How To Be Brave

Changing

"Dad, is that you?" I asked carefully. He ignored me and raised his claw to attack. We yelled.

He held in his claws, his eyes returning to their normal colour. "Er, dad?" I asked unsure. He growled softly, not sounding dangerous at all. "You changed. Like you were a..." I couldn't say it. Dad urged me. "I mean, like you were a dragon on the inside." He looked ashamed for a moment, then his attention moved to something behind us.

"A wisp", Jack said surprised. But dad had other ideas. He started to chase the wisps, making it hard for us to follow. At some point he ran into a tree. I cursed underneath my breath and walked to dad.

"Dad. I know you're scared, you're tired, you don't understand, but we've got to keep our heads." He stood up. "Just calm down. Listen." Dad did as I said and pricked up his ears.

A trail of wisps appeared. "They'll show us the way", I told him.

We followed the trail into a part of the forest I hadn't ever been before. It was cold, trees were dead and fog was everywhere. Out of it appeared an arch made of stone. A circle with two axes was carved in it. "Hicc, look", Jack pointed. Once we were through the arch, I could see an abandoned castle, a ruin of crushed stones. "Why did the wisps lead us here?" He asked. I shrugged. How could I know? We walked to the highest point of the ruin, in what must have been a tower.

"Whoever they were, they're gone for a long, long time", I stated. And with those words, the ground disappeared from under my feet. I yelled as I fell and landed on a hard stone floor below.

"Hicc?" Jack called concerned. Dad growled.

"I'm fine, Jack, dad. Just fine", I assured them. I stood up and swept the dirt off my clothes. I looked around in the new space. "It's... a throneroom", I told them. "You s'pose this could be the kingdom you've been telling us about?" I asked dad. "The one with the princes." A huge stone plate laid on the ground, split into two parts. There were people imaged on it. "One, two, three", I counted. "Four." The fourth was the one apart. "The oldest." I looked at the stone again. "Split. Like the tapestry."

My sword cut through the tapestry.

An axe cut through the stone plate, its owner looking up. A man with a dragon's head.

I scared and took a step back. "The spell. It's happened before", I realized. I examined the stone walls. They had claw marks all over them. "'Strength of ten men. Fate be changed'", I repeated the words. "'Changed his fate.'" Dad growled.

"Hicc?" Jack asked carefully.

"Oh no. The prince became..." I turned around. A familiar dragon walked up to me. "Bloodvist."

"Hiccup! Get out of there!" Jack shouted.

"No need to tell me!" I shouted back. I hid behind one of the thrones and tried to grab my sword. With one swipe of his claws the dragon shattered the stone. I ran, but slipped on the floor. Another swipe. I quickly rolled out of his reach and tried to climb to the hole through which I had been fallen. Jack reached his hand, but I couldn't grab it. He was too far. Bloodvist still tried to get me. He was so close, I just had to take the risk. I jumped.

Jack grabbed my hand tight. Bloodvist missed. I climbed up through the hole. Dad was already fleeing. Jack pulled me after him as dad made a loose wall fall on the black dragon chasing us.

Jack helped me on dad's back, before climbing on himself. Dad flew away as quick as he could. He was flying not too high above the ground, in case we might fall. The unknown woods passed in a blur. Until one stone appeared right before us. Dad bumped right into it. when the fog cleared, I recognised the circle of stones again. "Dad, we need to get back to the castle." He growled.

"If we don't hurry, you'll become like Bloodvist", Jack told him. "A dragon! A real dragon! Forever!" I mentally thanked the gods my lover had understood it so quickly.

"'Mend the bond, torn by pride'", I repeated. "The witch gave us the answer. The tapestry."