Searching For You

Chapter 27: Between Loyalty and Duty

There weren't many times when Hiccup was genuinely stressed or worried about something. Sure it came up a few times but he almost always had some kind of plan to fall back on. In worse cases he had his friends to fall back on. But, now he had no plan and his friends had no control over the situation. There was nothing they could do and nothing they could say. And, to make matters worse any consequences of them being there would most likely fall on his shoulders. But, he was ready for whatever was to come.

Well, that's what he thought at first.

When the group finally arrived in front of a large stairway that led to the front of a castle-like structure, everyone was on edge.

But, despite their nerves, the gang, minus Hiccup, took a moment to marvel at the architectural design of the castle. Or at least what they could see of it. The front was the only visible part of the building. The rest was built within the island.

They made their way up the stairs and through the two large doors.

Some fully armored guards lined the hallways whose gaze followed them down until they were out of visual range. Now, the Berkians began to feel their nerves pick up at being watched in a highly outnumbered situation. They would have to make every move carefully. If something they said or did came off as a threat it surely wouldn't end well for any of them.

Astrid hung in the back of the group. She took the opportunity to both watch their backs as well as watch a certain one-legged boy up front. She noticed the nervousness in his step, stumbling every few steps. Wherever they were headed he obviously wasn't excited about it. He never once looked back at them. He only followed behind the other Hybrid who had come to 'collect' them.

It seemed like they had been walking for hours although it had only been a few short minutes. They had passed several large rooms on their way but none were their destination.

Finally, they reached the end of the hall.

Another set of large doors, similar to their own Great Hall back home, were the only things acting as barriers for what awaited them on the other side.

Two guards came over and opened them upon sight of the older man. He thanked them with a nod and ushered them all inside.

The inside was also quite similar to the Great Hall, only much fancier. Two long tables lined the sides of the room. On the opposite wall were three thrones each with a person in them. Every other chair in the room was vacant. It was just them.

The man on the center throne stood up.

"Thank you, Alexander. You may go now." He spoke in a confident, yet kind, voice.

Alexander offered a bow before turning to the doors and exiting the room.

Astrid noticed how Hiccup flinched slightly at the closing of the door. He was trying to prepare for whatever was headed their way. The man came down the short distance of stairs to come closer to them. Now that he was closer the gang could get a better look at him.

He had the wings and tail of a Monstrous Nightmare with two twisting horns coming out of the top of his head. Both his wings and tail were dark blue with hints of a more vibrant blue scattered throughout. His skin was dark which blended well with his hazel eyes. He walked with confidence and wore no negative emotion on his face.

"I see you have returned from your adventures with some... companions." He chuckled to himself.

Hiccup rubbed the back of his neck while looking at the ground. "Listen, I know that I shouldn't have," he started ranting," but, what other choice did I have? I can't just tell them no. You know how bad I am at that. And, besides nothing bad has happened so maybe..." But he didn't get the chance to finish.