Hiccup flew as high as he dared, trying to stay out of the monstrous queen's line of sight. He could feel Astrid's arms clutching his neck tightly, posture rigid as they tore through the sky. He'd never carried a passenger before, and the weight on his back left his flight feeling unbalanced.
He scanned the island below, looking desperately for his father's figure. While relieved that the chief was not amongst the obvious casualties on the beach, that knowledge did little to quell his fears that something bad may have happened.
Where is he?
"...I can double it!"
Gobber!
Hiccup tracked the yell to where his old mentor was running below. The blacksmith was making an obscene amount of noise, waving his hand and hook wildly in the air above him.
Is he…trying to attract the queen?
Another familiar shout rang out, bringing with it a sense of relief. Stoick the Vast was charging along the beach, his weapon held high overhead. Hiccup squinted his eyes, wondering where his father was headed to with such determination. He almost seemed to be running towards the queen, rather than away.
Oh no.
Hiccup shrieked, diving down and angling himself towards the massive dragon. He needed to get to the queen before she got to the chief.
"What are you doing!?" Yelled Astrid in panic, squeezing his neck harder as they picked up speed. He could feel her leggings slipping against his scales as she fought to hang on, breaths becoming more frantic as her fear of falling became more evident.
In truth, he wasn't completely sure. However, one thing was certain: he wouldn't risk Astrid's life.
Gritting his teeth, he banked hard towards the ground, pulling to a stop a short distance from his father. His wings burned at the effort, but he shook off the pain. There was no time to waste on strained muscles.
He rolled his shoulders in a quick motion, trying to signal to Astrid that he wanted her off. She complied easily, hitting the ground with a thud and a loud sigh of relief. She retrieved her axe, rolling her wrist a few times to adjust to the weight of the weapon.
"What are you two doing here?" Stoick asked when he reached them, "You're supposed to be on the ship!"
"The ship is gone," replied Astrid, voice flat. "Besides, you need every warrior you can get or this is going to be a massacre. You need us."
Hiccup growled his agreement, clawing at the ground beneath him.
The queen's booming roar rang out once more, stifling all other sounds. As it cut off, Hiccup could hear a ringing in his ears. It was eerie, like an echo or an aftershock.
Hiccup was so preoccupied with the sound that he didn't notice that the queen had moved until her massive shadow fell over the trio.
"Run!" Urged Stoick, grabbing Astrid's arm and dragging her out of range.
Hiccup flew under the beast's legs and out of her line of fire. Swerving up and shooting high into the sky, he took a minute to circle the monster from above.
He'd been hoping to spot a weakness, or an existing wound that he could take advantage of – surely one of the warriors had gotten a lucky shot? It was a fruitless search, as the goliath gave no sign indicating either existed.
The only thing that gave him any shred of hope was the sight of the creature's wings. They looked somewhat tattered and torn, and he wondered if the queen was even able to fly with them.
Could he lead the monster away long enough for the vikings to escape? Or, considering the state of the ships, long enough to hide away until the beast retreated to her nest? If he could buy his tribe time, perhaps he could save them.
It was a long shot, but it was all he had.
Charging up a plasma blast, he divebombed the queen, letting loose his fire on the wings once he was at a close range. The queen snarled in rage, but the wings did not even flutter.
Undeterred, Hiccup repeated the motion twice more. Finally, the queen began to unfurl her wings.
Hiccup ascended, taking note of the large wingspan. Though scratched, and with a few holes here and there in the membrane, the wingspan of the beast looked more than capable of flight.
Now or never.
He took a shot at one of the queen's eyes, drawing her attention directly to him. With fury, the giant dragon rose up into the sky after him.
Hiccup knew that his only hope was to rely on the speed and agility that set Night Furies apart from the rest of dragonkind. He could not hope to match the raw firepower of the queen, nor did he have the size advantage required to do any significant damage with his teeth or claws.
He shrieked at the dragon, making sure that her focus remained on him, before shooting up deep into the cloud cover.
It was dark, as smoke and ash from the queen's earlier attacks had clouded the sky around the island. Hiccup used that to his advantage, letting his dark scales blend against the natural camouflage provided.
He took a few more shots at her wings, wondering briefly if a fall from this height would at last cripple the dragon. Could she swim? He considered leading the queen further over the ocean, where the depths could overwhelm something of her size.
His thoughts were interrupted as a wild blaze of fire broke forth. He swerved to avoid the path of the blast, the action sending him back towards shore.
The opportunity to seek deeper water had passed.
His mind reeled as he circled the large shape, fumbling for a new plan. Like all dragons, the queen's scales were fireproof. He could do damage to her eyes or wing membrane, but those were the only parts of a dragon's hide that burned. Anywhere with scales was a waste of a shot.
That's it!
A crazy idea began to take root in his mind.
He veered upwards, shooting up as high into the sky as he dared. He could see the queen spinning below, trying to find his dark form in the clouds.
If this was to work, he'd need to time it just right.
Hiccup bellowed, straining his vocal cords as he projected the sound as loudly as he could. The queen's head snapped up, and she began to race towards him in rage.
He dove, shooting a quick blast at her wings.
C'mon!
The queen's jaws opened, a spark of fire beginning to form.
Now!
Hiccup threw all his strength into a plasma blast, sending it straight down the dragon's throat. There was a muffled boom as the shot hit its mark and then the queen ignited.
Hiccup's eyes widened in horror as he realized what was happening. He'd been hoping to burn the dragon from inside, but he'd caught her as the gas from her own fire was building. The result had caused the beast to begin to explode from the intense pressure within.
He pumped his wings desperately, trying to put as much space between himself and the dying queen as possible. Already her skin was beginning to tear from the inside out, no longer able to contain the inferno to her body.
He twisted in the air, angling himself towards the safety of the beach. If he could just get out of range of the blast, he'd have a chance.
To his horror, the queen tipped to the side, sending her body falling down in his direction. He tried to speed up, muscles crying out as he did. A familiar whistle filled the air as he reached speeds only achievable by a Night Fury.
I'm gonna make it! He thought.
Then, something slammed into him. He hit the sand hard, weight landing squarely on his left leg before he was sent skidding across the beach. The inferno licked at his heels as he slid and to his horror, a familiar sensation of bones rearranging followed.
The last thing he was aware of before losing consciousness was a debilitating pain in his left leg.
Stoick was running as fast as his feet could carry him, weaving roughly through the crowd of battered vikings. He'd apologize later – for now, he needed to get to his son.
There had been very few times in the chief's life that he'd felt truly powerless, but none could compare to seeing Hiccup face down that monstrosity and having no way to help. Aside from a few flashes of fire in the clouds, he'd been unable to follow the fight as it progressed.
Each flash of purple brought him hope, reminding him that Hiccup was still alive. Each column of orange sent shivers down his spine, reaffirming that the monster was as well.
When he saw the queen fall, he'd assumed it was a move of retreat. It wasn't until the beast began to burst that he realized his son had actually managed to kill the creature.
His son had done the impossible. It had taken a dragon to defeat the queen, and without Hiccup's condition, such a feat may never have been achieved. Today, his boy's curse had been a true gift to his people.
It was a startling thought, but Stoick could not deny the truth of it. Stoick was overwhelmed with pride for his son at that moment, eyes growing misty.
Then Hiccup had come barreling out of the sky, frantically picking up speed. Stoick had never considered Night Furies to be small until he saw the hulking form of the queen falling towards the black dragon.
His breath had caught in his throat, a deep sense of trepidation taking root. The chances of his son making it clear of the demon's path as it fell were slim at best.
The whistle of the Night Fury whipped the tribe into a new frenzy, cutting off the cheers of celebration. All eyes watched as the dragon struck the ground, momentum continuing to carry it across the beach.
Stoick was still a distance away when he saw the shift, leaving a pale boy curled up on the shore. The queen's fire was still raging, and had begun to consume one of Hiccup's boots.
No.
Stoick swore, closing the gap between him and his injured son.
"Hiccup!" He yelled as he approached, grasping the boy by the shoulders and dragging him out of the blaze. Once confident they were a safe distance away, he began frantically throwing sand on the boy's burning leg. Once the fire was properly suffocated, Stoick got his first look at the damage.
The heat of the queen's fire, combined with the force at which Hiccup had hit the beach left behind a grim result. The shin bone was shattered – fragments sticking out through the sparse remains of his charred skin. The foot itself was gone, leaving behind a mangled mess of flesh. Blood pooled into the sand below, staining it red.
"Oh, Hiccup…"
Gobber was beside him a minute later, crying out loudly when he spotted the injury. His face twisted in despair as he took in the sight.
Stoick met his eyes, a sad understanding passing between the two vikings. There was no way to salvage such a wound – for his own good, Hiccup's leg would have to go.
Gobber rolled his shoulders, dropping to his knees beside the boy. He braced an elbow on Hiccup's chest, using his good hand to steady the knee of the wounded leg.
"Ready a torch!" Stoick yelled with authority, not turning his attention to the building crowd.
Stoick sent a silent plea that his son would forgive him before swinging the axe down with all his might, severing the charred flesh in one fell swoop.