-JenniferTjandrajana

By nightfall, the village of Edon died down to a silent ghost town.

Nobody, except for a couple of sentries, was out wandering the streets. Most of them were feasting in the Meade Hall or huddled against the fire in the comfort of their own homes.

Dragons were kept in pens close to their riders homes. They were exhausted after the day's turn of events and they needed to rest up for another tomorrow.

Owls hooted in the darkness. Yet, it was such a peaceful sound that nobody seems to be bothered by it.

A shrouded figure strolled through the dark alleys, guided only by the glistening moon.

Their heavy footsteps trudged passed sleeping homes. Their silent, intimidating presence was indeed one that would frighten any gullible child in an instant.

When the figure reached the outskirts of the village, they sprinted across a rickety old bridge, connecting the village to the forest.

Every now and then, the dark figure would glance over their shoulder, hoping nobody was pursuing after them.

Once the figure reached the forest, they darted through the forest, slicing overhanging branches with a well-crafted sword.

The figure leapt over logs, shoved shrubs aside and cautiously watched their backs for anyone that tried to follow him.

Luckily, nobody was out in the dead of night to stalk some cloaked figure.

The ground crunched beneath their feet as the figure sprinted further to the depths of the forest.

When the path became clearer, the figure peered towards the end of the forest; a secluded beach with skeletal remains of slaughtered wild beasts.

It certainly was a grim sight, and the only place in Edon nobody dared to go; for phantom sightings was a regular occurrence.

The figure halted at the edge of a hill that overlooked the beach.

Pulling down his hood, the figure, Megadon smiled grimly.

Through the distant fog, he could make out a ship headed for the beach.

Ah, just in time, he thought happily.

Megaton leapt down the hill, landing on a patch of sand. He paced closer to the beach's shoreline, anticipating the strangers' arrival.

He watched a wooden boat rowed from the ship towards the shore.

Three figures- one Megadon recognised while the other two he didn't, emerge from the fog. Shouts rang through the familiar figure, commanding the two others to quicken their pace.

"I thought you'd never come," Megadon strolled over to them as the man who had barked orders leapt out of the boat. His enormous weight rocked the boat.

His two henchmen exclaimed warily as they cautiously hauled themselves off the boat.

"Idiots," the enormous man rolled his eyes. He then pulled down his hood, revealing the scarred face of Horas the Merciless.

He turned to Megadon with a grim smile.

"Rumour has it a Night Fury is in your midst," he chuckled softly, "and a one legged boy rides it,"

Megadon gave an affirmed nod, "Yes. Nobody knows where they come from. Yet, I believe they have the mark of the Black Curse,"

Horas stifled a laugh then it escalated maniacally. His men imitated his laugh.

"Oh, Megadon, you give me the funny!" he exclaimed, finally composed, "There is no such thing as a Black Curse. That's just an old wives tale,"

Megadon gave a snarl, "Laugh all you want. I swear to Odin bad things- terrible things will happen," he leaned forward then lowered his voice, "Is it no coincidence that Edon has been getting an awful lot of storms lately? If I recall, this is what those damned beasts did to me,"

He pulled down the collar of his shirt, revealing three hideous red scars.

Horas examined the scars closely, and then stood back, hardly convinced.

"I don't believe the black curse. However, deep cuts like that must have belonged to lethal dragons. Perhaps a Night Fury," Horas chuckled to himself.

Megadon's thin lips morphed to an irate scowl.

"Believe what you want. I need you to hunt that dragon. A dragon like that deserves a painful death;" he paused, and then drew a sharp breath, "That damn beast took Bretta away from me. I will avenge her no matter what. That dragon cannot live among others,"

Hurt stabbed his heart at the memory of his late wife. He had lost her twenty years ago in a horrific dragon attack from a Night Fury.

Losing her had left Megadon with a thirst for dragon blood; a thirst for vengeance.

"You long for your beloved," Horas nodded gravely, "Don't worry, she will be avenged. We will make sure that beast dies in vain and I may turn its skin into a fetching new coat," he smirked at the image of a slaughtered Night Fury, "Perhaps, it would be worth something,"

Megadon frowned, raising a thick brow.

"What about the boy? His Night Fury trails him around constantly,"

Horas recalled the first time he encountered the young one-legged man. An idea suddenly sparked in his mind.

"He will be of good use to us," Horas grinned widely, "For now. Perhaps we will have to dispose of him later,"

"Come, we must discuss some business matters," Horas led Megadon towards his boat, "We are now allies after all,"

Megadon glanced back at the village, suspicious of someone lurking about. Perhaps it was all in his head.

He turned to Horas with an approve nod.

"Of course. Since we are allies, there is something I desperately desire,"

Horas quirked a brow, crossing his arms. Thin patience moulded his scarred face.

"And what is that?"

Megadon glanced over his shoulder one last time. He hoped it was just his imagination that somebody was silently watching them in the dark.

With a shrug, Horas turned to Megadon. A sly grin crept along his scarred lips.

"To eliminate my dear old cousin, Arvin," he scowled then spat hastily, "He's ruled Edon long enough. It's about time for a new chief. Somebody better, stronger, braver, and who knows about battle strategies. Edon needs a new chief who can eliminate that wretched boy and his damn Night Fury,"

Horas frowned, narrowing his eyes, "Hmm, and what's in it for me?"

Megadon leaned forward, grinning, "Kill both that boy and that Night Fury, and you can be my second-in-command," he chuckled darkly, petting his terrible terror perched on his shoulder, "Together, we can make this world a better place. With your battle techniques and my leadership skills, we'll make quite a team. We'll create a world where dragons are mindless slaves under our control. We'll create a world where we'll have power,"

Megadon raised his hand in the air, tightening it to a fist.

"Everyone will fear us. We will ride our dragons, controlling them to rip out flesh. Just like how they are meant to be," he spat to the ground hastily.

Ever since Horas became Chief, Megadon has always despised him. He was cast aside, treated like a worthless pile of yak dung.

Nobody listened to him; nobody gave a damn about his opinions, ideas.

Many despised him and have turned against him. Instead, all they cared about was Horas and what an incredible he was.

Megadon, on the other hand, he had no relevance.

Now this was his time to rise and he couldn't wait to taste sweet, sweet revenge.

Horas nodded, satisfied by such a deal.

"You and I think alike, Megadon. We mustn't eliminate that bloody boy just yet. Perhaps he can be used as a means to 'tame' these beasts. Perhaps he can be our...slave,"

Megadon grinned darkly, "Indeed. In order to capture that boy, we must capture his night fury first. I swear that boy never goes anywhere without that beast. Well, we'll see how incapable he is without his dragon," he let out a chuckle, "It will be difficult. We need to be smart, sneaky,"

Horas smacked Megadon's mad, chuckling.

"I'm sure it won't be too difficult. You forget I am the best dragon trapper in the whole archipelago," he declared boastfully, "I have a feeling we'll be great allies,"

~

Ingrid stood in front of Hiccup's lodge, hoping the freckled face boy would be home.

The last time she saw him was two nights ago at the bon fire discussing dragon hunters.

She realised Hiccup hadn't shown up to any of his shifts, and Bjorn was growing worried and agitated by his apprentice's absence.

Gunner hadn't seen Hiccup either as he had been too focused on his chief training. His father had forced him so he hardly spared any time with the others.

Runa hadn't seen him either, but the teen's absence was beginning to worry her.

Of course, Hiccup did enjoy some solitude with his dragon every now and then.

However, he had been gone for almost two days, and that meant something was wrong.

So Runa had forced Ingrid to come all the way here to check on him.

Partly because everyone was worried about him, but also Runa thought Ingrid needed some alone time with him.

Ingrid has always liked Hiccup, but confessing her feelings to him was not something she felt brave to do.

Taking a deep breath, Ingrid raised her fist to the door and gingerly knocked.

"Hiccup? Are you in there?" she called, hoping for an answer, "It's me. Look, we're all worried about you. Dad is kinda mad that you haven't been showing up to your shifts. The rest of us are worried too. We haven't seen you for days. Is something wrong? You know, you can always tell me. Are you ill or...?"

Ingrid paused, pressing an ear against the timber door.

There was no response but the breath of silence.

"Could you please come out? I...we need you. We want to know you're okay,"

Again, her only response was dreaded silence.

Dejection fell over her. Then a sudden thought crept in her mind, but she brushed it aside.

Ingrid leaned against the door, waiting for the third time for a response. She lowered her eyes and drew a crestfallen breath.

At the back of her mind, Ingrid feared Hiccup was upset.

Yet, she had no idea what he would be upset about.

There was a possible explanation for his absence. Perhaps he had run away.

Still, Ingrid couldn't comprehend why Hiccup would even think about running away.

He had a great life in Edon; he had friends, who cared about him; a great job at Bjorn's forge, and he did belong here.

"Ingrid," a familiar voice called out to her, "What are you doing here?"

Ingrid gasped when she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. Her heart raced faster than ever. Her knees grew weak from the warm touch.

Ingrid whirled around to find a pair of familiar green eyes fixed on her.

She backed away slightly, taking a closer look at the person.

That's when she finally recognised he was-

"Hiccup!" Ingrid rushed forward, tackling the brunette in a hug.

Taken by surprise, Hiccup stared at her. He hesitantly wrapped his arms around her, returning the hug.

A blush crept along Ingrid's face as she savoured their embrace.

For a moment, she became oblivious to the world around her.

All that mattered was her friend; her best friend was home safe and sound.

Pulling out of their embrace, Ingrid lightly shoved Hiccup aside.

She crossed her arms, frowning at the dumb-struck teen.

"Okay, you have some explaining to do, mister! Where in Thor's name have you been? We were worried sick. We thought something bad happened to you,"

Hiccup raised his hands, calming her down.

"Hey, there's nothing to worry about. I'm fine and I should have told you this sooner, but," he motioned his hand to his mother, "Let's just say I got held up. To answer your question, I have been catching up with mom these past two days,"

Ingrid glanced over at Valka, dumbfounded.

"Valka? What, she's your mother? You guys are related?"

Valka dismounted Cloudjumper. She walked over to the young teens, chuckling.

"I see Hiccup is not the only one surprised,"

Ingrid stared at Valka then to Hiccup. She was about to speak, but Hiccup shortly interrupted.

"I know. This is crazy, right?" Hiccup stroked Toothless' head, "I couldn't believe it either. Anyway, mom took me to her dragon sanctuary and I've learnt so much about dragons than I thought I'd ever known. It never occurred to me that my mother is a crazy vigilante lady, who also happens to be close allies with your people,"

Hiccup glanced over at his mother with a smile.

Valka gave a casual shrug, "Ah, well, I am full of surprises. So, Ingrid, it's nice to see you again. What, it's been six months since I last saw you,"

Hiccup exchange looks at his mother then to Ingrid, stunned.

"Wait, you guys know each other?"

Valka gave a soft chuckle, "Ingrid's family has been very welcoming. I am quite good friends with Bjorn,"

"Bjorn?" Hiccup beamed brightly, "I work for Bjorn. I'm his apprentice,"

Ingrid smiled, and then she leaned to Valka and whispered,

"Believe me, he is the best apprentice my father has ever had. My father is grateful for it,"

A blush crept along Hiccup's face at that praise.

"Best? Nah, I wouldn't say that " he sheepishly rubbed the nape of his neck, "But I do love to him out. Though, he probably wouldn't forgive me for being gone for..."

His words trailed off, realising the blacksmith was probably worried and perhaps irate by his two-day absence.

Well, he was prepared to face the consequences.

"It's my fault actually," Valka spoke, lowering her head, "I probably shouldn't have brought him with me,"

Hiccup shook his head; he felt sympathetic for his mother to blame herself.

After all, being gone these last two days has been an eye opener. He reunited with his long lost mother, learnt she had been rescuing dragons in a hidden sanctuary and through their mother and son bonding, Hiccup had learnt so much about dragons than he ever known.

He would never regret such an amazing experience.

"No, mom. It's not your fault. I'm glad to have met you," Hiccup smiled warmly, "All my life, I thought you were gone, but now I am so glad to finally know you're still alive,"

Ingrid glanced at the mother and son pair, touched. Then something else latched in her heart; sadness.

Seeing the two reunite made her longed to share such bond with her mother.

If only it were possible.

"So, how long will you be staying?"

Valka shot her son a glance with uncertainty.

Although she loved Edon and the people especially, Valka knew this wasn't where she belonged.

"It depends," she replied, "I love it here, but the dragons in the sanctuary need me. Besides, it wouldn't hurt to visit Edon every so often,"

She felt a sudden nudge from behind. She spun around to find Cloudjumper nuzzling her.

Chuckling, Valka stroked the stormcutter's snout.

"I plan to catch up with your father, Ingrid," Valka mounted onto Cloudjumper, "Perhaps the four of us could arrange lunch at the hall. What do you say?"

Ingrid beamed brightly, "That sounds like a good idea. Besides, I would love to hear more about your adventures,"

Hiccup nodded in agreement. He knew how his mother loved to travel, and he had inherited his love of adventure from her.

The two teens watched Valka take off with Cloudjumper towards the village.

"So...your dad probably wants me dead, right?" Hiccup spoke, facing the brunette teen.

Ingrid walked away with a shrug.

"Close. He wants to slice your other leg so you'd stay put in the forge,"

Hiccup shot her a deadpanned look.

"Ouch. Wow, he must probably be really mad. Well, I have to live with the consequences. He's probably expecting a lot of explaining to do, right?" he drew a breath, "It's not every day that I get to meet my long lost mother,"

The auburn-haired Viking hunched his shoulders as he sat on a slice of log.

"For the last seventeen years, I thought she was killed in a dragon raid when I was a baby. At least that's what people said,"

Ingrid sat beside him, nodding.

"You must be glad to finally meet her," she stared up at the late morning sky with a sigh, "I never knew my mother. She died from birth complications. So it has always been dad and I. Oh, and Arrow too,"

Hiccup looked at her with compassion in his emerald-green eyes.

"I'm sorry. You know, it has always been that way for me. Before I met mom," Hiccup fumbled with a loose threat on his shirt, "To be honest, I never thought I'd meet her. Now that I finally have, I'm so glad I did. I guess..."

He glanced non-specifically at himself.

"I guess I know where I get my dramatic flair from,"

Ingrid chuckled softly. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

For a moment, her eyes fell on Hiccup's freckled hand. She had the urge to hold it; to let him know he was never alone.

A blush crept along her face, realising there was little space between them.

"So, where are from?" Ingrid eyed Hiccup closely, "You never really told me ever since you got here. We've been friends for two years," she rested a hand on his lap, "You can trust me. Did something happen to your home? You mentioned something about a dragon raid. Why did you and your mother leave?"

Hiccup froze in his place. So many questions from Ingrid raced around in his head. He knew there would be no escape from them.

The brunette felt trapped in a hollow box, left to give in to the secrets tucked away in his mind.

People would eventually find out about the truth. Though, when they do, Hiccup was afraid they would treat him different.

Trust was a precious thing. Now, he wasn't so sure if Bjorn or Ingrid would trust him once the truth is out.

"It's...complicated," Hiccup stared at the ground, digging his nails through the log.

"I...I'd rather not talk about it,"

Ingrid frowned at the brunette. She knew the subject about where he came from was rather sensitive.

It was a subject that remained...untouched, and Hiccup would bury it beneath mountains of excuses.

Ever since Ingrid met him, she had always been curious about him.

Now, it was time for the truth to come out.

"Hiccup..." Ingrid began, her blue fixed on the young Viking, "Whatever you're hiding, I'm sure it's not that bad, believe me. I know you don't want to talk about it, but you need to trust me,"

Ingrid laid a comforting hand over him, blushing.

Hiccup shut his eyes, exhaling deeply. There was no turning back now.

Ingrid needed to know; she had the right to. He was tired of hiding it; he was tired of the past haunting him wherever he goes.

"Okay, fine," Hiccup stood up, anxiously rubbing his hands together. "You mustn't tell the others. Not yet, anyway,"

Ingrid flexed a puzzled brow, "Okay..."

Hiccup glanced over at Toothless, who was in the middle of a game of tag with Arrow.

A sharp breath escaped from his lips. He then fixed a solemn gaze to Ingrid.

"I'm...I'm actually from the Isle of Berk. It's...it's a place where you're killed or be killed," Hiccup licked his chapped lips, "We kill dragons, but I never belonged there. All because I could never be one of them. All because I couldn't and wouldn't kill a dragon,"

Ingrid gasped, her eyes widened in shock.

"Your...your people kill dragons?" she exclaimed, fear rippling through her voice.