The Girl with the Changewing Cloak (RTTE Fanfic)

Twenty one

Hiccup's POV

The plan failed. We had failed.

The wingbeats of the dragons echoed in the chamber, emphasising the silence. I glanced at the others, but they didn't meet my eyes.

How did I not see this coming? Of course Ryker would leave! Of course he had another base, or some sort of back-up plan! How could I loose Swiftstrike, Freya, Ryker and the Dragon Eye?

Toothless cooed slightly, noticing my frustration.

Calmly, Stoick approached from my side. "Son, it's over. We need to go back and regroup, come up with another plan."

I didn't move, didn't acknowledge his words.

He sighed. "This isn't over yet. I will write to the other chiefs and alert them of this threat. But we need to go back to Berk."

I looked up, making eye contact. Stoick's gaze was weary, tired, but strong and fighting. If he could manage, so could I. Nodding, I gave the order. The Wing Maidens left without a word.

I grimaced, looking around. Several unconscious guards were scattered around on the ground.

Perhaps they could work to our advantage.

Catching on to my thinking, Astrid directed Stormfly to pick up two Hunters.

Hopefully, it wasn't too late.

*

Hundreds of thousands of Vikings and dragons marching in silence. Fire raining down from the sky.

Screaming. Running. Falling.

"No!" I shouted, jumping upright. Tootheless leapt up, nuzzling me. I breathed heavily.

"No..." I whispered, slowly orientating myself. Closing my eyes, I ran my hands through my hair.

I had barely slept. As I headed out, I noticed the shift in atmosphere. A fog of fear rested over Berk. News of the mission's failure spread quickly, causing every citizen to loose trust in everyone. Previously faithful merchants were suddenly enemies. Any goods coming in were checked in excruciating detail for danger. Fishermen dared not to venture past the bays. With the hypnosis, a conflict at sea would be disastrous.

It had only been a few days since we failed. There had been no trace of the Dragon Hunters, yet more and more ships were going missing.

There had also been no sign of Gustav. Rumours traveling around the island suggest that he fled with Fanghook, but that didn't make sense, with Fanghook's worsening condition. Maybe he had taken a trip to try to calm this instinct? I wanted to look for them, but we didn't had the time or the people to search. The the riders were sent on scouting missions, focusing on finding what Ryker was planning.

I paused by a tree in the market centre. Someone had tied a sign with a list of suspicious people: vikings that were no longer trusted to not be under the control of Ryker.

Most names I had never heard of, such as Boggarth Nikjorg and Ingrid and Sigfrid Hrafknell. Several merchants and fishermen were also on the list. Freya's name was also present, unsurprisingly. I should've expected it, but somehow Gustav's name being on the list shook me.

Continuing to walk, I passed several stalls and headed towards the coast. The afternoon sun warmed my back, heavenly smells from the market teasing my nostrils. But I couldn't relax.

Toothless and several other dragons had noticed the change of atmosphere too. Instead of careless, free rides over the nearby sea, we would only venture over secure villages and safe woodland. Crooning, he licked my arm.