The Night Rider: Book Two

Chapter 40: Stoick

ASTRIDS POV.

Astrid had never been this tired. Never. It was the afternoon, and she hadn't slept for hours. She'd been up the whole night on watch, and been up for most of the previous day and night as well. Stormfly, who laid beside her in the mead hall, was doing no better sleep-wise. She wanted to go to sleep desperately, but couldn't bring herself to because of her sorry for Hiccup. He should be back by now. Something had to have gone wrong!

She buried her head into her palms and sighed. At least Heather was with him. If anything was to go wrong, she knew that at least Heather would fight beside him. The thought made her feel a little better. But not close to completely better. The mead hall was mostly empty so it was quite. Maybe she could rest her eyes for just a few moments.

Astrid closed her eyes and placed her head on the table top. She could feel the hands of sleep pulling at her, and she wanted it to take her. It would've, if people outside the mead hall weren't frantically talking about a fleet of approaching ships! She tried to ignore their banter and pushed their voices from her mind. But it only got more difficult when a Berkian came rushing into the mead hall and shouted at the top of their lungs, "A fleet's approaching!"

A fleet, weird. She'd been on watch for so many hours watching for a fleet. Wait—a fleet! Her eyes erupted open and she sat up so fast she fell out of her stool and onto the ground. Stormfly was standing beside up beside her, squawking, trying to alert her that something was wrong. Astrid stood up from the ground and rushed out of the mead hall, Stormfly right on her heels. When they were out in the open Astrid mounted up and took to the sky on Stormfly.

She spotted the approaching fleet instantly. And it stole her breath from her lungs. The approaching fleet was even larger than the one she'd seen at Hiccups island. Not only was it made up of at least 65 Hunter Ships, each one equipped with ballistas, catapults, and a crew of Hunter with weapons and ready to kill. But there were also twenty smaller Berserker ships with armored Berserkers ready for ground war. It was a sight to see. Almost beautiful, from a tactical standpoint. It was a fleet made to not just conquer an island, but destroy it. A sense of dread overtook her. No only for Berks wavering fate, but if this fleet was hear. Then it certainly meant that Hiccup had failed his negotiations.

Fishlegs on Meatlug speedily flew up beside her. The color was gone from his face and his voice quivered when he spoke. "Astrid, what do we do?"

"Follow the plan. Evacuate the children and the elderly into the forest. And protect them."

"I will Astrid! Good luck!" He said. She gave him a nod of encouragement, and he sped off to fulfill his task.

She spotted Gobber on the deck of Gothi's hut and flew over to it, landing on the deck beside him. He was watching the ships approach on the horizon. "I guess it went wrong." Gobber said.

"Guess it did." She agreed. Gothi walked out of her hut with a box of medical supplies cradled in her arms. "Gothi. You have to leave! Fishlegs is evacuating people out of Berk for safety! You need to go with him." She urged the old healer.

Gothi looked to her and shook her head, refusing her plead for her to leave.

"Goathy, please!" Astrid begged her.

"No!" Gothi shouted, shocking both her and Gobber. Her voice was decrepit but strong. "People will need help. And I will help them. That is my job. I will not leave!"

Astrid was too shocked to respond. Gothi proceeded down the stairs of her hut with her box of medical supplies. When the old healer was out of ear shot, Gobber turned to her and whispered softly. "Of course that old-bag can talk. Makes everyone on Berk learn a written language, but no. Of course she can still talk."

Snotlout on Hookfang landed beside her. His face was strong and calm under the pressure of the situation. Much like how his fathers would have been. "I guess this is my moment. The one Hiccup mentioned."

"This will be all of our moment." She said.

There was nothing anyone could do except wait why the fleet continued to grow closer and closer to Berks coast. So they all just waited. The catapults were loaded and prepared. Blades sharpened, quivers stocked. The Berkians that had chosen to stand and fight lined up on the cliffs, watching and waiting. Soon, the fleet stopped its approach a hundred feet from shore. A particularly large Hunter ship pulled a few feet closer to the island. The ships deck was covered in Hunters, itching for a fight.

A hatch on the deck opened and out walked Ryker, leading a burly man with his hands bound behind his back and a sack over his head. Everyone on Berk watched as Ryker led the man to the front of the ship and forcibly knelt him down. Ryker grabbed the bag and ripped it off the mans head, revealing his identity to the crowd of Berk. It was Stoick.

"This. Is your chief!" Ryker shouted to the watching Berkians, who were murmuring between one another.

"Oh no, Stoick." Gobber said.

Stoicks appearance was alarming. His face was bloody and partially swollen. The hair on his head and of his beard was tousled. It was obvious he'd experienced lots of torture from his captors. Although, she couldn't see any of his other captors. Like Dagur.

"We are not here for your surrender! Only for your destruction!" Ryker shouted to the crowd, laughing to himself. He pulled one of his two swords off his back and bled it up to the side of Stoicks neck, issuing a gasp from the Berkians.

"Stormfly, spine shot." Astrid commanded. Stormfly raised her tail and protruded her spines, but didn't fire. Stormfly must not be able to get a good enough shot on Ryker without risking Stoicks life.

"Any last words, chief?" Ryker asked Stoick.

Stoick cleared his throat and spoke loudly. "Berkians! I have been your chief for a long time! And I have watched this tribe experience hardship after hardship! Whether that be dragons or power hungry Vikings! And always has it prevailed! You will prevail here! No matter what is to come, Berk will make it through."

Ryker laughed behind Stoick. "Is that all you have to say?" He asked the chief.

Stoick looked back confidently to Ryker and gave him a vindictive look. "You won't live to see the end of this."

"Ironic." Ryker raised his sword high into the air and swung downwards. Beheading Stoick in a single sword stroke that shocked the onlooking crowd. Stoicks body collapsed to the ships deck and his head rolled across the ground. "You won't either."

"Stoick!" Exclaimed Gobber.

Ryker pushed Stoicks headless corpse over the side of the boat and into the sea, causing  an eruption of water like a geyser. "Kill all of them!" Ryker commanded, pointing towards Berk with his bloody sword. The smaller Berserker ships began to move forward towards the docks and larger Hunter Ships with catapults fired boulders high up into the air that then dropped and plunged into the city. Boulders soared over Astrids head and plunged down into the city, crushing buildings and causing Berkians and dragons to have to jump out of the way to avoid getting flattened.

Berserker ships docked at Berks port and soldiers unloaded. Berkians with bows and arrows from an elevated position fired down onto them causing the attacking force to jump into cover.

The twins flew up beside her and Snotlout. They both had tears streaming down their faces. Snotlout was fuming and it was obvious like her, he was ready to fight. "We're the only three dragon riders." She said.

"Us against that fleet. I love those odds." Said Snotlout confidently. Hookfang roared in agreement and set his body to flame.

"Me too." Agreed Ruff.

"And I." Said Tuff through weeps. Barf and Belch roared and one of the two heads shot sparks.

Astrid looked down the Stormfly and gave her dragon a pat.

"Do it, for Stoick." Gobber said beside them giving them all a nod for good luck.

"For my dad." Said Snotlout.

"For Loki." Added the twins.

"For Hiccup." She said. And they all launched down towards the fleet into a brutal battle.