A Storm from the East (A Viggo Lovestory)

Chapter 28

As they were only a mile away from the island, Eos' nerves kicked in. They were hovering above the clouds, hidden from the world beneath them. Eos could already hear the battle sounds. So Viggo had known about this. From where he had the information, she had no clue. She also didn't know what side he was on. All she knew is, they had to get to the Great Hall to confer with her family. Find out what was going on. Eos and Eurus took the lead as they started the descend around the war zone to the island. Arriving at the front doors of the hall, Eos turned to look at her friends.

"Remember guys, be humble and only speak when spoken to. My people are proud and sometimes quick to judge a stranger. My family may know you but the council doesn't." Eos reminded her friends. She then turned her attention to her best friend. "Hiccup, as soon as I introduce you as the leader you'll have the right to speak at any given time, but you have to keep in mind that you are not only representing the Riders. You are speaking on behalf of all of Berk. One wrong word and the alliance is over."

"Great pep-talk." Snotlout commented.

"Let's just get this over with." Hiccup said, clearly not in the mood to perform one of the duties he will have to attend to when he becomes chief.

Walking in, the Great Hall might have been the most impressive thing the Riders had ever seen. It wasn't a big cave, re-functioned to be a hall like they had it in their home. No, it was a big castle-like building, with white walls and marble floors. In the middle of the room was a grand table on which a hand full of important-looking people sat. On a sort of podium were three big chairs. A fourth one was next to the podium, a sheer black sheet covering it. On the chair in the middle of the podium sat Eos' father, the chief. To his right was Hákon in a chair just as impressive looking as his fathers. The chair to the chief's left was empty. That one belonged to Eos.
As the group entered the hall the discussion the council was having stopped. Eos proudly stepped forth.

"Eos, my daughter. I'm glad you and your friends are here, assuming it is because of this attack. But please, do explain." Eos was very well aware her father only asked her to explain, so the council wouldn't throw a fit, but she spoke regardless.

"Father, brother, members of the high council, I want to introduce to you Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, son of Stoick the Vast and heir to the Hooligan Tribe. With him is his team of Dragon Riders. We had a suspicion of an attack on the island and rushed here to investigate and to see if we could be of assistance." Her introduction seemed to please the council who had been quite tense when the Riders arrived.

"Very well." Eos' father spoke. "Take your seat, Eos."

The high council stood as Eos walked up to the podium and seated herself with her brother and father. The Riders could only look in astonishment as to how structured this society was compared to theirs. They seemed to have a rule for everything. But before they could indulge in more thought, a member of the council spoke to their leader.

"Hiccup Haddock, it came to our attention that you were the first of your tribe to treat dragons properly. Is it true that you asked our princess to join you because you declared war on the Dragon Hunter tribe?"

"Um, yes.. yes that is true." Hiccup replied nervously, clearly not as equipped to deal with these matters like Eos could.

"Do any of you know the motive of the attack?" Another member asked.

Eos spoke up again. "I believe they are after our Dragon Eye lenses. They are currently looking for the King of Dragons and believe these lenses can help them find it." A number of gasps ran through the room. The King of Dragons. Legend had it that the ancestors of the Protectors where send out by the King of Dragons long ago, to protect his kind. Whether this was true or not, nobody truly knew. But the King of Dragons was sacred to the Protectors, even more so then Vanaheim.

"Than we shall fight with more strength than ever before." The chief spoke. Normally, the chief of the Protectors wouldn't be a warrior but a diplomat. Fighting was the younger siblings' job. Eos' father, however, was different. He was always at the front, right next to his brother. Hákon had sworn to himself to do the same.

"Just one last question." Eos' brother said. "How did you know they were going to attack?" Her blood ran cold. Eos couldn't answer that, they hadn't even found Viggo yet. So Hiccup replied for her.

"We aren't sure, but we believe one member of the Riders betrayed us. He left us a warning not to come here but didn't say why. We believe he knew this was happening. So unless a man came here to warn you or to help you, we had a traitor in our midst." Hiccup spoke, a bit more pulled together.

Anxiously Eos looked around the room, waiting for a reply from one of them, to tell them that he had been here and that he had helped them.
But alas - she wasn't in luck today.

"I apologize, but this attack was a total surprise for us. Nobody came here to offer their assistance but you." A council member spoke. Eos could feel her heart shattering all over again. So her first instinct was right after all. Viggo had lied to her. He had tricked her into falling for him and gambled around with her like an unknowing teenager. How could she have been so foolish? But Eos wasn't allowed to dwell for long.

"Eos, go to the front with your brother. Find your uncle and tell him to take his best warriors with him to come to guard the lenses with me. You will take over command in the meantime."

"Yes, father." Eos replied gravely. The family of three stood and walked outside, the Riders following.

The chief saddled his Stormcutter and flew to the hiding place of the lenses. Eos was now left in charge of a fight for the first time, not knowing how to handle it all. Luckily she had her friends and her brother at her side. When Hákon jumped on his Woolly Howl he turned to Eos on Eurus.

"Good to have you back. We've got this." He spoke with his deep voice. Hákon was a good brother. He'd always been there for Eos and they had had numerous adventures together. In a way, he was the exact opposite of Hiccup. Strong, a good fighter, aware of his future responsibilities, less impulsive even in battle. But Hiccup's intellect and big heart cast a shadow over Hákons capabilities.

When they flew out to the battlefield, it was a bigger challenge to get to the front than they had assumed. It was even harder to find the general, but Eurus' good eyes soon spotted the man. Shortly after, he was caught up and left with his most skilled warriors. Now it was on. Eos was in charge.