I'm Leaving Forever (a HTTYD Runaway Fanfic ~ Book 1)

34 - Suspension: Part 1

Egil looked up when he heard the sound of the horn silence everyone in the arena. He was certain not everyone had completely calmed down just because the trial was over, but where there was once commotion erupting from the centre and occasionally from the sidelines, now there were just murmurs lingering between the audience. With his head elevated, Egil also quickly noted the dwindling levels of light. The sky was still obscured by clouds, but in the afternoon, when the trial had just started, they were either white or a light grey. Now, they were dark, and within a few moments, the torches that surrounded the edges of the arena near where the audience sat were lit, casting an amber glow down upon the arena and the Vikings in the centre. The bigger torches were situated more towards the edge of the structure, and they were appropriately left unlit; this was the end of the first trial and for the others to come in the future, the building wouldn't be in use this late, so it would be waste of effort.

It was no secret that the three Vikings beside him were itching to run into the arena to the others of their group. The way tension seemed to leave and return almost instantly, and how their eyes widened and darted between Alderick and those in the arena after he had announced the trial to be finished. It was far from discrete, but despite this evident urge, they didn't stray far, only leaning forward at the beginning before forcing themselves to stop and their eyes drifted to the ground, most likely because he was still there. Objectively, Egil didn't see a problem with allowing them to go ahead. What could they do anyway? But for his own reassurance, he didn't give them any indication that it was okay for them to surge forward. Instead, he would escort them back to their cells, and he guessed he would be allowing the trapper to go along with them. He deemed it a little unnecessary to escort her all the way up the side of the mountain just to lock her up for a few hours before releasing her for the next trial.

"You three," instantly, he claimed their attention, "leave your weapons here and follow me," Egil didn't miss the looks they gave each other and the glances they sent him, but he was unaffected. All they had to do was walk behind him wordlessly, which he deemed them decent enough to do at least. Egil turned and clapped loudly, catching the attention of a few villagers just above him, who were leaning slightly over the edge. He gestured for the lit torch that was just in their reach and the one towards the righthand side grabbed it and dropped it down towards him, a few embers floating in the wake of the drop. He caught it effectively and then gestured for the three behind him that they would start walking.

The orange glow of the flames provided a decent amount of light to guide the four as Egil navigated their way back to their cells. Walking through the structure of the building plunged them into a suffocating abyss, and when they approached the exit and crossed it, the darkness wasn't alleviated by much. They still heavily relied on the torch to find their way with no obstacles, and luckily, there wasn't a strong wind, so the flames hardly swayed or wavered and were burning brightly. At first, the clamour from the arena was still audible, but the further they went, the lower the volume got, and it was overtaken by the ocean going by its normal routine of approaching the shore and slamming into the sand with a loud crash. Eventually, they were far enough that the only way to identify that there was a building present was the dim glow emitting from the apparently still-lit torches.

Egil continued to guide the three, now taking them into the forest. He figured that everyone else would be on their way back homes by now, and a few other guards would take care of the other strangers, so he wasn't concerned about going back for anyone. The orange flames were still dancing around in a lively manner, which it why Egil held the torch closer to his body. No one needed a fire to start as night was approaching, or any time ever. He also directed it downwards, making everyone aware of some of the roots that poked through the ground, or a couple of stray branches laying around. Apart from the soft rustle of leaves in the gentle of breeze and the faint crashes of water on the shore, there was silence amongst the four Vikings and tension amongst three of them. No one had said a word for the entire walk and it remained that way, not that any of them were necessarily complaining. Although there were quite a few things to talk about, like what the next trial would be to the worries that plagued the two Berserkers especially, no one knew how to convey such thoughts at that very moment. Even harsh aches, painful senses of discomfort and throbbing sensations were all kept to themselves; no sounds made their way out of any of them. Not until Egil had taken them into the dungeons, locked the key of their cells and left.