THE TRANSLATOR, httyd.

the translator, twenty-four.

elina woke up on the way back. hiccup watched in unease as she blinked at him, clearly in bewilderment. 

"ellie?" hiccup asked elina, who sat up straight. "are you alright? what happened back there?"

elina bit her lip. "no. nothing. the name... dagur bludvist..." elina winced as pain shot through her skull again. "it just triggers something, i guess. all i could really remember was a woman with ginger hair — she looked just like me — and then... pain. gods, it hurt so much. it was like the pain was blocking me from remembering any further."

is that your mom? the thoughts echoed in both hiccup and elina's heads, but hiccup quickly furrowed his brows as he remembered that she did have parents — parents who drowned in the oceans — so if the woman was her mother, wouldn't elina remember that?

hiccup wrapped one arm around elina, his other hand keeping a tight hold on toothless. chameleon growled. elina finally sinked into his embrace. the two didn't say anything else on the way back, but it was as if someone was reminding hiccup of elina's screams.

hiccup remembered how elina dropped to the floor, crying and whimpering in pain. she looked so vulnerable, compared to the headstrong and brave girl he was used to knowing. 

when they'd landed, stoick didn't notice how sickly pale elina's face was. stoick kept talking over him, telling him about his 'chiefly duties'. "but seriously, i need to tell you about this new land we came across."

"another one?" gobber yelled in surprise, turning away from his dragon, grump. elina winced at the loud noise, and hiccup pulled elina closer to him. 

"any new dragons?" fishlegs asked excitedly, but hiccup shrugged.

"we didn't stick around to find out. these folks weren't particularly friendly." and elina went through some sort of seizure.

gobber rolled his eyes disbelievingly. "oh, really? your night fury and changewing didn't bring them cheering to the rooftop?"

elina finally spoke. "this was... different. they were dragon trappers. and i should know, because i recognized some of them." hiccup turned to look at her in surprise, but elina didn't look back. "they've been in the trading business for some time until they recently seemed to die down, as if they were working for someone else. a higher power."

hiccup added, "you should've seen their fort, dad. all blown apart with icicles sticking out of it. it was giant, and most of all, it was — it was weird."

"you two are gonna get yourselves in serious trouble one of these days. not everyone appreciates this way of life." hiccup sighed and sent a look to elina, who sat on the table, leaning her head against the wall. 

"gobber's right, son. best we keep to our own. besides, you'll have more important uses for your time." he turned on the mechanical saw. "once we make the big announcement!"

gods, dad, how can you think about being chief right now?

hiccup turned off the saw. "they are building a dragon army. or — or at least the guy they work for is. uh, "dargo bloody fist" or something." he heard a gentle snort coming from elina at the way he had put the guy's name.

gobber and stoick exchanged looks. "i'll bloody his fist with my face if he tries to take my dragon!" 

"highly unlikely." elina retorted to tuffnut. "you think you could destroy a guy with hundreds or even thousands of vikings, ready to destroy everything in his way?" hiccup looked at elina as she put it that way, starting to feel doubtful.

his father's face turned serious and alarmed. "did you say bludvist? drago bludvist?" hiccup instinctively turned to look at elina, who closed her eyes in pain again. hiccup walked towards his girlfriend, as if protecting her as stoick shouted, "ground all dragons!" 

"what? why?" hiccup asked, looking at his father.

"seal the gates! lower the storm doors!"

"whoa, whoa, whoa. what's happening?"

gobber didn't protest. "you heard the man. lock it down!"

"no dragon or viking can leave this island until i give the word." stoick shouted. elina had already disappeared in a flash, and hiccup turned to look at elina who was getting onto chameleon, although she still looked weary and sick. hiccup understood what elina meant.

"because some guy you knew is stirring up trouble in some faraway land?" hiccup scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

stoick glared at him, and bent down. it was moments like this when hiccup understood why stoick was chief. "because drago bludvist is a madman. without conscience or mercy. and if he's built a dragon army... gods help us all."

he turned away from hiccup, who protested, "it's our duty to keep the peace!"

"peace is over, hiccup. i must prepare you for war."

war? hiccup internally shrieked. what do you mean, war?

knowing he wasn't going to change his dad's mind, hiccup got onto toothless, who aimed a blast at the blacksmith's door. the two of them nodded at each other before both taking off into the before the latches could be shut. hiccup turned to look backwards at his father, who was fuming.

elina asked him, "did you figure out the guy's name?"

"eret. son of eret." elina furrowed her brows, about to say something, then closed it as eret's ship showed itself under the horizon. 

"heads! off the port quarter! net 'em, lads! take 'em down!"

"up on the left!" eret's other minion shouted.

eret narrowed his eyes at them. "you're not getting away this time."

hiccup landed and elina pulled out her sword, the warning in the air.

"nope. it's your lucky day. we give up." he made elina drop her sword, and elina looked at him like he needed to go to an asylum.

"what?" elina hissed at him. "do you want to get us killed?"

hiccup looked at elina expectantly, then elina rolled her eyes as she understood his plan.

eret's jaw dropped as he watched two teenagers basically just invite him to take their dragons.