Symphony of Shadows

62. Plan

A/N: Hi everyone! Next chapter will be up next Sunday at 8pm American Eastern Standard Time:)

The Outcasts below were merely collateral damage, and he didn't bother glancing at the carnage before racing over to where Astrid was—no doubt gawking in surprise. Even though he could only see the smallest sliver of her eyes behind the mask, he knew she was shocked. It sort of hurt that she didn't trust him, but he couldn't blame her. Hiccup didn't have the best track record.

Hiccup wanted to be clear; this wasn't a dramatic change of heart.

"I'm not doing this for them. I'm doing this for you."

He ignored the almost nonexistent voice inside him that urged him to protect the few people left that were actually good. Gobber, Astrid's parents, Ruffnut, Fishlegs, Gothi, and the children of the tribe. The innocent. They didn't deserve Viggo's icy wrath.

Astrid nodded and patted the carved message on her saddle. A small gesture that spoke multitudes.

He loved her, and he'd put his past behind him if it meant he could continue loving her. But Hiccup couldn't guarantee the ghosts would stay in the past. His demons tended to have a mind of their own.

"I tried blasting through the vessel. It's reinforced with some kind of metal that's resistant to dragon fire. Be careful; there are more men behind the door, including skilled archers."

Classic Astrid. Straight to the battle plan. A thin red line on her arm sleeve drew his attention, though. Had she been hurt by one of the arrows?

"Are you alright?"

She nodded.

"I'm fine. Just try to keep the Outcasts from reaching the Great Hall, okay? I'm going to try and figure out a way to make the Shellfire angry. Maybe it'll throw off the vessel from its back."

That sounded like a terrible idea. But it was better than just waiting around for their village to get carted off as fresh workers for dragon hunters. They'd be exploited for their labor, forced to either partake in the butchering of dragons or fatten them up for their labor's highest bidder. Hiccup had seen all sorts of dragon-related items at the markets, too, and he shivered at the thought of the camps that sourced the products. He'd figured they were full of lower-level hunters, but he'd been wrong.

Maybe Hiccup was just thinking of the worst-case scenario, but it seemed like a pretty educated guess. Why else would he take them alive? He highly doubted Viggo was going to put them in cages to take them to a tea party.

Hiccup opened his mouth to agree to her plan but hesitated slightly. It wasn't every day that his betrothed was off fighting a giant sea monster with a troop of dragon hunters onboard. Well, come to think of it, they had been in perilous situations many times before. Still, his mind raced at the odds that were definitely not in their favor.

"Be careful, okay?"

Astrid nodded and patted her saddle again before taking off in the direction of the Shellfire. She was braver than he could ever be.

All he had to do was follow the plan. Easy enough.

Hiccup turned his attention back to the seemingly never-ending stream of ships and scratched Toothless' side.

"You heard the lady. Blast them all to Hel."

Toothless snuffed, and Hiccup switched his tail into a dive. The signature Night Fury whistle echoed once again, and Hiccup loved the sound. More importantly, he loved the response to it and the look of pure terror on the faces of the men aboard the ships.

"Look out—!"

They barely got a moment of warning before the Outcast ship exploded. Another ship was close by and Hiccup switched his dragon's tail into a barrel roll as Toothless delivered three blasts into the ship's hull. More screams of terror as fire raced down the wooden planks.