The Dragon Master Part III: End of an era (A Httyd Fanfiction)

Chapter 8: Meeting Grimmel

(Normal pov— twenty four hours after the Cabal was formed)

A sudden and loud creak from downstairs stirred Hiccup from his sleep. Astrid was securely latched onto his torso, and it was only with great reluctance, and the sound of someone downstairs, that got him out of bed at the early hours of the morning. He let his wife lay still, watching as she instead of him, grabbed his pillow, hugged it tight and mumbled something incoherent.

Hiccup was too distracted to smile about his dearly beloved's antics and silently put on his black leather pants and crimson tunic on before he made his way downstairs to find what was causing the noise.

Upon reaching the halfway point on the staircase, Hiccup could see a weirdly shaped figure standing in the corner, it's slight movement in the dark indicating it was actually breathing, suddenly, a voice came out of the shadows.

"So, you're Chieftain Hiccup Haddock III."

Hiccup jumped down the last five steps and grabbed Inferno from the table he had left it on the previous night.

Upon ignition, the weird shape was revealed to be a tall and lithe man who appeared to be in his mid sixties, with a long, pointed jaw, short and spiky gray hair and small menacing eyes. The man wore dark brown leather armor, brown pants, greyish-brown boots, and a hooded jacket. Having this intruder in his home angered Hiccup, but what maddened the young chief even more was that this intruder was sitting... in his fathers chair.

Behind the intruder was a large volcanic looking dragon whose eyes were piercing yellow, though it seemed that this dragon is blind in its left eye, due to there being no yellow and no iris as well as a ghastly scar running down its blind eye. Regardless, the ferocious dragon was staring daringly right at the young chief and snarled menacingly, it had fangs two feet too long for its narrow jaw. Hiccup held Inferno up high, his bent brow creasing his features.

"Who are you? Where did you come from? Why are you in my home?" Hiccup demanded, however the mysterious man, whoever he was, rolled his eyes and chuckled silently, he got up from the chair and leant up against his dragon, crossing his arms.

"I am Grimmel the Grisly. Why and where I come from is none of your concern. But know this. You have something I want, and nothing's stopping me from getting it."

The following silence was heavy with thick tension, Hiccup barely moving an inch. Grimmel took a step towards him, he found an empty cup and a jug of wine on the table, he poured some in the cup, and took a sip of the rich liquid, after licking the wine off his lips and sighing in contentment, he was gesturing to his home and Berk in general.

"It's truly a fine place you have created here. A magnificent utopia for man and dragon alike, where no one's missing anything. But you know... there's one thing I'm missing." He turned his back on the young chief, who was looking down on his menacing dragon.

"And what would that be? You obviously have your own dragon, so I'm guessing you're not here to adopt." Hiccup spat out, causing another cackle to leave the old man's lips.

"Why, you see, I'm at a loss. I've had one mission my entire life and you're the only one who can aid me in its completion." Grimmel said as he took another drink of wine, Hiccup took a step back, lowering the Inferno ever so slightly.

"Me? What do you mean? We've never met before!"

"Indeed we haven't. And how you and your Night Furies have successfully eluded me for all these years astounds me. Imagine then my eagerness to once again pursue, when Drago Bludvist reveals to me that he had gotten a hold of Night Furies in the flesh. Under his very control no less." Grimmel said with astonishment as he finished his cup of wine, Hiccup can now see a menacing smirk plastered on Grimmel's lips, though it was far from a funny situation. The trophy hunter turned around, looking straight at the young chiefs eyes.

"So, I'll cut to the chase. You see, I've hunted and killed every Night Fury." He placed a light hand on the Deathgripper's head. "Except yours."

The tension somehow managed to thicken, Hiccup gripping Inferno tighter and narrowing his eyes, Grimmel's menacing smile was replaced with the old man curling his lips and said in a cool voice.

"Hand your alpha and the rest of its kind over to me. Now." Grimmel demanded. Silence. Defiance. Call it what you will. But Hiccup's lips curled at Grimmel's words.

"I will never give them up." Hiccup snarled out, a short maniacal laughter escaped Grimmel's lips, before Hiccup could blink, Grimmel reached behind his back, producing a crossbow and loading it in a matter of seconds.

"Then, I will destroy everything you love."

Hiccup bared his teeth at Grimmel and snarled out. "The cock on you! You think you can come into my home, sit in my fathers chair, as well as threaten me and my dragon?!" His grip on Inferno tightened until his knuckles almost split. "This is Berk! We have defended our way of life from scum far worse than you." Hiccup growled out, but Grimmel merely smirked at the young chiefs words and chuckled.

"A fighting spirit eh? I admire that Chieftain Hiccup, but you are mistaken. It is not just me who wishes to destroy you. I am accompanied and allied with those you and your people are either enemies with or have humiliated with defeated over the years, and we have all gathered together to wage war against Greater Berk and its Dragon Master. We will fight you, kill you all, and every dragon on Earth will either be slaughtered or sold. As for your Night Furies? I will kill every last one of them and see that my life's mission is completed."

But Grimmel didn't even get to aiming his crossbow, before it got flailed across the room, and a double bladed battle axe was resting against the trophy hunters collarbone.

"You sure you wanna go through with that old man? Because I will personally kick you out of Midgard and send you into Helheim if you try anything." Astrid seethed out as she pressed the blade of axe harder on the intruders body.

No one moved. No one said anything for a tense ten seconds. The Deathgripper was ready to pounce, but Grimmel held his dragon off. With only one look at Hiccup, Grimmel broke the silence, again with the sinister smirk.

"I can see I'm outnumbered and have been outsmarted. This time. It is not time for battle now, anyway. But we will meet again, mark my words Dragon Master."

Grimmel turned to his dragon, placed two fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly, his Deathgripper turned to the young chief and chieftess and spat rope after rope of burning acid toward them, the duo dodged the fatal attack, though once the acid made contact with the table behind them? It engulfed in flames, Astrid quickly put the fire out before it could spread. Suddenly, the couple ducked out of the way, as the rooftop burst opened and they watched as Grimmel was being led to a... airborne airship, that was being carried by four other Deathgrippers.

Once on board his airship, the trophy hunter cast Hiccup and Astrid a menacing grin before booming out. "You best surrender your Night Furies over to me Hiccup Haddock!!! My allies are thirsty for war and even I cannot hold them back for long!! You have one week to deliver the Night Furies to me. If you fail to deliver? Then Greater Berk and its inhabitants will suffer!!" And just like that, Grimmel was gone, the outside darkness obscuring him, his airship and his Deathgrippers against the stars outside.

It took a couple of seconds for both chief and chieftess to let down their weapons and breathe somewhat normally. Hiccup took the few steps between him and Astrid and retracted Inferno. Astrid turned around, her heavy axe falling limply by her side as she approached her husband.

"What was that all about Hiccup? Who was that man?" She breathed out shakily, Hiccup took a deep breath, not realizing that his hands were shaking slightly. She caught them firmly, and embraced her husband, hoping her steady heartbeat would calm him, like it had in the years past.

"Trouble, Milady. Trouble that could lead to something much graver..."