The morning light peered through as Stoick opened his front door. A Chief's duties started at first light, and today would not change that. Unlike with most mornings, which he walked out the door, stretched and allowed himself a brief moment of peace, today was in a rush, as when he opened the door, all he heard was the sound of steel on steel. The large Chief grabbed for his axe as he donned his helmet, quickly running to the village green where the sounds were emanating from.
He arrived in a huff to find Viggo and Hiccup locked in combat. Hiccup was wielding twin swords that were cutting through the air with deadly precision, while Viggo had a bigger hand a half sword that many warriors would have already fallen too. Both had looks of fierce concentration on their faces, their sword work was both deadly and brilliant. One wrong move could lead to death.
"ENOUGH OF THIS!" Stoick roared, slamming his axe into the ground, "What in the Hel are you two fools doing."
"It's called sparring Stoick." Viggo spoke, unimpressed, yet breathing heavily.
"Aye, I always have a good spar in the morning. It gets the blood flowing and the body moving." Hiccup grinned.
"Stoick started looking around noticing many of the two's men had been watching this, seated or leaning against things to get good views. Many of his own villagers doing the same.
"Besides, do you really think I would fight Hiccup without armor?" Viggo said unamused, "That would be the equivalent to suicide."
Stoick then noticed the state of the two fighters. Both were shirtless, merely clad in their pants and boots. Or in Hiccup's case one boot, his prothesis on display for once. Sweat was dripping down their bodies, freezing when it finally hit the ground.
"Aye, fighting without armor against either of us would be foolish, considering the last time we were in full gear and still almost died." Hiccup stated, rubbing his chest, a scar in the middle of his chest close to where his heart would be, Viggo was doing the same.
In doing so, Hiccup pulled Stoick's, as well as several others, eyes to his body. He was covered in scars. Stab wounds, leaving smaller dark ellipses where blades had sunk in deep. Cut marks, that left thin long darker lines. Whip marks, thin lines dancing across the skin. Burn marks, the skin whiter and slightly distended.
"Hiccup." Stoick murmured, wide eyed.
Again, he wasn't the only one. Many others were surprised by this, that Hiccup was strong willed enough to survive many of the marks. While many of the women, admired the body. Strong lean muscle, with hardly any fat, that was Hiccup.
"Stoick?" Hiccup said, eyebrow raised, with an unamused look.
"Uh, yes." Stoick tried to recover, "How about no fighting or sparring while you both finish deciding if you are allies."
"Hmmm, well how about we finish this up." Viggo spoke seriously, "So, last bit of business."
"Aye." Hiccup said, his raised eyebrow moved to Viggo now.
"Let us do away with the falsities, Hiccup. I know you have a spy in my camp, just as I know you have a spy in mine." Viggo said looking Hiccup right in the eye.
"I will not deny that. Go on." Hiccup spoke curiously.
"Let us recall them, a test of faith we'll say." Viggo said with a grin.
"So, you have uncovered ours as well?" Hiccup matched Viggo's grin.
"Aye." Viggo replied, motioning a man forward who pushed a roped-up girl into the clearing, "I believe she is one of yours, correct?"
"Aye. Cut her free would you." Hiccup motioned and Eret pushed a bound and gagged man forward, "An this be yours I believe."
"Aye." Viggo responded, as the both were cut and freed.
"Good to see you still in good health Heather." Hiccup grinned at the girl.
"Good to be in good health my jarl. Surprised I'm still alive." Heather said, as she rubbed her wrists.
"So that was it then?" Viggo questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"Of course, Heather is very good at her job." Hiccup responded.
"So, you won't mind if I kill this man then?" Viggo spoke, and as he did so Ryker stepped forth with a man, knife loosely held to his throat, "We have been suspicious of him for a while, but he proved himself last night spying on myself and Ryker as we talked through our plans."
"Go ahead then. Slit his throat, he's not one of ours." Hiccup almost laughed out, eyebrow raised.
"You sure about that Hiccup, I'd hate to kill one of yours just because you had been caught in a lie." Ryker growled out.
"Quit showboating and kill him already, he not one of ours." Eret spoke looking Ryker dead on.
"Do it, Ryker." Vigo said looking Hiccup dead in the eye.
Before Ryker could slit the man's throat, the man stomped on his foot and expertly twisted out from his grip, before sprinting away.
"Well great job there Ryker, guess its my turn to bring him in." Hiccup said, eyebrows raised.
"Dammit Ryker. Go ahead my friend." Viggo grimaced.
"Eret." Hiccup spoke, tossing both his blades to the man, who easily caught them. "He's what two hundred paces now?"
"Aye my Jarl. There is also a bit of a breeze, from the northwest if I'm not mistaken." Eret spoke, toying with the swords he had caught, all the Hooligans looking on cluelessly.
"Shouldn't one of you lot got get him?" Spitlout growled, still not happy about the whole situation.
"Meh, Hiccup's about to." Ryker shrugged.
"Two hundred and fifty paces by your release my Jarl." The previously named Heather, spoke up.
Hiccup nodded, cracking his neck, and looking at where his jacket was laid on a rock, a quiver full of arrows strapped to the back. Suddenly, he leaped in its direction, landing in a front roll. As he did, he jerked an object off the back of his pants with his right hand. By the time he had came out of the roll, it had extended into a bow. He easily established himself in the kneeling position, in one motion he jerked out two arrows, quickly letting them loose at the same time. The twin flying bolts embedded themselves in the back of the man's knees, piercing all the way through, and out the front. As the man screamed, Hiccup turned away, bringing up his left hand and letting loose a whistle. His right, replacing the bow that had once more folded up. An unnatural scream was heard followed by a bright flash of light. The Night Fury descended, and many realized exactly why the Night Fury was called the unholy offspring of lightning and death, scooping the man off the ground. Hiccup motioned for and then caught his swords resheathing them and then putting on his jacket, leaving it open. Toothless dropped the man in front of Hiccup, claws on the man's chest, letting loose a roar that echoed throughout Berk.
"Thank you, my friend." Hiccup spoke, reaching out and petting the dragon. Toothless grinned, giving a low murmur, before taking off again. The Hooligans were once again, amazed and terrified by Hiccup's show of power and strength.
"Death would have been kinder." Viggo murmured.
"Aye." Ryker growled.
"Why do you say that?" Stoick murmured.
"Hiccup, will find out who he works for and everything he knows, and it will not be a very pleasant experience either." Viggo spoke, almost sympathetically.
"Wha?" Stoick's eyes grew wide at this revelation.
"It matters not Furious," the man on the ground laughed, "Our master is aware of you and the hunters joining together. He has always been aware of your actions. You were his prized pet. He will have you again. He will send them, and you will watch everyone die. Some probably by your own hand."
"Eret." Hiccup growled out.
"Yes, my Jarl." Eret said, stepping up.
"Bind him, take him, and prepare him." Hiccup growled out, "I will be a having a discussion with him."
The word discussion was said with an inflection that cause all present to feel a chill run down their spine. Eret nodded, grabbing the man on the ground, dragging him by everyone. The man screaming curses at everyone from Hiccup to the gods themselves.
"Hiccup, he can't possibly mean them." Viggo growled out, worry evident in his eye.
"Aye." Hiccup murmured, "He means them. They will be the first strike, a surprise attack. They are the best he has, the one edge over Drago he has. He won't send many of them until we prove we are a major threat. He needs to keep them close to keep his and Drago's partnership even. Unlike ours their partnership is one of necessity, and they keep it by basically holding a blade to each other's throats."
"Aye, but you better have a plan then, looks like we have no choice now. Our lot is fully thrown in with you." Viggo sighed.
"Ow about someone cluing the rest of us in. Who in the nine realms are they?" Stoick growled at the two.
"The Forsaken." Ryker answered.
"Who are the Forsaken?" Stoick growled.
"Maybe we should take this somewhere private." was Viggo's only response, Stoick grunted his ascent, and they all quickly took over the mead hall once again.
"Now answer the question," Spitelout growled, "Who are the Forsaken?"
"They are the true elites of Grimmel's army. The best of the best. Ruthless killers, that get the job done in the most efficient and bloodthirsty manner." Viggo said, toying with a knife at his side.
"We have all faced men like that." Spitelout said, shoulders shrugging.
"NO." Hiccup said, having slammed his hand into the table and stood up, "You have never faced anything like the Forsaken. No one has."
"Boy, they are simply men. They will die like any other." Spitelout growled back.
"Be glad Eret son of Eret was not here Spitelout, he is known for doing exactly as he says he will. So, I would advise remembering his threat about how you reference Hiccup." Viggo interrupted, glaring, "Hiccup explain to the men what exactly the Forsaken are. Even I do not know their full story."
"Fine." Hiccup growled, sitting down, "Grimmel finds people at their absolute lowest, either through luck or his own mechanizations, then he breaks them. Leaving them in cold, muddy pits, without food, water, clothes or anything for days. Then he will put two in together, with one message. Kill or be killed, the survivor will be given food and water. So, you hold out until one breaks and it's a fight for survival in that pit. You have no weapons, so you use your hands and feet, teeth and nails whatever you can to make it. Winner gets fed almost raw beef and a flask of ale. They take the flask back and it is back to waiting. Starving and cold, until you are thrown in with another, and its time to fight for survival again. This repeats several times. Until it changes. Instead of being thrown in with one, you are thrown in with seven others. Once again you are told to kill or be killed. Instead of one on one, you have to fight several at once, sometimes thinking you are about to die and yet you still fight on. Once there is but one left, they drag the bodies out, and feed you. Then you are starved again, and the situation repeats, until you are the only one left. At that point you are not human, you are almost an animal. He brakes you. Then he rebuilds you. You are washed and shaved and then dressed in the barest of clothes and chained in the center of a dry cave. Around you is a circle of torches, with enough room between the wall and torches for people to walk. They deprive you of sleep in increments. Chanting to you, brainwashing you into Grimmel's service. Eventually it is all you think about. Eventually they are not the only ones chanting. You have been broken, and now you have lost yourself. Then they start training you. You are brought away from your cave, trained by the best of them. In fighting, in spying, in every form of war Grimmel thinks you need to be able to use. Before being returned. When you eventually master things to the level he expects, you are graduated. Where, by his hand you stand naked before him in the freezing cold, and he takes a brand and marks the center of your back with it. If you flinch you are immediately killed by those around you, if not you have officially joined the ranks of the Forsaken. He has broken you, made you lose yourself, and rebuilt you as his personal weapon. A weapon that will fight until even moments after its death. A weapon that will kill anything or anyone told to, man, woman, or child, it makes no difference. The perfect weapon, his perfect weapon."
All were speechless, even Viggo had not heard how the Forsaken were trained.
"So, they are monsters." Gobber sighed.
"Yes, they are." Hiccup answered.
"How do you know all of this?" Spitelout growled.
"Isn't it obvious?" Hiccup sneered.
"You were one of them, weren't you?" Stoick almost whispered.
"No, I wasn't one of them." Hiccup laughed as they all breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank the gods." Stoick sighed.
"No, it is much worse than that, I led them." Hiccup said baring his teeth in a very animalistic grin.