How to Be a Dragon Star 1

Chapter Eighteen - The Two Plans

Stoick wrapped his hands around his ship's stern, staring into the fog. They had entered Helheim's Gate, and so far, things were going well. They hadn't had a single dragon encounter... not counting the dragon who had been glaring wordlessly at Stoick ever since they'd laid eyes on each other.

Stoick turned and surveyed the Night Fury suspiciously. There was no way he could escape. Steel bars encircled his back, keeping him in an unmoving crouch. He was muzzled, so he couldn't sink their ships with his plasma, and the muzzle was chained to links built into the ship.

There was no way he could escape.

Stoick still felt uneasy, though, as the Night Fury clawed at his restraints. The legendary dragon species had been the most feared out of all of them ever since time began, and now one was here, within three paces of Stoick. There should be another dragon there— a white dragon. But it had escaped, and frankly, Stoick was relieved. They didn't need two dragons to lead them to the Nest, and a mysterious, never-before-seen dragon was enough to put anyone on edge. What if it could melt through restraints with its eyes? What if—

Focus, Stoick.

How did Hiccup survive his first encounter with the beast? Stoick wondered, but brushed the thought aside. He couldn't think about that now. He had a raid to perform.

A viking approached him. "Listen... Stoick..." Gobber fidgeted nervously. "I was overhearing some of the men just now, and, well, some of them are wondering what exactly it is we're up to here. Not me, of course—" he added hurriedly. "I know you're always the man with the plan, but some, not me, are wondering about that plan. They're wondering if there is, in fact, a plan at all." Gobber looked imploringly at Stoick. "And... what it might be."

"Find the Nest and take it," Stoick answered, never taking his eyes off the water.

"Ah." Gobber laughed nervously. "Of course. Send them running. The old Viking fallback, nice and simple—"

"Shh." Stoick was watching Toothless. His ear plates were fluttering and twitching. He cocked his head, as if he could sense something the vikings couldn't.

The black dragon suddenly lifted its head, its chains clacking. Its ear plates fluttered anxiously and it suddenly threw itself upward against the restraints.

But the restraints held.

"We're getting closer," Stoick muttered. Louder, he added, "Hold your positions. Stay within earshot."

"Roger."

"Here..."

"One length to your stern..."

"We're on your starboard flank..."

"Three widths to port."

"At your bow."

Stoick stopped listening to the vikings. They'd figure it out. He stepped back a few steps, past the Night Fury, and beside the driver of the ship. "Step aside," he ordered, and began to drive the ship himself.

"If you're planning on getting eaten, I'd definitely go with the Gronckle."

Hiccup turned around from his pondering of the different cages in the ring. Fishlegs, who had spoken, crossed his arms expectantly. With him were Snotlout, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Astrid. Estrella was nowhere to be seen.

"What?" Hiccup said, confused.

Tuffnut approached Hiccup, dramatically swinging his dreadlocks to the side. "You were wise to seek help from the world's greatest weapon." After a pause, he added, "That's me."

"I didn't... Did I—?" Hiccup tried.

Snotlout shoved Tuffnut to the side. "I love this plan!" he said sarcastically. "I just don't know how we're going to get out of it alive! You tell me that, and I'll be on board."

"Uh..."

Ruffnut stepped in front of Snotlout, her face inches from Hiccup's. "You're crazy," she said, before adding, leaning in even closer, "I like that..."

Astrid grabbed one of the horns poking out of Ruffnut's viking helmet and used it to tug her away. "So?" she asked. "What is the plan?"

Hiccup met the eyes of each of the teens. A small smile began spreading across his face.

The ships pressed onward through the foggy gloom. The only sound was clanking chains as the dragon tried to free himself.

The helm of a battered ship came into the vikings' sight. Its sail was torn, its foundation crumbling.

"One of the ships that never came back..." someone muttered.

"Ah." Gobber laughed nervously. "I... was wondering where that went." Stoick bristled and pressed on.

Toothless gave a pained howl from behind his muzzle. The outline of a giant rock formation came into view ahead of them. As they got closer, Stoick realized it was a volcano jutting out of an island into the gray sky. Crags, crevices, and ledges were everywhere on it, and a dragon tail whipped out of sight behind one of them.

Stoick smiled devilishly. "Stay low, and ready your weapons," he commanded in a low voice.

The ships docked on the island of volcanic rock.

"We're here," Stoick finished.

The Monstrous Nightmare exited its cage, slowly and calmly. Hiccup led it, walking slowly backwards with a welcoming palm outstretched like he had done twice before. "Everyone stay calm," he murmured slowly. "This dragon is not here to hurt anyone, and we are not here to harm him either."

The teens were softly gasping. Snotlout's gasps turned into nervous stutters as Hiccup brought the dragon to him. Snotlout anxiously bent down and picked up one of the throwing daggers that no one had cleaned up from the events of the final.

Astrid slapped his arm. "Uh-uh," she said. Snotlout reluctantly dropped it.

Hiccup grabbed Snotlout's arm and began directing it to the dragon's snout. "Uh— What are you doing?" Snotlout asked, yanking his arm away.

"Just... trust me," Hiccup said, and tried again.

This time, Snotlout let Hiccup place his hand on the dragon's snout. When the Nightmare didn't eat him, Snotlout gasped in surprise and awe. "Whoa," he breathed. "This is— Wait! Where are you going?" Hiccup was walking away.

"You're going to need something to help you hold on," Hiccup responded matter-of-factly, holding out a saddle.

Cackling sounds reached their ears, and the teens turned to see the blue-and-yellow Deadly Nadder standing calmly behind them, as well as the lumpy brown Gronckle that had almost killed Hiccup on the first day of dragon training, and the green-and-yellow Hideous Zippleback that Hiccup had overpowered using a dead electric eel.

A/N: I've written too much today... Three chapters. When I normally only do one every couple of days. I'm going to stop writing now. Sorry to those of you who hoped I would do four. Maybe tomorrow. XD

Please help me find a picture for this chapter. I would look at the movie and find one myself, but I don't want to and I'm looking for excuses for you guys to comment.

...

Well, if you don't want to, that's fine. :-)

See you in the next chapter! (Not today)

-Pepper9990