Mysteries Beyond (Dragons RTTE Fanfic - Sequel to Deception)

Chapter 27

"What's wrong?" you repeated, after Viggo had just stared at you in horror the first time you'd asked.

"It's..." his voice trailed off. "Follow me." he said gravely.

Your heart started to beat faster, as Amethyst drifted after Sclera through the smoke, and down onto the uneven deck of a trapper's ship. You stepped off the saddle, looking around to see the tilted mast, with a shredded flag, and the doors of dragon proof cages hanging off their hinges. Then you saw it - a dragon lying motionless in the center of the deck, a huge dragon, it's limbs heavy and scales faded, as dust settled on them. The truth dawning on you, you ran to the dragon, looking into the glazed, dull gray eyes, that had once beamed with a silvery light.

"Vulcan?" you managed to utter. You fell to you knees, Viggo crouching beside you with a sullen expression on his face. Amethyst sniffed the body, the scent of death no doubt filling the air around her.

"No!" you smashed a fist into the splintering deck of the ship, making it bleed.

"How?" you looked to Viggo, your vision blurred by tears.

"The odds were against us...He came out of nowhere... I don't imagine Sclera and I would have lasted much longer unless..." he broke off.

"Vulcan..." you let your head drop to rest on the dragon's wing.

You felt a hand on your back.

"I know what it's like to have lost a brother..."

"I thought you said you didn't see eye to eye with your brother?" you said, as another silent tear rolled down your face.

"I..." Viggo bit his lip, "That didn't change the fact that he was my brother. I wish I could change that now..." you nodded, hugging him back tightly.

"We'll get through it." you whispered in his ear. "Together." You closed your eyes, clinging on to him, and him to you. You cast your mind back to the strangely beautiful islands of the Ancient Changewings, the unspoiled forests, filled with the calls of birds, the long stretches of beaches, the warm horizons and, at its heart, the mystical beauty of the Changewing nests. How you wished you could be there now! How you wished you'd never left!

"Y/n!" You felt Viggo shaking your shoulder gently. You shot back to reality, opening your eyes to see  Viggo pointing upwards. You looked at the sky, still dark and thick with smoke. You squinted your eyes, there was something out there - something bright! It couldn't be the sun at this time of day. It was silent, but you could sense something was approaching. You heard something land softly on the deck behind you. You swiveled round, seeing something incredible standing in front of you. A Light Fury! You hadn't studied them up close in the heat of the battle, and now as it took careful steps towards you, you took in every detail. It resembled Toothless, only it was slightly smaller, and its scales sparkled like they were coated with frost. The dragon's large wings were folded elegantly at each of its flanks, and its tail swished gracefully from side to side as it paced towards you, its eyes the color of aquamarines.

The Light Fury approached you slowly, but looked ready to flee at any moment. Neither you nor Viggo budged, not wanting to startle the dragon. Amethyst and Sclera remained rooted to their spots.

'This dragon has never left the hidden world before - never even seen humans...' you thought to yourself. But what did that matter? What did anything matter now that Vulcan was gone? You hadn't felt this way in a long time. Not since Ember...

A cool serenity washed over you, as the Light Fury brushed past, and lowered it's snout to Vulcan's motionless head. You saw the sparkling breath escape the Light Fury's nostrils, as it leaned over Vulcan's body for several moments, and then backed away. You looked back at your brother's face, your chest searing with pain. Then something extraordinary happened - the dullness of his eyes lessened - the gray, stony look in them brightened until they were shining with the most intense silver light you'd ever witnessed, making you squeeze your eyes shut. When the glare of light subsided, you opened your eyes, cautiously shielding your view, with your hand.

"Vulcan?!" your heart lurched, as you stood up to see your brother, now in human form, standing in front of you, his eyes burning more brightly than ever. You gaped, a smile sweeping across your face. Glancing over your shoulder, you noticed the Light Fury had disappeared, leaving merely a magenta haze in the sky, which stood out against the dark clouds.

You immediately hugged Vulcan, clinging on to him, your fingertips brushing the ends of his fiery hair.

"I thought I'd lost you." you muttered. 

You saw Viggo give a small nod of thanks and a smile as Vulcan's gaze came to rest on him.

"My brother fighting side by side with a Skrill." you smirked, "Never thought that would happen."

"I can't say I did either." he replied, "But things have changed." he gave Viggo a smile of acceptance.

"So, what now? Did we get them all?"

"For now." Vulcan replied. "However, the hidden world still needs to be protected."

"Well, the Light Furies-"

"Have been released to find the Night Fury which will bring dragon-kind together, and secure the ultimate protection of the hidden world." this response stunned you to silence. Was he referring to Toothless? "In the meantime," he continued, "dragon-shifters have the ability to protect the hidden world."

You looked over to Viggo.

"But only as dragons." Vulcan's words stung as he said them.

"No..." you muttered. "I-I'm not leaving him."

"Y/n," Viggo intervened softly, "all of the dragons are at stake..."

"No!" you repeated.

"I understand your sentiment towards Viggo, Y/n, but-"

"No! You don't - you don't understand what it's like to love someone who's been through thick and thin with you." you kept your eyes fixed on Viggo, and saw his face come as close to tears as you'd ever seen. "And I'm not leaving him now." you finished. This couldn't been happening: you thought you'd just lost one of them, and now you were being torn away from the other?

Amethyst and Sclera shuffled closer together, refusing to be separated again.

Suddenly, you heard a strange noise coming from Vulcan's direction. What that a...laugh? It was hard enough to get Vulcan to smile, a chuckle had seemed beyond the realms of possibility, and now he was laughing?

"What?" you couldn't help the word pouring out of your mouth.

"You didn't really think I'd tear something as beautiful as you two apart, did you?"

Was he teasing now? You didn't know he was capable of that either!

"I didn't think those sorts of things were of much consequence to you." you managed to splutter out. "Then who will protect the hidden world?" you continued worriedly.

"Me." Vulcan replied, "Meanwhile, you will have important duties of your own, Queen of the Ancient Changewings." your jaw dropped a little. Was he suggesting that you would rule over the island?

"But-"

"And do not fear. I'm sure a Skrill and his rider can be accepted onto the home of the Ancient Changewings, as well as you and Amethyst. It's your decision, I suppose, now that you're queen."

You looked to Viggo, who was smiling at you, Amethyst and Sclera still stood together by his side.

"Thank you." you said turning back to Vulcan, the first tears of joy you'd had in a while welling in your eyes, "Thank you so much."

"Anything for you, my sister."

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter - quite a lot happened! I haven't seen HTTYD 3: The Hidden World, yet so this is just my theory, and how I think Y/n and Viggo might fit into it! I reckon the next chapter will probably to be the final chapter in this book. Have a great day!