Broken Prophecy: How to Train Your Dragon

THE BROKEN PROPHECY Chapter 19

This is a fanfic and I make no money from this. Original copyrights belong to Dreamworks and Cresedia Cowell

Chapter 19

The first ray of sunlight falls upon Kari's nose, making the dragoness sneeze. "Morning," her mate greets her. Grumbling she tries to curl back up to sleep some more. "Come on, Kari. The others have been and gone once this morning. Or would you rather prefer that Fishy one to come in here and wake you?

"Fishlegs?" She yawns, letting sleep slip further from her mind. "No thank you! I can just imagine him sitting over there sketching in the 'Book of Dragons' and adding our picture to its pages.

Tannlaus licks her cheek in a dragon kiss, "How are you feeling?"

With a wistful smile, "Tired, sore... but all in a good way."

"After last night, I'm glad you got to enjoy a real mating flight." Tannlaus watches as his life partner slowly stretches, arching her back until she is nearly folded in half, then stretching her wings until the tips brush the cave walls.

With a chuckle, "Well what came after wasn't bad either." Stepping out of the cave, Kari takes special care to brush along her mates body, slinking past him like a cat, and letting her tail caress under his chin before darting into the open air of the cove.

In the distance the Shadewings hear the roars of their friends, moments before they reach the cove walls. Cloudjumper is the first to land, letting Ryder slide from his wing. "Kari! I dina' know what to do 'bout yur' father! He's got this crazy plan to raid the dragon nest! We need'a talk 'im out of it!" She gently places her hand on Kari's snout.

Kari sits down and thinks, Tannlaus watches quietly, letting his mate do what she was gifted with. "Mom says Dad wants to raid the Queen's nest... It's completely insane, but..."

"She will be back, in numbers we can't hope to overcome." he says finishing her thoughts. He wraps his wing around her is support when she begins to shake.

"I... I can't face her... Not HER!"

"I understand what being under her influence is like... I know how scary it can be."

"I wasn't under any influence... Tannlaus, she WAS me... I was pushed so far to the back of my own mind, someplace dark, cold, tiny... I gave up. She won. I was going to let myself fade away and she would have taken my body for her own, forever... Until I heard your song." Jemstone eyes meet, "For the first time I felt true hope."

"I knew you were out there, I wasn't going to let you go. I WON'T let you go. Whatever happens, I will always be somewhere near you," he says as they press their foreheads together.

Bolstered by Tannlaus words, Kari scratches in the dirt. Valka nods, "Aye... But he won't listen to me." Giving a frustrated snort, Kari extends her wing to Valka. Letting her mother get situated on her back, Kari leaps into the air, and with a few beats of her powerful wings has already made good headway to Berks harbor. From the air, Kari feels her stomach plumet. The viking ships docked in the harbor are less than half the naval power they should have been. Most are nothing more than fishing boats, repurposed for a suicide mission. Broken and burned masts from sunken ships look like a strange snaggletoothed grin in the water. Circling once before finding the flagship, Kari alights on the mostly empty deck.

"AH! Hicc... Kari! Just the dragon I wanted to see!" Stoick booms over the sounds of last minute repairs. "I need you to tell yur' dragons to lead us into Helheim's Gate. We are gonna' give tha' nest a battle like they've never seen!"

"Stoick, they aren't her dragons ta' command." Valka tries to step in, when she sees Kari desperately looking for somewhere to write.

"O' course they are. Last night proved it. They followed him... Her into the thick of battle." He looks with pride at the ebon dragon, "She's a natural leader! Who better than her ta'..."

A growl of warning, from Kari, makes Stoick stop. The chief looks in shock as the dragon before him shakes her head.

"Wha do ya' mean, no!? Ya' have ta'! It's yur' responsibility..." Stoick is cut off by the dragoness rearing up onto her haunches, and towering over him roars with all her pent up anger and fear in his face. Stoick's eyes grow in shock at being cut off, by Hiccup of all people.

"I told you Stoick, she doesna' want to."

"Why?! Because she doesna' want to fight her dragon friends?! She had no trouble attackin' her village! No trouble burning friend and family out of their homes!" Stoick rants. "She has a responsibility ta' make it right!"

"Stoick, I've tried to explain, if this nest is as large as ya' make it out ta' be... It is being lead by an Alpha dragon of immense power and size."

"Like the beast ya' been riding? That's just one dragon! We could take a whole nest like that one!"

Tannlaus slides up next to his mate, her head hanging in shame. "He's right, Tannlaus... I need to take responsibility for the damage here... But why can't he ask me to help rebuild, or help find a new place to live. Why must he risk his life and the whole village for revenge!" Her eyes filled with sorrow.

"You know I don't like this male, but I will stand by you." His warm voice helps restore some of her calm.

Fed up with the way the argument between her parents is moving, Kari scratches her answer into the very deck of the ship. 'Stupid Chief... Take to Nest... Just me'

Stoick's growing anger subsides when he sees her message. "You? You will take us through Helhiem's Gate?"

"Stoick! Don't make her do this... You can see she doesna' want to go."

Stoick looks at the message scratched into the deck, as the paired black dragons hop onto the dock and slowly make their way back into town. Kneeling he lets his finger trace over one word, 'Chief'... Not 'Dad' or even 'father', but 'Chief'. Shaking his head, he turns away from the retreating figures and back at the harbor. Shouting to be heard over the bustle, "Allrigh' double time! Daylight's burnin' and we have a nest to sack!"