HTTYD Original Short Stories

Camden (Part I)

Camden

"Mom!" I shouted, desperately. "Dad!" I threw my arms out to reach them, but they were already gone. "No!" I screamed louder. Catapults were fired and our ship was going down in flames. My parents lay dead or unconscious on the other side of our sinking boat. I was stuck under the fallen mast and smoke was filling my lungs.

A burning ball of twine and dried grass soared overhead and smashed into the captains quarters, the captain being my dad. I squirmed and struggled, trying to free myself from my charred prison. Another flaming ball of twine hit the mast somewhat closer to me and flung the mast upward and through the middle of the deck. I scrambled out of the way of another ball, though this one was rock and not flaming, and jumped across the hole the mast had made.

"Mom, Dad!" I screamed. I ducked and jumped over debris and kneeled between my parents. I took both of their hands in mine and prayed to the gods they would live.

"Please.. If anyone, take me. Let them survive, Odin please." Tears were streaming down my ash-stained face. I leaned over and kissed my mom’s cheek, whispering, "I love you," as I did so. I turned to my shallowly breathing father who opened his eyes, weakly. I took his hand and held it closer to my face. He looked at me and held my face with his hand.

"You have much to learn, my son. I love you Camden. Your mom does too." He said bleakly. He glanced over at my mother, tears slowly coming to his eyes. I, myself, couldn't fight the flow of tears that drew clean lines through the ash, burned on to my skin. "If ever you get home-" he coughed, wincing in pain, "remember, 'The Nadder flies between the sun and the stars, though Odin cannot find him." Pieces of rock rained on to us and loud explosions from the flaming ammo hitting our mostly sunken boat. "You have much to learn. So... Much.." He trailed off. His eyes closed slowly and his hand fell from my cheek. He breathed his final breath.

"Dad? Dad!" I shouted. "Dad please! You can't leave.. Not both of you, please come back!" I cried. I sat holding their hands in my lap and awaited death. A few more fireballs shot by overhead, until finally they ended. The night grew quiet aside from the burning pieces of hull still floating atop the water’s surface. The piece of hull I sat on with my deceased parents was slowly splitting apart. I took my mom and pushed her to my dad, taking her necklace off as I did so. A family heirloom and keepsake, to remember them-bye.

I hopped on to the other piece of driftwood that separated from them, clutching my mother’s necklace I'm my hand and said a silent goodbye.

Where to now?

I lay down and cry. My face black from ash and my black hair now singed from the fire. I floated past pieces of flaming wood and watched others sink to the depths of the ocean.

I lay there, tears gently falling from my eyes, some rolling over the bridge of my nose and dripping on to the charred wood. Hours seemingly floated by, me completely unaware of my whereabouts. I'd fallen asleep after a while, hoping that maybe the gods would kill me too.

But instead I woke up to the sound of clinking chains, gruff voices and heavy breathing. I didn't bother to hide despite the fact that I had no idea where I was or who they were. I decided that if they're heartless murderers, or maybe even a Monstrous Nightmare bound in chains, that they have every right to kill me. I'm an orphan now, I have no one to go back to on the mainland. I'm better off dead.

"Ay, Alvin. We've got sometin' here. Looks like it washed up from the wreckage." One man said with a slurred, total Viking accent. They came closer and I kept my eyes closed. I wished not to see my finders.

"Is it dead?" A woman asked.

"If it is, we'll let the Dragons take care of it." The man with the slurred voice said. I heard sand shift and felt a large presence looking over me. I shuddered at the cold feeling it gave me. "Looks like it's still alive. He just shook!" I felt a soft breeze and then someone gently touching my arm.