Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"What was that?!" Snotlout shouted as the windows started to rattle.
The twins and Fishlegs clambered off the bed and looked outside to see intense flashes of green emanating from the courtyard. "This can't be good." Fishlegs said as he tried to walk to the door but he ended up limping instead.
When they moved through the corridors they noticed a multitude of knights race past them. As they finally reached the courtyard they could see the Queen being restrained by several of her knights as she tried to send blasts of magic towards a woman who was hunched over and bleeding.
"What did you do with Hiccup!!" The heard the Queen shout frantically as magic started building up again.
"Your Highness!! Please calm down!! We will find him." Eret said as he tried to calm down his childhood friend.
"She....she...." Astrid stammered as tears began to flow.
"You beating her up like this is not going to get us any answers." Eret reasoned. "If you kill her then we may never know what happened."
Astrid reluctantly let her magic die down as she glared at the hunched figure that two knights had restrained. It was then that Fishlegs got a good look at the intruder.
"Camicaze!!" He shouted in dismay, while grabbing the attention of the crowd.
"You know this woman?" Astrid hissed.
Fishlegs audibly gulped at the menacing aura that was directed at him.
"That woman" Ruffnut spat. "Was the one who betrayed Fishlegs to Sielihah."
Fishlegs hung his head in sadness and murmured "I loved her but she would not believe me. In the end she sold us out." He then looked directly at Camicazi like he could not believe it was actually her. "Why are you doing this Cami? Why?"
Camicazi still being held down by the knights let out a crazy laugh. "Why Fishlegs. Why!! That is what you ask me!! How can you have aligned yourself with the scourge of this world!!" Camicazi shouted to the heavens. "The Dark Queen must die!! That was her Grace's decree!!!"
"She has lost it." Tuffnut stated as he looked wide-eyed at the woman.
"If Tuffnut says that she is insane then it must be true." Snotlout commented. "It's usually the twins who set the insanity bar high."
"How did you even get in here? The shield would have stopped any harmful magic from entering." Astrid said as she picked up a double bladed axe.
"True true true." Camicazi sing-songed. "To bad it does not extend underground."
"The catacombs!" Astrid realized and then turned to Eret. "Have the knights search the catacombs. There must be a passageway that leads beyond the shield."
Eret nodded and immediately dispatched some men. Astrid had now turned back to the woman who was giving her a hateful look. "Answer me. Where did you send Hiccup?"
"Oh, too here and there and everywhere?!" Camicazi cackled. "Why would you even care? He was probably just a toy you kept around-"
Camicazi did not get to finish that sentence because Astrid had hurled the axe at her. It flew mere inches above her head and imbedded itself in one of the stone pillars.
"I will not ask again." Astrid hissed angrily as she walked forth and grabbed Camicazi by the neck. "Where. Is. Hiccup!" Astrid punctuated each word as her hand started to glow around Camicazi's neck.
"Her Grace thought that it would be fitting for you to visit the place where she had spend the ages." Camicazi heaved as Astrid's hand still tightly held her neck.
"The Timeless realm!!! You send Hiccup to the TIMELESS REALM!!!" Astrid screamed as she now shook Camicazi violently. Eret had to once again drag her back before she killed the woman.
"Wa....Wasn't meant for him. He got...... in the way." Camicazi gasped out. "It should have been you. IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN YOU, YOU FILTHY DEMON!!" Was now shouted at the top of her lungs before Camicazi collapsed to the ground. "It should have been you... forgive me your Grace I have failed. Forgive me. Forgive me." Was what Camicazi continued to mutter.
"What happened to her?" Fishlegs asked tentatively. "This is not the woman I had gotten to know."
"Sielihah has messed with her mind." Astrid stated solemnly as she stared at the hunched figure. "She is nothing more than a slave now."
"AAAAAAAAH" Was suddenly heard from Camicazi as all heads turned to her once more. She was clutching her heart as her eyes turned red. "Please forgive me!!"" She shouted. "I promise I will do better next time!!" But it did not stop and soon Camicazi crumbled to a heap on the ground. One of the knights checked for a heartbeat but there wasn't any.
"What.... What just happened?" Fishlegs asked as he covered his mouth with his hands in shock.
"There are no second chances with that woman." Astrid stated sadly as she ordered the men to give the mislead woman a proper burial.
"What will happen now?" The twins asked as they led Fishlegs back to the room. "You can get Hiccup back right?"
"I do not know. Hiccup is trapped in the same realm as that woman was for centuries. It took a ritual, on a particular date, in a particular area to free her." Astrid said forlornly. "We will need to scour the old text to see if there is any way to free him sooner."
Meanwhile Hiccup had landed with a thud on a hard surface. His entire body hurt and he struggled to open his eyes.
When he finally did he saw that he was no longer in the palace courtyard. The space that surrounded him was dark and covered in purple mist. Hiccup groaned and sat up while clutching his arm. It was then that he noticed that he did not land on simply the ground. Around him were small rocks stacked upon each other and looked like simple houses.
Hiccup sat up straighter and winced a bit. He now could see further into the mist and it indeed looked like a small town.
"Hello?" Hiccup hesitantly called out. "Is anybody there?"
"They are not going to come near you if you keep yelling like that!" A voice said and Hiccup whirled his head around to see a young man who looked slightly older than him sitting on a rock while sending a smirk his way.
