown was getting its just punishment.

Worst of all was, if I could twist against my prison and look over my shoulder (as much as the bindings would allow) to one of the bridges leading from the village into the forest, I could see a small figure leaning against the guardrail, a scratched, tattered, barefoot and muddy figure.

I wanted to mind link with him, but I would do not do him any favors for that. It would just prolong the inevitable. He could stay there on that bridge and let himself die of misery or get shot down by some bounty hunter.

Or, if he had any smarts he would walk over that bridge and into the forest and start a new life for himself

So, though I hated myself for it, I closed my mind against his.

It was for his own good. (I tried to convince myself of that, anyway).

I was on the same boat with Hiccup's father. (Does the fun never end?).

As his crew untied the boat to start our voyage to death and destruction, complete with a side of fire roasted Nightfurygetdown, Stoick looked up and saw his son.

I saw a moment of sorrow pass across his eyes, but then he, like me, turned away and yelled to his crew

"We sail to Hellheimsgate!"

As he passed by me, he speared me with an angry green gaze.

"Lead us home… devil."

I would not dignify that remark with a snarling, As the boats took off I just let my head drop.

Thankfully the Vikings were too busy adjusting the rigging and sailing out of the harbor to notice that I was sobbing quietly, my tears staining the deck.