Symphony of Shadows

34. Decision

A/N: Thank you for all the new readers! Here's a new chapter, things are starting to heat up...:)

He hadn't meant to kill him. That's what Hiccup kept trying to tell himself as he threw his helmet onto the ground. Toothless and a nearby Gronckle looked alarmed at the sudden movement,, but he couldn't calm down. He kept on getting flashbacks to the moment, the scream, the flash of purple, and the blast.

Oh, gods.

They had just taken off from the cave where Toothless was resting, and no matter how much he tried to tell himself everything would be alright, the gravity of his future was officially suffocating him. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't go back to Berk, not again. He couldn't leave Toothless behind; they'd kill him and skin him for new boots. They would take all of the dragons and sell them off to the highest bidder. All of his work, everything he'd sacrificed, was gone in an instant.

He'd die before letting that happen.

Hiccup tried to find a reason that his father wouldn't believe the news that he had faked his death and was indeed alive. Any semblance of hope soon escaped him as he realized that simply because the truth was delusional meant Dagur wouldn't rest until the entire archipelago knew he was alive. He'd been able to lay low for so long since it was rare for someone from Berk or the neighboring tribes to sail so far when the Western Market was about an hour's trip away. Plus, the traders who frequented the isles brought everything the tribes needed, so a trip to the Eastern Market was mostly unheard of.

Well, until recently.

His thoughts were racing as they flew away from the cursed island when abruptly, it was like the gods had listened to his pleas for the first time. There, just near the docks, were two Berserker ships. Dagur and his men hadn't gotten far, one of the benefits of flying on a dragon.

Hiccup could feel the adrenaline rush through him; the decision to act was immediate. He had been given a second chance, and he sure as hels wasn't going to waste it. He wasn't thinking straight. No, he wasn't thinking at all. He was acting on instinct.

Protect himself, protect the dragons, protect Toothless.

The dragon rider was already in his flight suit and helmet for the flight home; it was the perfect setup, thank Thor. Even the weather was on his side; a cloudy cover concealed him and the Night Fury from sight, perfect for an ambush.

He quickly signaled to Toothless to dive while he retrieved his sword from his saddle pack and holstered it on the side of his leg. It would come in handy for what would happen next. Luckily, he still had canisters of unused Zippleback gas on his tool belt, so he broke two in half and tossed one onto each ship.

The green smoke tainted the air as confused men shouted from below, which meant it was go time. He locked his dragon tail into glide and leaped off the saddle, using his wingsuit to slow down his fall as he landed on the deck of the bigger ship. Toothless landed somewhere off to the side, but Hiccup was far too busy attacking the bewildered Berserkers. I

It was all too easy.

He had all the advantage, as he was more than used to the gas by now. He guessed he was immune due to the repeated exposure, but he doubted the men on board were as familiar. They wouldn't die from the exposure, not unless he lit his sword ablaze; then they'd be blown to pieces. He could save that for the main event.

Punch. Shove. Kick. Punch. Dodge. Shove. It was an easy rhythm to fall into even though it was relatively rare for him to face hand-to-hand combat. He already had the reflexes from approaching wild dragons and the strength from flying, so it was easy to put two and two together. He felt a rush similar to how it felt when he flew as fast as he could with Toothless, and the thrill was intoxicating. The grunts of the injured Berserkers when he knocked them out were the only sounds in the air as he moved through the deck of the ship. Dagur wouldn't know he was there until it was too late.

Dodge. Elbow. Kick. Shove. Hiccup pushed an unconscious Berserker into the icy waters and continued on to below the deck. The smoke hadn't quite lifted yet, but he could see the unconscious bodies on the ground. As he climbed the ladder down to the captain's quarters, where Dagur probably was, he saw that the hallway was littered with dragon heads mounted on the walls. Nadders, Gronckles, Monstrous Nightmares, even some dragons he didn't recognize himself, which meant they had been hunted to extinction.

All because of human greed, to place their heads on a wall like trophies.

His stomach churned at the thought, and he felt something inside him snap, the last thread holding him back. Fuck it. He whistled for Toothless, a high-pitched sound only dragons could hear so that he wouldn't blow his cover. The Night Fury peeked his head at the top of the ladder, and Hiccup signaled him to be as quiet as possible but to stay there. He would need the backup if things got ugly.

Neither Dagur nor the stupid spy would get away—he'd make sure of it.

Hiccup stalked forward, heading deeper into the cabin of the ship to where he could hear voices.

"I saw something, Dagur. In the woods where we fought the girl, I nearly tripped over me self."

Dagur groaned.

"Why don't you just tell me, Yorgen? Or is it a surprise? Oh, you know how much I love surprises!"

His signature boisterous laugh filled the air.

Hiccup had not missed him. At all.

He couldn't let the spy tell Dagur the truth. Dagur would inevitably put the pieces together and hunt him down. He kicked the door open to reveal a surprised Dagur and the spy as he threw open a canister of Zippleback gas.

"What the—?"

Hiccup didn't hear the end of Dagur's sentence as he turned around and sprinted to Toothless, who was still waiting at the top of the ladder.

"Come on, Bud."

Footsteps were not far behind him as he heard the annoying calls coming from his least favorite Berserker.

"Oh, Svikari! Why are you running away? Are you scared of Dagur? I promise I'll make your death as slow and painful as possible!"

Gods, he truly was deranged.

"Let's get out of here, Toothless."

The Night Fury took a running jump off the deck of the ship, but before they could take flight, they were yanked back towards the ship. Hiccup whipped his head around to see what the issue was when he saw the spy, Yorgen, holding a chain that was wrapped around Toothless's tail. The end of the chain hooked into his scales, and his best friend howled in pain as the Berserker pulled them back. Fuck this.

"Plasma blast! Now!"

Toothless hesitated but followed his signal as he snarled and turned his head to face the damned Viking. He looked scary like this, unleashed and crackling with power. A true Night Fury. The unholy offspring of lightning and death itself. His dragon then delivered the final blow, and the Berserker screamed as he was essentially vaporized. The Night Fury would be the last thing the bastard would see.

They leapt into the air just as a large explosion rocked the entire boat when the Zippleback gas reacted with the plasma blast. Hiccup wondered if he should feel any kind of remorse or regret, but as they flew back to their island, the only thing he felt was satisfaction. Good riddance.

Now he was feeling everything. He still didn't feel bad about the explosion but felt tainted at the thought that he had never intentionally killed someone before. He'd told Toothless to stun people or knock them unconscious but never a kill shot. Until now.

Hiccup knew his choice would stay with him. He would never be the same.