-
He prepared to snap back, but Hiccup glared at him. "Anything you can use up there, Ska'i?"
Pause. Then, "Nothing. And the captain's quarters are locked."
Ska'i's head reappeared before anyone could chide him. Hiccup deftly removed his foot, causing Astrid to rush over, so he wouldn't lose his balance. With deft talent, he tossed up the piece of metal without having to try again.
"Hey, good toss," Tuffnut complimented.
Ska'i began to carve away at the hole, as they deciphered the riddle, with Tuffnutt closely watching. When he determined it was big enough for him, he clambered up the rope with surprising agility, especially considering how worn out he was. After breaching the top, he dashed to her, "You sure you're okay?"
She gave him a little laugh and drew him into a tight, reassuring hug. "Yes, I'm sure."
"Ugh," Ruff groaned, half of her splayed out of the opening. "You know, if I didn't like Ska'i so much, I'd find this revolting."
Blushing, Ska'i dropped her arms and stepped back, but Tuffnut fired back, "Hey! We are cute together, and you know it!"
Astrid shouted, "Hey, Ruffnut! Would you move, please? We still have to work on making that hole a little bigger for the rest of the guys."
Hiccup called up, "Could you guys tie one end to something sturdy?"
Tuffnut knotted it around a baluster, while Ska'i continued carving.
When Astrid's feet hit the floor, she gestured at Snotlout that he was next. Then watched with great amusement as Snotlout struggled to get through the gap, but hastened over to help Hiccup into the hold. "Hey, where is everyone else?" He asked, as a greeting and thank you, then, "Wait, no. It'll be safer in numbers."
Astrid didn't bother trying to conceal her impatience, waiting for Fishlegs to join them. Finally, he clumsily stumbled in, until eventually finding his footing. He asked the same question Hiccup did, as Astrid bolted to the orlop, the next level, leaving the rest to trail behind.
They ascended finding the door to the captain's quarters open, and all around them were opulence amounts of gold coins spewed everywhere, from the windowsill to atop the furnishings. So many were on the floor, it was like a carpet. The other prominent thing in the room was a disarrayed skeleton with a golden necklace, still dressed in captain's clothes that had rotted and fallen away over time. He was sprawled about on the bed, with a sword through his chest. Sprinkled about, was the ultimate rainbow of jewels; rubies, emeralds, and sapphires. Mostly spilling out of barrels, but there was the occasional chest that was also lying around.
After a moment, words of astonishment resounded among almost everyone. But gold and things that shone didn't put Ska'i in awe. Other essentials - namely food - were far more important to her island's way of living. So she remained silent.
"Whoa!" Fishlegs startled everyone - including Snotlout - who was reaching toward a rhombus-shaped ruby. "Do you not remember what the riddle read? 'Touch nothing else or you're buried beneath the ice.' "
"Ah," and Snotlout withdrew his hand, a widened awareness had spread to his eyes.
Fishlegs studied the skeleton, gesturing to Ska'i. "Wasn't your stone in a necklace?"
"It wasn't quite my Water Stone," Ska'i denied quietly, coming over to stare at the clam, hanging around his neck. "But, yes."
"Clams are many colors," he went on. "But never gold. At least, not naturally." He visibly mustered up his courage to reach toward it. Then fought with the clasp until it popped open.
And there - it seemed to have an otherworldly glow, capturing the orange shade of the most perfect sunset and solidifying it in the tiniest rock prison. The spikes instantly made sense, when they saw how it was protected in what appeared to be pale pieces of coral.
"Yup," Fishlegs whispered. "White clam shell in the middle."
"So now," Ska'i started. "How do we get the stone out?"
"Who says just the stone?" Snotlout proposed. "Why not the whole necklace?"
"Let's not even try that," Astrid immediately shut down. "Why not try this?" She was holding a small piece of already-melting ice in her hand. Hiccup was trailing behind her, fiddling with his metal foot. She let a couple of drops fall where the stone was attached to the clam. It seemed to somehow loosen it enough to where Fishlegs could pluck it right off. Short gasps of disbelief escaped his mouth as if he couldn't trust before his very eyes what he was holding. "Oh my Odin, you guys. I am holding, in my very hands, the Water Stone!"
"Yes, great," Snotlout yipped. "Now, how are we going to get out of here?"
"Wait, are we calling them that?" Tuffnut bewildered.
"Well, what else are we going to call them, brother?" His sister kidded him.
"Right," Hiccup cut in. "Since this is a ship, let's hope the deck's the way out of here."
Complying, everyone tagged along behind the leader out onto the deck. Tuffnut started to go after but paused for Ska'i, mutely gesturing for a slightly panicking Fishlegs to tuck the stone in a pocket. No one dared to even attempt sneaking even one gold coin.
As they crested, they saw the ship appeared to be in a type of frozen sphere. While the one beneath them, held the ship in a firm and immovable place, against any type of weather.
After taking it all in, Snotlout was quick to get over the wonderment. "Alright, now what?"
"We're marooned," Astrid whispered.
Tuffnut could tell Hiccup didn't want to admit she was right, but the look on his face also read that she was right. Being so close to Ska'i, he grasped her hand. After the gorgeousness of the ship and its geographical location soon ebbed away, everyone shared looks of dismay. The affirmation of the possibility they might be stuck there forever began to sink in.
Fishlegs cracked, "No, no, no." He dropped to his knees with hands on his head.
What else could they do? Scream for help.
Snotlout was the next to freak out, half-whining, half-crying. "Hookfang, Hookfang!"
Ruff admitted, "I kind of want to climb up to the crow's nest and soak in all this chaos."
Chaos was close to reign, overwhelming them in the wildest of embraces. Then came a dull blast of purple fire, melting a hold in the top of the ice dome right away.
"Toothless!" Hiccup cried in joyous reunion.
Other greetings resounded, as the rest of the dragons showed up, and were happily embraced by their corresponding riders. What happened next, was a few minutes of placidness, as everyone dug in their saddlebags for provisions.
"Alright, gang," Hiccup commanded, a rejuvenated tone to his voice. "Let's go home."
-
