Omphalos (Hiccelsa)

Chapter 34

"No freaking way..." Ophelia grabbed her hair, pulling out hard. The entire world around her was filled with ice and snow. The white on the edge of her vision hadn't been her sight coming back; it was the overwhelming singular color that edged upon her lines of vision. She snapped her hands up from the cold snow, which burned in a weird sort of way, as she twisted her leg to see a large puddle of red soaking into the snow beneath her.

Gently, she nudged it, and winced as her finger slid into a large scar running up the inside of her leg. Wincing in pain, she pressed freezing handfuls of snow to her leg, biting her lip to keep from crying out. It really hurt.

When she felt tears on the edge of her eye, for a moment, she thought it was from the sting of the ice and the soreness of the wound. But when tears dribbled down her cheeks, she realized it was something else. Something deeper that rose to the forefront of her memory like a person gasping for breath under the ice.

"He betrayed us."

Everything felt numb, right then. She didn't even feel the cool breeze that picked up on the tundra; she was stunned into silence and immobility.

Ophelia really wanted to believe that she'd just not wanted to see it, that if she'd been more perceptive, more wary of anyone, that she would have figured it out in time. But if she was being one hundred percent truthful...he got them. He got them good. Ophelia had never seen it coming, and that's what really hurt.

Ull had been too good of an actor, and now everything he did, she wondered if it was all some elaborate lie? Since his fake side was now merged with what she thought was his real side, nothing was sacred. Everything was a falsehood. Loving her, loving Elsa and Hiccup, loving her younger siblings...had that all been forced? His entire life, had he been swallowing bile with every smile at them, every hug?

She pressed her cold palm over her eyes, before dragging it down to catch the tears. She was a mess.

And Calder? Gosh, poor Calder! He'd really lost a brother. He'd been betrayed not once in his life, but twice. He was never going to trust anyone ever again, never going to look at him or her without wondering if they were going to double-cross him. What an awful way to live.

"Oh, Calder..." Ophelia groaned, shaking her head. She shouldn't be complaining. Calder had it much worse.

There was a low moan from her left, and she snapped her head around. She'd been so preoccupied in her own pain, she hadn't even thought if maybe others were here! There was a crunched up figure, lying on their side in the snow. A jolt of fear jumped through her veins, even though she'd heard him moan not a moment ago. Ignoring her leg, she dragged herself to his side.

"Calder, Cal...wake up." She said, rolling him onto his side. It didn't look like he was bleeding anywhere, but the whole left side of his face looked bruised. Likely from landing on it uncomfortably, and she quickly felt along his side to make sure there was no broken ribs.

He blinked awake, staring at the sky, before slowly sitting.

"Where are we?"

"I don't know." Ophelia bit her lip, "I...I don't know how we go there either."

All she recalled was a bright light and bam-cast into the snow. As far as she knew, any land this snowy and desolate wasn't for miles and days away. It was impossible that they'd be flung so far, so fast. It was just...odd.

"Where's Ull?" Calder's face turned into a stony façade quickly, and Ophelia felt like his happy face had just died. She honestly wasn't sure if she'd ever see him without a scowl again.

"Not here." Ophelia glanced around, "Well, I don't actually know." She admonished.

"That son-of-a..." Calder broke off angrily, kicking a rock sticking out of the snow, "I'm going to rip his throat out. I'm going to kill him. I swear, Ophelia."

His anger scared her. It was reminiscent of Ull's change in persona so quickly, his quiet violence like a creeping vine. He must have noticed her expression, because Calder stopped. She shifted and her leg throbbed.

Calder's gaze glanced down, and he frowned, "You're bleeding." He said, no emotion in his voice. It hurt her, that the only emotion he seemed to have left was anger. Everything else had just drained away with Ull's choices.

"I'll be okay." Ophelia shrugged. He bit the inside of his lip in frustration.

"Don't be a fucking martyr, Ophelia." He snapped, tearing off the bottom of his tunic, "Wrap it."

Ophelia held it in her hands, unmoving, staring at the ripped fabric. "Its' cold. You need it, don't you?" She asked. Calder shrugged, rolling his shoulders.

"Well, I'm not going to die here, and I'm not going to live here, so obviously we're find our way home, so no- I don't intend to spend long." He said, already standing. Ophelia was stunned at his coldness toward her, and the chill in the air rushed back at her all at once. She, though, quickly wrapped her wound so at least there was constant pressure, but it looked really deep. Ophelia was rarely concerned, but this time? She was freaking terrified.

He was struggling to stand, and when Ophelia reached out to help him steady himself, he looked at her with a look of pain and betrayal. She knew, logically, he wasn't upset at her...but, the look still stung enough for her to jerk her hand away. He must have realized his expression because once he was steady; he gave a long and apologetic sigh. Ophelia tried to stand too, but her leg paused her, although she didn't want to seem weak.

"Here." Calder shook off a large branch from underneath the snow, "It will at least help you walk." He said.

"I don't need it." Ophelia grunted as she forced herself forward like an unsteady doe, before standing. It was only a moment of triumph before she stepped, and her leg crumbled.

"Sure." Calder threw the stick where she lay, shivering in the snow, "Just take it, Ophie. I'm not leaving you to die out here."

"Who says I would die?" Ophelia grumbled, "You've given me a perfectly good stabbing stick and I am well aware of how to make fires and protect myself, you know."

"Oh yes," Calder's voice was flat, "You'd be okay with the abundant wildlife-," Calder broke off, and his eyes grew wide. The ground was shaking.

Ophelia threw a glance behind her to see the ice shifting and vibrating as a deep crack inched it's way toward them, but it was gaining speed.

"Run!" She cried, using the stick to vault herself feet ahead, and even though her leg cried in agony, she pressed on.

"Dammit, Ophelia!" Calder grunted, before grabbing her arm and swinging her up onto his back like he used to do when they were little and he pretended he was her dragon, "Just hold on, okay?"

Ophelia nodded as he started running. She glanced back.

"It's coming closer, Calder!" She said.

"Helpful, Ophelia." He grit out, but pressed harder. By this point, the shaking had caught up to him, and Ophelia could feel the uneasiness of his steps as he was under footed by the quake. There was a moment, just a moment in between, where he realized he'd reached steady ground and he threw them both behind a rock jutting out. Ophelia rolled onto the snow, breathing heavily in fear, as there was the most awful cracking sound that echoed like the cannon her father had shown her as a wee child.

Above her, the sky went black as a dragon, bigger than anything she'd ever seen, came out from underneath the ice and rained cold ocean water on her face as it took off. She looked at Calder, and he looked scared. She mirrored his expression. She wanted to say something, but the words caught just behind her lips, and she could only try to process what thing of great size that could be. She'd heard stories of the nasty dragon her father had battled in his youth, but she couldn't imagine now the size of that thing.

And this? This was bigger.

Calder turned toward her, about to speak, when another voice interrupted them.

"What the heck? Tell me you two saw that as well. Tell me I'm not crazy!"

The voice was unfamiliar.

Ophelia rolled onto her stomach, and saw a terrified boy about her age clutching his chest as he looked at the sky, "It's not coming back, do you think? Man, I gotta be out of here if it is..." He asked, and Ophelia squinted harder. He was vaguely familiar. Where did she know him?

"Einar?" Calder spat out, half in disbelief, half in disgust. Why disgust? Oh, right, he was the fake son of Unn. She realized this just as Calder was pouncing, and Ophelia was quick enough to spring herself on his back, stopping him monetarily. Although he was much larger than she, she still did a good enough job of deterring his rampage for Einar to sputtered something out.

"Dude, no trouble. I'm not looking for a fight. My da-Unn-he wanted me killed too, yah? I'm nothing to him no more, and I couldn't care less! He was nasty. I just want to know where I am." He finished quietly, and Ophelia nodded in understanding. Calder, though, was not quite so convinced.

"Don't take it personally if I don't believe you." He scoffed, shoving Ophelia off his shoulders lightly, as he pushed himself to stand. Einar did too, and they stood nearly nose-to-nose. If someone hadn't told Ophelia that those two weren't related, she would have guessed brothers. Einar had the family structure of the bone, the sharply sloping jaw and nose. But then again, Ophelia wouldn't be surprised if they were somehow related. By the way Unn was conducting things back then, interbreeding didn't seem to be that big of an issue to him.

But while Calder had honey-blond hair, and Ull had light chestnut brown hair, Einar was darkly colored, from his skin, to his hair and eyes. He almost looked foreign, so it was odd to see the pair standing off against each other, like night and day.

"You do look like Unn." Einar unwisely remarked, rubbing his chin, "Surprised he didn't figure it out sooner. Then again, dear old father isn't too good at observation." Calder's fist came out of nowhere, hitting him right under the eye on the cheekbone. Einar cried out, crumpling to the floor.

"Calder!" Ophelia hissed in frustration from her place on the ground, grabbing her stick and pushing herself to stand. He turned, holding up his hands.

"I just needed to do it that one time." He said, although Ophelia couldn't be sure he was truthful. He might have been saying it merely to pacify her.

"Man, you know how to hit." Einar gasped from the ground as he pressed fluffy snow to his shiner, "So now that this is done, are we not going to talk about that huge freaking dragon? Like, where the hell are we?"

"Look, do we look like we know something you don't? Did you not see us standing on the ice that thing lived under?" Calder waved his hand.

"True, true." Einar nodded, "I didn't think those things still existed. Ran out by Alpha Toothfull or whatever."

"Toothless." Ophelia corrected with a sigh.

"Whatever."

"We might as well keep moving. Like you said, we don't want to be here when that thing returns." Calder pointed to the sky. A slow grin crossed Einar's face.

"So...I get to go with you?"

"Yes, but don't make me regret it. As much as I hate you, and I do, I'm not leaving you to die in a place we don't even know. And I get it, you were pulled along as a puppet as much as the next person. It can be hard to disobey what you think is family. But, I still don't trust you." Calder added coolly.

"Understood." He said, scrambling up.

They began to walk, although there wasn't much of a destination since everywhere was white. It was a unnerving to Ophelia. Einar and Calder began bouncing ideas of where they were and how they got there off each other, each becoming more frustrated with the other's growingly ridiculous answers. She was pretty sure at this point; they were just trying to mess with each other.

Her leg hardly bothered her. It was far too cold to feel much of anything anyway, and she was grateful for the relief. She was quiet, deadly quiet. Her mind had come up with an answer a long time ago, but she was terrified to share it. It was...too personal.

After awhile, they paused when Einar found some kind of nut and brittle plant that was supposed to be edible. Or at least, the roots, which he spent a long time hacking from the ice to get to. Although it tasted like mud, he'd spent so much time to get it, so she smiled weakly as she ate it. Calder did too, although he didn't seem to mind it as much.

As the boys discussed- well argued, more like- where to go next, Ophelia had an urge she hadn't' felt in ages. She reached into the safest part of her clothing, waterproof and buckled, and unhooked it to feel her fingers brush a pair of aged paper.

Leg dangling freely from a cliff-face down onto more snow; she set her root aside to unfold the drawings of her parents.

It was an odd feeling, looking at this. She could remember vividly having Hiccup draw them for her, for she feared this day would come- the day she wouldn't recall their faces. She remembered how painstakingly accurate she'd insisted on being, and as she ran her finger along her father's chin, it almost felt familiar.

Their current situation mad her remember a lot of things she hadn't thought about in years. She hadn't touched these in ages either, after awhile the magic had worn off, and she was looking at strangers. She lifted her father's picture and a black teardrop object fell into her lap.

The dragon scale-one of Toothless'- that had started it all. She pressed a hand to her face, trying not crying again, and putting the dragonscale back into her pocket. She felt a presence next to her, and expected it to be Calder and for him to be silent, but instead it was the other boy.

"Woah, that chick looks just like you." He said, leaning over to get a better glance.

"It should." Ophelia croaked, "It's my mother."

"Elsa...?" Einar frowned, scratching his head. Even he had an idea what Elsa, the Ice-Queen, looked like.

"No, my real one. She uhm," Ophelia coughed, unable to say something that was a lie anymore, not here.

"Oh, yeah. She died. I remember now. The fleeing and the saving." Einar snapped.

"Actually," Ophelia gave a long sigh, "She's alive." Einar gave her a confused look, but she called Calder over to sit. She turned around, and scooted over so they formed a disassembled triangle, "I think I know how we got here. I'm not...I'm not from this time, or the time you two were born in. My mother's alive...she just...hasn't been born yet."

Both boys stared at her with equal expressions of doubt and concern, mostly because she was sure she sounded crazy. So she launched into it, the whole business of the Omphalos, her real life and world, and how they'd been looking. How others were from them too, how Gothi knew about them, and how the crazy lady after her mother had somehow come through one too- at least, that was the theory.

"Lykke! That's her name, I've met her. Yeah, something seemed way off to me. Time-traveler. Never would have guessed." Einar whistled, shaking his head. He seemed to be taking the news much better than Calder. It didn't even seem to remotely bother him in this moment that they may be years and years away from their world plopped wherever as long as he could ask about the future.

"So in your world, what's it like?" He pressed.

"I can't really remember. I mean, I came here when I was three." She shrugged, "But uhm, I do miss some things. Like, baths and running water, you know? Houses that isn't always cold. Really nice beds."

She shrugged.

Calder was looking at her as distrustfully as he regarded Einar. "All this time, and you never told us? That you'd be just up and leaving one day, if your parents- if Elsa and Hiccup- had their way? That you're not even a real half- Viking?" He waved his hand, the last insult hitting a little below the belt.

"Well, Ull knew." Ophelia fired back, instantly regretting it.

"What?" Calder didn't explode, but became deathly quiet.

"Yeah, well, can you blame me? Can you blame me that I trusted Ull because it actually seemed like he wanted to be my friend? That he was emotionally there with me all the time, and most importantly physically there? You were off on your la-la land search for your father, leaving me on the island, and acting like an undead being whenever you were back! You never seemed interested in me after the age of like thirteen, Calder, so don't act so innocent." She said hotly, turning away from him.

"Geeze, dude." Einar said in a low tone.

"Shut up." Calder grunted. He came to sit directly next to her, frowning. He seemed like he wanted to say something, but also realized a simple 'I'm sorry' couldn't possibly fill the void he'd filled with hurt inside her.

"I never knew...you felt that way." He said finally.

"I made it clear, Calder." She sniffled, "You were a good friend to me. We fought a ton, but you seemed to understand. Another orphan drawn into the house, another kid who questioned their true parentage. You were fun when you were younger, and then it just...stopped."

"Maybe I grew up."

"Maybe you thought you did." Ophelia fired back, scowling, "We're just kids still, Calder. You often forget this."

He pressed his lips into a thin line, but didn't argue.

"Guys." Einar said, and they both looked up, "So, if you sorta squint into the whiteness, there's a large shape that way. I think it might be a mountain or something..." He said. Ophelia did, and in between her vision fizzing, she saw a faint outline of a shape.

"Well, it's not like we have anywhere better to go." She said, ignoring Calder's apologetic glances, and stood, "Maybe we'll find some people. I mean, it wasn't just the three of us down there." She said.

"There was Jor, and Randolph, and..." His face darkened, "Ull. He's out here somewhere. I can just feel it."

Einar shifted uncomfortably, and Ophelia narrowed her eyes, as Calder continued to speak, "Is it crazy, Ophelia, to want to go out there and find him? Or is that another la-la land quest?" He threw her words back at her angrily, and she absorbed it. She deserved that.

"No." She said, and he did seem surprised, "Because I want to find him too."

OMPHALOS

"Gustav has been attended to."

Valka's voice made Hiccup jump. He spun around, seeing his mother. He'd slipped away for a moment under the pretense of needing to check something, but he had honestly needed just a moment. One small and quiet moment before everything went to hell. People were arriving at the island by the dragon-load, carting men and women with weapons one direction and the children and young dragons the other. It was surreal; this was happening. Hiccup knew he could handle it...he just needed a second to reflect, ask his father for strength.

But his mother knew where to find him, of course. They were persistent and often irritability accurate like that.

Hiccup wiped his sweaty hands on his tunic, "And?"

"He is stable." She frowned, "But certainly not out of the woods yet. He was injured quite badly, Hiccup." Valka warned, her fingers touching the space where he'd been bleeding out on the ground, "I'm not sure he will survive the night."

Hiccup could only muster one very small word, "Oh."

His face must have betrayed his thoughts because Valka stepped forward to comfort him.

"Shouldn't you be down there wit him, then?" Hiccup brushed her aside, shaking his head, "I mean, can't you-,"

"It is in Odin's fingers now, may he be grateful. He is a strong fighter, but me sitting down there will do nothing. I will be watching grass grow and worrying over something out of our control." She said firmly.

"Mom, I want you down there. For me, then." Hiccup pleaded, turning to her, his eyes shining with tears. The medical bay was far away from the island's main reach, protected and guarded. It is where the children and dragons at the ranch hid now, with younger mothers or the elders too frail to fight.

"Hiccup, I am a warrior." Valka straightened, "There is no where I will be but here."

"I know, I know. But dad-," Hiccup began again, fruitlessly.

"I know you are afraid, Hiccup." This time the gentle cup of his mother's palm on his shoulder was a warm comfort, "But are you telling Elsa to stay behind?" She questioned. A wry grin appeared on Hiccup's face.

"She's sooner freeze me to the wall then let me go out alone." He said with a chuckle, "And I'm always terrified for her."

"I may not be as gifted as she, but I am quite able to handle myself, you do realize." She added with a grin back.

"I know, I know." He paused, "I still think someone medically knowledgeable should sit with Gustav. In case." He added with haste. He twiddled his fingers, "He was always so ready, so willing, you know? It wouldn't have been awful if he and Ophelia had worked out. He's always been a special kid to me, ever since before I met Elsa."

"I know he is." Valka hummed in sympathy, "You can be sure though that if Odin decided to take him tonight, he will be escorted swiftly to Valhalla. He is brave, and I can't imagine he got that wound doing anything other than being a good Viking." She said, trying to mollify Hiccup's thoughts.

"I know he will." Hiccup snapped, "I'm sorry. I don't want him to be the first casualty. And maybe he's not, Ophelia isn't back." He stared outside, "Nor Ull or Calder."

"Ophelia is alive," Valka nodded softly, "I'm a old woman who's seen and felt much. I can feel it in my bones." Hiccup frowned, tilting his head, as if considering believing her.

"The boys?" He questioned. Valka frowned.

"Much distress, from both. I...it's difficult." She admonished. Hiccup nodded.

"I hope you're right." He said, and the door to the pantry creaked open. Elsa padded in, taking a glance around.

"Is this a party?" She asked, deadpanned.

"It's sure crowded with three." Valka said, nodding to them to excuse herself, "I will be with Camazi, getting suited up." She said firmly, a tone to Hiccup her involvement was not up to discussion.

Elsa crossed the couple of feet to Hiccup's side, pulling his face toward her with a soft and cool hand.

"Hi." She said, "Any reason you needed to so desperately check on our fruit supply?"

"I needed a moment, but you knew that..." Hiccup sighed, "You know everything." He mumbled.

"Not an untruthful statement."

Hiccup pressed his forehead to his wife's, his fingers running over her shoulders in mechanical circles.

"They're here, everyone. All the tribes." Elsa said softly in the darkness.

"All fighting for us?" He asked, opening his eyes in surprise. Elsa's face turned sour, a dark shadow flitting across it.

"No."

Hiccup's heart dropped, although he likely could have guessed.

"I don't hear fighting." He said.

"They're waiting for whoever may come to lead them to victory, so they think. On the boats." Elsa pulled back, grasping his hand. But she did not move, she shuffled a bit, letting Hiccup decide to be the first to leave the pantry.

"How many lost are we?"

"Not much in comparison to our army now. Hobsag and Sweyn are completely against us. Gnaw has a small gathered of trustworthy, but his wife took his son and says they're going to fight and kill him. Wolfen is with us, and he has a greater amount that couldn't stand for Unn's ways, but still there are others that as Gnaw feared consider the death that of a greater cause." She quickly regaled, "Five thousand, perhaps more." She said.

"And us?"

"It's hard to count, more and more appear." She grinned despite it all, "But I fear how large our invisible competitor is."

"We can take them." Hiccup said, moving toward her to the light, "We have dragons."

The group outside waited restlessly, and as Hiccup stepped into the grass, at first it seemed as though darkness covered the land, until he realized it was the men he was supposed to lead as the overall Alpha milling. As soon as Hiccup emerged, a great a mighty cheer arose, covering the air in sound. He saw a couple of people swarm forward, and before he could blink, the rest of the leaders were standing next to him.

"You ready for this, Hiccup, ole' buddy?" Camacazi punched him in the arm, "I am going to kick some time-traveling, old coward, and new coward butt!" She fist punched the air.

"Time traveling...?" Gnaw looked at Elsa curiously, who waved her hand to dismiss it. Now was not the time to get into the long philosophical conversation of her real reason of appearing near Berk. Camacazi covered her mouth, giving Elsa a small 'oops'. Her optimism boosted moral by a thousand percent, in Hiccup's opinion. In this moment, staring at her, he couldn't imagine a time when they didn't talk. He felt sorry for those years he let Astrid insist he couldn't see her, for it was obvious there was only platonic feelings between the pair now, and back then.

Camacazi saw him staring, and it seemed she knew exactly what he was thinking. Her hand curled into his free one, the one not holding Elsa's hand, and she winked at him. "Draw a picture, it will last longer." She whispered, and the bubbles of laughter ran through the leaders. As if by thought alone, they began to link hands within seconds of each other, and they all held their clasped fists high to the crowd, that made even more noise to see their leaders united.

Hiccup looked down the line. He didn't think he'd ever see himself so casual, so trusting of Wolfen or Gnaw. Elsa seemed completely trusting of the latter, and just like he and Camazi, the duo held hands in their close friendship.

When the cheering died down, it was Wolfen who first turned to Hiccup.

"What's the plan, Chief?" He questioned, a motion of an olive branch and assurance of fidelity. Each of the other leaders, even Elsa, stood back, awaiting instruction. Toothless landed behind Hiccup, further emphasizing his motion to power.

"Get everyone with a weapon or armor, both if possible. Check the rest of the island; make sure no child or elderly is left there, or trying to sneak back in. I would preferably set an age limit at fourteen for battle, but if individually you feel as though a younger age is ready, I will not override your choice. The dragons need to be in position. If there is food, eat it now. We need our strength. We can see them coming, "Hiccup pointed to the steadily rising flame, pushing hot wind toward the island. In a few short hours, the whole chain of islands except Berk would be on fire, and the heat would be insufferable.

The leaders nodded, breaking off to fulfill Hiccup's instructions. There was a cough behind him, and he turned to see Gobber.

"You should be-," He began to say, but Gobber held up a hand.

"I know, I know. I will retire with the other elders soon enough, son. But I thought you may want this." He reached behind his back, pulling out a familiar piece of armor Hiccup hadn't seen in years. His father's. He stared in awe, in shock.

"I've been waiting for the right time. Thank Odin there hasn't been a war yet, you know, no need. I've modified it to fit you. A final gift, since after this I'll have officially retired from the smith shop." He shrugged, "Not a big deal."

"It's huge, Gobber." Hiccup felt breathless, " Strap it on me?" He asked. Gobber hoisted the metal sheet over his head, as the weight of the metal didn't feel as threatening and heavy as it had years ago, when he'd snuck it on without his father's permission. Now, it fit him perfectly, although he was sure the only thing that had shrunk was the sides of it. It reminded him that he was no longer a child putting on his father's armor to feel brave, to feel justified. He was Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, Chief of Berk Island, and Alpha of the Vikings.

So much had changed since his father was alive.

Hiccup unsheathed his fire-sword, checking Toothless's saddle to make sure it was properly fastened now. It might all fall apart during the fight, but for the beginning, he was going to put on a good show.

The warning fires progressed too soon, and it seemed like mere seconds had ticked by before the ugly and dark ships of war cut through the bay nearing his island. Hiccup stood with Toothles, Elsa, and Mercedes at the edge of the water, watching with calm eyes for the battle to arrive. The rest of the leaders stood with their own dragons, slightly behind Hiccup, and behind them was a whole legion of Vikings clutching swords and axes and leashes to dragons snarling in indignation.

Elsa turned to look at him as the first ship came clearly into sight.

"I love you." Her voice was a tight, nearly inaudible whisper.

"Forever, I do too." Hiccup replied back softer, his lips hardly moving, but Elsa heard. He couldn't think of his children now, hopefully with Gobber and their dragons waiting. He couldn't think of Ophelia, and Valka's insistence she was still alive. He couldn't think of Calder or Ull and the thought that maybe Gustav wasn't the first one to die. He couldn't think of any of it, not as the ships drew close enough for a group of figures to get off.

Two Hiccup could recognize a mile away, and his blood burned with rage at their faces. Drago looked the same as he had years ago, as if nothing had changed between Hiccup running away from being chief to taking charge now. Unn was disgustingly familiar, the same creepy smile that always unnerved Hiccup plastered across his face. The third one, who strode with more confidence than either man, was a female. Elsa stiffened beside him, and it was easy to deduce where she hailed from.

Behind them came three gagged prisoners, trailing behind their attackers. Thuggury reacted first, realizing the beaten and dirtied person.

"Fulla!" He cried, and his daughter jerked her head up, eyes wild with fear. Hiccup lunged forward to keep him from making a rash move. The other was Sigrid, and she looked at Elsa and Hiccup with cold, dead eyes. For a girl usually so happy and preppy, her vacant stare scared Hiccup more than anything else. There was a chocked sound from behind Hiccup.

"Lyal, my boy?" Asmund whispered.

The female strolled forward. "I see you recognize our captives. Quite the moxy these young ones have, so disrespectful, thought." She said, "It's quite simple. You surrender, these children live. You don't?" She raised a hand and three guards were at their throats with knives, "It commences. We have a larger army, don't be stupid."

"And if we surrender?" Elsa's voice was a low hiss. The woman regarded her with savage pleasure.

"You leaders all die, we take this land and the rest of your villagers live if they swear loyalty. That I do promise." She said.

Hiccup's mind reeled. He couldn't think, he couldn't breathe. "Where are the others? The ones what were with them?" He asked, ignoring her ultimatum. Unn looked back at the prisoners, as if he'd forgotten there had been more. A wild, fleeting hope raced through Hiccup's mind that they hadn't been in this attack, that any moment know they'd come flying in and-

"Dead. I had the pleasure of killing each of them. Where are the others? Might as well exterminate the whole line of dragon-loving vermin."

"Awe hell no..." Camacazi clenched her fists, and Hiccup set her a hard look over her shoulder, telling her to stay where she was. He could tell she was itching with rage, but she stood still.

This was the catalyst. Toothless screeched in rage, sending a quick bolt of fire on the three guards with swiftness that no one could have predicted. The men cried as their flesh burned, and Lyal took no moment to spare as he grabbed the ropes of the two girls and threw them into the water, where they were safe. The woman cussed at the burned men in anger, throwing her hands up, and turning to rest of the crew that now regarded Hiccup with hooded eyes.

Hiccup took a step forward. "You fuck with me? I'm going to get angry, blood might be spilt. You fuck with our children?" He waved his hand to the whole army behind him, bristling with rage and tension, "You won't survive."

The men rushed past him, the sound of metal clashing on metal and men dying. Hiccup raised his hand and the dragons took to flight. The woman didn't seem surprised by his choice, but sniffed and easily dodged his sword.

"That sounds like a challenge. I've never lost a challenge."

"Well," Hiccup ducked, "There's a first time for everything."

OMPHALOS

Sigrid gasped as she hit the water, and took a breath as she was shoved under the waves. Men were pounding through the water to reach the shore, and she ducked around legs and swords gliding through the water. The ocean around Berk was cold, but it kept her well aware of her surroundings. Lyal stayed under the water a little to her left, jerking frantically with his head to swim away. She followed, looking back to nudge Fulla into attention.

They took calculated gasps of water from the surface swiftly; each time the chance of being yanked from the water unarmed weighing heavily on their minds. It was difficult to swim with her hands tied behind her back, but she used her shoulders and her legs to kick herself forward. Finally, when the water had leveled back down to the normal waves and the sounds of screaming and war-cries were farther away, Lyal swam closer to the shore.

They flopped themselves to the warm sand like fish, gaping and blinking the water from their eyes. Fulla flailed in frustration, trying to undo her hands, red rope-burns appearing already on her usually pale skin. Lyal stood up with a shake to his step, and put his foot on her shoulder, pausing her actions.

"One second." He said. Sigrid watched in half-disgust, half-amazement as he popped his arm out of the socket, pulling his arms around to his front side with ease. With a slight wince, he popped it back in and undid the tie with his teeth.

"What the heck?" Full sat up, "Didn't that hurt?"

"Not really." He shook his hands loose, gingerly rubbing the red on his own wrists, "It's a useless talent, they said. It will never come in handy, they said."

"It came conveniently in handy." Sigrid mentioned, sitting with her back to him so he could undo her as well.

"Yeah, well. Had Calder tie me up when we were young so I could practice."

"You predicted being held hostage?" Fulla was looking at him with a slight frown.

"You never know. I showed them, huh?" He chuckled, "Done." Sigrid could feel it though, and she brought her hands forward. Fulla impatiently tapped her feet and Sigrid and Lyal both worked to undo the complicated knot.

"Where are we, Sigrid?" Fulla asked once she was free, looking around. Sigrid took a moment to gather her surroundings.

"South side of the island. It's where Unn's men kidnapped me when I was a child." She said, and she rubbed up and down her scar thoughtfully, "I think the kids and elders are being held over this way."

"You expect us to hide with them? Hell no." Fulla shook her head, "I'm going to kill them."

"No, I was just saying, don't you think that's where Gustav would be held?" Sigrid pressed her lips together, "If he made it back..."

"Didn't know you cared." Lyal commented, his eyebrows rising.

"He got stabbed, I can have a little sympathy." She said, feeling her face blush, "Besides, there might be extra weapons there, in case they have to protect themselves. We have nothing on us."

"Well, I'm just going to go out there and steal some dead guy's sword or something." Fulla shrugged.

"Oh yes, and how are you going to survive to make it to a body without getting killed?" Lyal asked sarcastically.

"With this." Fulla said innocently, pulling out a knife concealed in her boot. Sigrid felt her jaw unhinge, but Lyal was the first to react. He slapped his forehead audibly, dragging it down his face.

"You had a knife...this whole time?" He growled in frustration, "I took like half an hour untying us all!"

"Well it's shit for cutting rope, see?" She rubbed the knife against her hand, "So dull, like for butter on bread. But if I stab someone with it, it's going to hurt."

"You're impossible." Lyal groaned, "Whatever, go off and fight. We're going to go properly arm ourselves."

Fulla saluted them; "See you on the other side, guys."

"Don't you want to know what direction to head?" Sigrid tilted her head.

"Naw, I'll walk until I hear crying and stuff, and go that way. Be careful." Her voice suddenly took a more serious tone, "I expect to see all of us together after this is done. We three might be all that's left."

She took off running in the other direction, and Sigrid felt coldness sink into her bones.

"Do you really think the rest are dead?" She asked, her voice scarred with terror.

"Odin I hope not." Lyal shook his head slowly, "I don't know what I'd do without Dolph or Calder. Those two idiots deserve better deaths." He mourned.

"I'd have lost Ophelia and Jor too. We'll both be the only ones remaining in our friend group." She realized with a jolt, and the thought made her quake all over. She felt a warm, reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, at least we'll be together. With Fulla, too." He pointed out. At any other point, Sigrid would have been thrilled with those words. Right now, it felt empty.

OMPHALOS

The walk to the mountain that Einar had seen was not a quick one, nor an enjoyable one. There was a point that Ophelia fell through ice that had seemed stable before, and it took both the boys to pull her from the quickly breaking fragments. She shivered deeply, and felt her clothes stiffen with frost.

"I could really use a dragon right now..."She muttered angrily.

"I hope they made it back alight." Calder frowned, "I can't imagine what I'd do when we get back and Isis was lost or killed!"

"So what's it like having actual dragons as friends?" Einar asked, and it took Ophelia a second to realize he'd never encountered one like they had. For most of his life, he'd lived completely away from them as it was. She did a swift once-over his body, giving a sigh of relief when she realized he wasn't wearing any dragon pelts. He noticed her glance, and frowned, "I'm not awful, you know."

"Could have fooled me." Calder muttered under his breath, grabbing his sword he had on him out of practice. He had already expressed his relief they hadn't taken it from him when they hauled him out in the ship. Shoddy workers, but hey, what can you do?

"It's a connection that's impossible to describe," Ophelia felt her eyes tear up when she thought about Hubert and Achilles, "They are really your best friend, but they're not human. Because of that, they don't get messed up in silly human trifling emotions, such as irrational jealousy-okay, well often- or pettiness. I know that Achilles would lay down his life for me, without a question."

"Achilles...he's your dragon?"

"Yeah, he's great. A little butt most of the time, but I wish she was here." She shivered.

"I once found a baby dragon. I tried to hide if from da-Unn- but he found out." Einar looked at the ground, face twisting in sorrow.

"What happened?" Ophelia took his bait, while Calder huffed in disbelief.

"He made me kill it. He made me armor from the skin, but I just couldn't bear wearing it. He might have been my friend, if I'd been able to hide him better." Einar looked terribly depressed.

"That's awful!" Ophelia shuddered, "You don't seem half-bad. I don't trust anyone who would wear something like that." She announced.

"Me neither." Einar sent her a half-smile, and she found herself grinning back. Calder made a barfing noise behind them.

"Let's keep moving. That thing won't move closer magically." He said, strutting between them porously.

It was nearly nightfall when they reached the monument, and Ophelia clicked her tongue in surprise.

"It's a glacier..." She said, her eyes widening as she stared upward. It seemed to stretch for miles.

"Look! A cave thing." Einar was pointing to a crevice opening, "I think it leads somewhere..."

"Why would we go in there...?" Calder asked with a straight frown.

"Well, maybe we can get up there," Einar pointed out, "And see where heck we are. Unless you're going to tame a dragon in front of us?"

"It's not the worst idea..." Ophelia shrugged, because it's not like they were doing other important things at the moment.

"It's a terrible idea." Calder grouched.

"Well, have fun staring at an unmoving block of ice like thirty miles long, dude." Einar said, slipping himself into the crack. Ophelia followed, and was overwhelmed by a musty smell and darkness. After a long moment, the only light was snuffed out as Calder entered.

"It's dark."

"One second..." Ophelia grunted, and reached into her boot. She found her flint rocks and touched around on the ground until she found a stick half in the ice. She lit it, and it sprung to life.

"Where did you get those?" Einar looked on the boot.

"In my boots. I also have bandages, mint leaves, extra string and a needle, and almonds if you want those." She said, and both boys stared at her with equal expressions of non-understanding. Calder finally huffed.

"Females..."

"I know dude, weird, right?" Einar agreed.

"Look, it slopes up." Ophelia ignored them, going first. Calder stopped her, going first.

"We don't know what's around the corners. These dragons are undomesticated and will kill you, don't' be rash." He scolded, going first, his sword sliding from the sheath as it came out.

"That's an impressive sword." Einar darted forward, "I mean, I've seen some pretty darn cool looking swords, but usually their inherited from a father and-," He cut off, and Calder glared.

"I found it." He grumbled sourly.

"Found it...?"

"When I was out looking for Unn to bring him to justice, I stumbled across a group of dragon eggs hidden in ice. There was a skeleton in front of it, this sword lying across the lap. I figured he didn't need it anymore." Calder added with a small laugh, the first she'd heard all day from him.

"Whoa...wonder what he was? The dead guy, or girl." Calder shrugged in response to Einar's question.

"We'll never know, I guess." Calder seemed not even half as curious as Einar did.

They continued upward in silence. They didn't come across any dangerous thing, but their shadows casted distorted shapes against the ice, and it scared Ophelia, but she never said anything. The boys seemed to be okay, and she didn't want to seem like a wimp in front of them. Soon they were too tired to go any longer, and they took turn sleeping in a small alcove. It seemed at this point that they would never reach the top, and wander in this glacier forever. Ophelia slept unwell that night.

In the morning, although it was impossible to tell, they continued on again.

Soon, they reached a wide cavern, and Calder stopped in place. When Ophelia looked back at him, he looked surprised.

"I've...been here." He said softly, "This...this is the glacier where I found the eggs, but maybe like a thousand years before." He whispered softly.

"Trippy..." Einar whispered back.

"Do you think the eggs are here yet?" Ophelia bounced in excitement. Just to be able to touch Achilles' egg would make her feel so much better so much calmer.

"Hard to say, I don't know how long they were in this. They must have been frozen for decades, and that's how they all survived." He guessed, looking at the ice in curiosity now.

There was a soft whimpering sound from to their left. Calder froze, and then dashed off a direction Ophelia hadn't even seen.

"The egg cavern was this way!" He called, his voice echoing around the cave, and Ophelia rushed to follow him. She nearly bumped into him at the end, because he had stopped dead in the doorway. She peeked around him, and inhaled sharply. In front of her was a dragon, slowly bleeding out into the ground. It was a female, clearly old and wise, and when she stared at them, it was if she knew exactly who they were.

"Awe man, is she dying?" Einar asked, coming to her side.

Calder took shaky steps toward the she-dragon. The dragon did not flinch. Ophelia swallowed thickly as she saw the deep and new scars ripped down her stomach and side, anger filling her throat. It didn't' look like another dragon had hurt her.

Before their eyes, the image of the dragon shifted and when she blinked, she was looking at a Night Fury. It was still the same dragon, because those soulful eyes remained, as did the wounds. Calder was frozen on the spot, jaw slacking. After a couple more moments, she shimmered again, going to a larger cat-dragon like Kottir looked like.

"She's a shape shifter, aren't you?" Calder realized with a jolt, and the dragon blinked in agreement with him.

"I thought those were just myths!"

"What?" Einar was the most confused.

Calder came to her side quickly, kneeling before her face. She turned, touching her own forehead to his. Ophelia couldn't see it, but she could feel that they were having a moment. Calder, whose hand had been gently petting her cheek before, now kneeled like a stone man, completely still.

After what seemed like forever, he stumbled back, his face switching rapidly from disbelief, to shock, to joy, to anger. He kicked a wall, fists clenching.

"What is it?" Ophelia asked. At her voice, he turned, staring at her hard, as if he'd seen a ghost. His whole face was pale and his lips moved, soundless, "What?" Ophelia shuffled unsurely. He blinked away, shaking his head, but still looked spooked.

"She's the first dragon, mother of all...even Bewilderbeasts. She is the mother of every race. She's immortal..." He looked sadly at her wounds, "But not invincible." At this, his face contorted into uncontrollable rage again.

"Do you know who did it?" She asked. By his face, it seemed as though he did, but he was too upset to answer.

The dragon looked at Ophelia, and almost with a smile, she leaned back to reveal her full stomach and all the eggs underneath her. Ophelia rushed forward.

"Achilles!" She cried, drawn to his egg instantly even though there were other identical ones. She pressed the cool dragon egg to her cheek, feeling tears roll down her cheeks, "I miss you. I miss you so much. Please tell me you're safe. Oh, god." She said, gently putting the egg in her lap, protectively.

Einar came to shuffle forward, almost touching one, but Ophelia slapped her hand away. "Leave them."

"But-,"

"You can't take these. They're all my friend's future dragons one day. We need to leave them so Calder can find them in the future, and if you were to take them back, there'd be two of them. That can't work!"

"Wait," Calder finally found his voice, carefully counting the eggs, "There's one more egg here than when I found them." He looked at Einar, a weird expression crossing his face, "I think you were meant to have this one now." He said, picking up the smallest egg there. Someone else may have scoffed at the size, but Einar held it as if it was the most precious thing in the world. The soft purr of the mother dragon assured Calder he had been correct.

"My own...dragon?" He whispered, "Are you sure?"

"She can see you're a good person, despite your upbringing, Einar. Guess I can't distrust you." He shrugged.

The dragon put her head down, her breath growing heavy and labored. She looked weaker now, even.

"Who hurt her?" Ophelia repeated to Calder, putting her egg back regretfully, "Who hurt this beautiful creature?"

"I did." There was a voice behind them. Ophelia spun to see Ull hovering at the doorway. She looked at Calder.

"For once," Calder spat on the ground, "He's telling the truth." He bit with bitterness.

"How could you?" Ophelia stalked forward, shoving him, "How could you do something so awful?" She demanded.

"He did sell you out, you know." Einar said with just as much malice as Calder.

"You don't even look sorry!" Ophelia gasped, searching his face fruitlessly for a hint of humanity still there.

"She attacked me." He said in his defense, an offended look changing his face to anger, "I was protecting myself, she would have killed me."

"You were by her eggs, you idiot!" Einar shouted, cradling his egg close to his chest.

"No, " Calder corrected, "It's because she is wise and justice and she could see he's really an awful person." Ophelia backtracked swiftly from him, her heart hurting. She still was in denial that this man in front of her was the real Ull, so different from the warm and humorous one she'd grown up with.

"So I was just supposed to let her kill me? Yeah, that's reasonable." Ull scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"It would have been the right thing, after all you've done. You almost killed Jor, you wanted the rest of us dead." Calder pushed Ophelia behind him, advancing on him, "And the fact that you even had the ability to kill the most beautiful, oldest and wisest and most pure thing to ever grace this earth- the epitome of goodness- tells me and her that you were awful from the start. You were never going any other way, because you have bad blood. You really are Unn's son." He said.

"Kettle black, aren't we?" Ull raised himself to his brother's height, a nasty grin on his face, "You abandoned the fake family you had, only cared about yourself, your needs. How are you any different?"

"Because I was doing it to keep us safe, goddamit! You were doing it to keep yourself safe, to satisfy yourself." Calder suddenly realized that it was his brother, and his whole façade slipped into plain hurt, "I don't want to harm you." He whispered, "Ull..."

"You always were weaker than me." Ull said, grabbing a shard of sharp ice from off the cave wall, stabbing it hard into his chest, just about where his heart was.

"No!" Ophelia cried, but Einar grabbed her. He shook his head, jerking to them.

"He's fine..." He whispered, and Ophelia looked up. The ice hadn't gone quite as far in as she'd feared. In that time, Ull had time to unhook the daggers inside his coat that Ophelia had told him to take eons ago 'just in case', but Calder had his sword.

He winced in pain as blood dripped down his leg onto the cold floor, and deflected his brother's jabs. It was difficult, with him fighting with a close range object against an even close-ranger weapon. But Calder was a good fighter, seasoned and precise. Ull was all over the place, but he took more jabs and made more hits, although they were only tiny pricks.

Then, Ull slipped, literally on the ice. Calder had already made the motion to deflect a jab, because Ophelia had noticed he was only defense, and she still had the feeling he didn't truly want to hurt his brother. But the daggers weren't where they were before, nor were his body, and Ophelia watched in horror as Calder's sword went right through Ull's body, as easy as someone swimming through water.

Calder backed up in horror as Ull fell to his knees.

OMPHALOS

Years and years away, Anna cried in the castle at three AM. She pressed herself to the window, trying to mask her sobs from waking the whole household. Her journey to the Isles, while interesting, hadn't done much help. Aldrich and Astrid had returned from the site, where they'd been kicked out, since by this point the portal was staying firmly closed.

But she hadn't been quiet enough, apparently, for Kristoff found her eventually. He rubbed his tired eyes still groggy with sleep, but once saw his wife's state, he woke.

"Anna...?" He frowned, "What's wrong?"

She took a couple moments to reduce her sobbing until she could speak, and wiped her face on her nightgown. She still sniffled and hiccupped a bit, but she controlled her crying to a minimum.

"I can't help it, Kristoff, I can feel it!" She said, and he just frowned.

"Uh...? Feel what?"

Anna didn't answer. Instead, she got a sad smile.

"Did I ever tell you that when Elsa and I were little we thought we had superpowers? Like telepathy?" She asked. Kristoff, thinking this was a way of coping because she usually cried about her lost sister, sat with her. If he had to sit thorough another memory to make his wife feel better, it was hardly anything to ask for. Besides, he wasn't sure he'd heard this one before, even though most he'd heard at least five times this many years on.

"No, I don't think so." He admitted.

"When we were really little, after she hurt me and before she shut herself away, we still played for a couple months like before. But she was beginning to shut herself way, and one day I wanted to go exploring in the woods and she firmly did not. Because I was stupid and rebellious, I went without her. I had thought the ice on the pond could support my weight because it did all winter before, but it was almost spring, and I fell through."

Kristoff stiffened, he was quite surprised he'd never heard this, but stayed silent.

"I would have died. I feel that firmly in my heart. No one could have found me in time, in any other circumstance, for I couldn't swim and it was really cold. But Elsa came tearing through the woods with my parents and nearly jumped in herself to save me. Later, when we were alone and I was nice and dry, I asked how she knew to find me? She replied she'd been sitting and she suddenly was really cold- and Elsa never gets cold, we know that- and she couldn't breath at all. She thought like she was drowning, and it was then she realized I'd said I wanted to go out by the pond. She got there just in time; another couple moments and the doctor said even pulling me out wouldn't have been enough. She saved me." Anna emphasized.

"That's..." Kristoff began, but Anna continued to talk. Good, because he wasn't sure how he'd been finishing that sentence anyway.

"So we decided we could feel each other's strong emotions, you know? Maybe pain. We were obsessive after that- I burned my hand to see if she would feel it, she burned her hand. We pricked ourselves with the pins in mother's sewing room and kicked our shins against the tables. Nothing, but a lot of scars and bruises for the both of us. One of the girls that I was a friend with that came when I was younger suggested that maybe it's a one-time thing. Maybe all siblings have this, just once, when their sibling is in danger or really about to die, and you're supposed to be able to save them, because that's what siblings do. And it's a miracle because usually you don't have to feel it even once, and that we should pray we never feel it again. Even when she was in the ice palace or locked up, I didn't feel it. And she said she didn't feel my fear when I turned to ice because I was supposed to come back. In my drowning incident, I would have died, but we changed fate. One time thing for each of us."

Kristoff struggled to understand, so Anna kept talking.

"And right now, Kristoff, for no reason I'm more afraid than I ever have been before. Something is coming that I can't stop, no matter what I do, and people are going to die. I'm going to die, I feel like. And I've begun to think about Ophelia in a way that I haven't in eons, but it's as if I know her well enough to really be afraid for her, like I raised her my whole life. I can smell blood and smoke and burning, and sometimes I feel like I can hear screaming, like a massacre!" Anna grabbed her hair.

"That's awful, maybe we should go talk to the doctor-," Kristoff began to suggest, but Anna grabbed his arm.

"I'm not...it's not me, Kristoff. It's Elsa! It's what she's experiencing, and it's the most awful feeling in the world." Anna said, and the story and the crying clicked in his head all at once.

"Oh, gods..." He breathed, "You're crying because you think she's crying?"

"No, I'm crying on my own. Because I can't help her from here, I can't save her, when a sister feels this, they're supposed to be able to save their sister, but I can't! I just have to sit through these feelings." She collapsed back into tears, her shoulders shaking violently.

Kristoff shook his head, "Ophelia's in danger too, that means." He realized, his whole body going cold.

"I've failed as a mother, and I've failed as a sister." Anna wept, and she looked Kristoff, pausing her sobs. There was a hard look of unbridled anger and utter frustration pounding through her agonized eyes, "Elsa is about to die, and there is absolutely nothing I can do."

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Please leave kudos or a comment! I've decided to enter this story in the Watty's!