"I Do.... NOT!!"

Chapter 6: Trouble at the Nest

 
                      .... Hiccup's POV....

  I laughed to myself in my flight back to the den. I never thought my favorite girl would call me toothless... But that would have to do for now until she got more comfortable with me. I pumped my wings and flew up into the stars, ending in a steep spiral dive of joy. I let out a roar of joy and shot a small plasma blast into my flight path, I was filled with joy from the time I got to spend with Astrid. Human interaction was so special to me now... I couldn't remember the last time I had felt the  touch of a kind human hand. I knew it would be tough to focus tomorrow... Already I was dying to see Astrid again tomorrow evening.

....

     The queen wants to see you. A voice growled behind me. I jumped and turned to face the monstrous nightmares behind me. I'd heard them rustling near us, not realizing their inentions. This was the queen's guard. They waited at the entrance of the queen's volcanoe, doing her bidding. The guard switched off at night, so that the queen always had 24 hour servitude. I gulped and flew after them. We soon reached the darkened cave entrance, where I felt the queen's presence rolling over me in waves of fear. This was how she kept her place as queen. Any dragon who stood in her presence seemed physically unable to resist her commands, and as far as I could tell it was a kind of fear response the queen elicited in the dragons in her vicinity.

       Their nervous systems and muscles seemed to shut down and function only minimally as she commanded. Some dragons were more affected than others, and I had discovered over the years that while I grew weaker and shook in her presence, I could still maintain control of myself and fly away if I needed to. No one knew how big she actually was, just that great sorrow resulted from not bringing in enough kill or not doing her bidding.

        I trembled at the entrance, waiting for her to speak. The night fury fears me. Good. Your pod is of particular interest to me... The biggest kills come consistently from you. I trust you will accomplish my design. The filthy humans have sat on that island long enough. I will have it for my new nest. Bring every last human there to me as kill. We will take what is ours The queen rumbled. I gasped and shook, not knowing what to say.
     Th-the humans are well prepared to destroy any dragon who attacks- subduing them will take time. We will lose many podmates I said, my voice shaking.   That is no concern of mine. I expect to feast on the humans there in 6 moons time. Do not disappoint me The queen hissed. I stumbled back, shaking my head. I will not put the dragons here in that kind of danger. Eat me and leave the humans be. Another nest must be found I growled. The guards shot me withering glares. I knew I had just put many dragons in danger by refusing the queen's order, but it was the only choice I was willing to make. I leapt into the air and flew high.

       The failing of my muscles and the shaking in my body made me crooked and slow in my flight path as I defied her command to enter her den. I let out my ring blasts to alert my pod to flee- it was the distress signal we came up with long ago. I soon saw them rising fast into the sky, dragonets in tow, so I circled back around as they escaped. The rumbling roar of the angered queen sent chills through my bones.

     I saw other dragons quickly rising and flying as far from the nest as they could, then looked down to see the entire nest shaking as if the queen was about to bust out of her volcanoe. I saw dragons falling from the sky, pulled down by the queen's commands. I knew some of them would die, but others would live to attack Berk and decimate it. Either the Vikings would prevail and my den would be wiped out, or the dragons would destroy every living soul on Berk. I blinked back tears fast, my heart thundering from the exertion it took to defy the queen. Both my worlds were about to be destroyed, and I felt totally helpless to stop it.