Chapter 8: Fog On The Downs
Fog On The Downs
It was a very calm and quiet night as they glided along over the Bywater. The moon was bright in the heavens above, and the wind was gently blowing from out of the South.
Toothless looked down on all the Hobbits below. They were all going to their regular pack ceremony of drinking, eating, and bonding. There were many pairs of mates, arm in arm together, walking to the ceremony. Some of them had their young with them.
Seeing that goodness reminded him of that emptiness in his heart and in his soul-fire. Watching other pairs of dragons tending to their eggs and hatchlings or tenderly nuzzling each other was warming but also chilling because it reminded him of what he was unlikely to ever know, being the only one of his kind.
"Hiccup?"
"Toothless?"
"How old are you?"
Hiccup blinked in surprise at that question.
"Uh, seventeen. Why do you ask?"
Toothless barked in surprise and amazement of his own.
"You have ten and seven years!"
"Yes..."
"Me also! Well, that is how many winters I remember."
Hiccup recovered himself with a gasp.
"Toothless, we are the same age! That is... amazing."
Toothless purred warmly and nodded in agreement. Then Hiccup spoke up.
"A question for you, bud. How fast did you grow up?"
"Hmm, slowly compared to other dragons. I got to my full size two years ago."
"But you had your fire before then, yes?"
A nod and purr.
"Yes, about five years ago."
Hiccup did some quick mental math and realized something.
"That is when the Night Fury appeared on Berk again! Well, when you appeared, I guess."
"How did you notice?" Toothless asked.
Hiccup only sighed and looked out into the darkness, remembering many nights long ago when he would look up at the sky and wonder about seeing a moving void among the stars.
"I was kind of obsessed with being the first person to... uh... kill a Night Fury... yeah, so I wanted to learn as much about them as I could. There was never much... good job of staying illusive by the way. We never really knew what you looked like. My dad told me that the Night Fury disappeared about twenty years ago and then came back... right about when you joined on the raids."
Toothless flinched in midflight. His warm croon turned wary at the reminder.
"Really good strategy there, bud. Taking out the towers made the raids much better..."
"I," Toothless sighed, "wanted to help protect the other dragons..."
A growl and snarl followed.
"I would not help the Monster by bringing food for it myself, but it would have been wrong of me to not protect the rest of them."
Hiccup gently patted Toothless's neck.
"It is alright, bud. I understand and don't blame you. I noticed that you never tried to hit anyone on the towers or on the ground."
Toothless nodded and hummed sadly.
"True. There were some Vikings who were... hit... but I never tried to kill them. They got in the way. Some dragons did like the fighting with tooth and claw. Sometimes I have dreams about the ones who did die to my fire. I wish they did not die in fighting, but I had to fight and protect the other dragons..."
Hiccup sighed, remembering that those people who were killed included people from Berk. Some of the more aggressive dragons also did seem to have fought unnecessarily on the ground, as though they enjoyed the fighting.
"Maybe we shouldn't talk about that. We can put that life behind us."
Toothless again glanced back at him.
"Are you sure?"
Together, they both looked down to the rolling hills of the Shire and the lights by the Bywater.
"I think so. This looks like a peaceful world without armies and armadas."
"But there are undead things that need killing," Toothless rumbled and wiggled his ears.
"Yeah, whatever it is out there, we will go show it that you have teeth and fire..."
Hiccup frowned at the realization that he would have to meet the Mayor soon. Authority figures had never been the most stellar people in his own life. Frodo had explained that the Mayor was loosely a leader for the Shire, but a lot of decisions were left to the different regions of the Shire.
Something like the Chief, except he delegates a lot to his people. That makes a lot of sense. Better than what dad tried to do, involving himself every single problem. No task is too small...
He passed the time by poring over maps that Bilbo and Frodo had laying around Bag-end. Frodo had also kindly taken the time to walk him through the most important places: the great Misty Mountains, Erebor, the forests of Lorien and Mirkwood, the plains of Rohan, the realm of Gondor, and a place called Mordor far off on the other side of the maps. Frodo did not talk about the last place much, only saying that it was a bad place where no one in their right mind would ever want to go. Further, the maps of the North did not include the Archipelago, which was very confusing since he knew that there definitely was one.
The sound of shears cutting the grass outside the window were the only sound in the peaceful quiet. Samwise Gamgee was going about his gardening duties.
"These people don't know how good they have it," he sighed.
Frodo eagerly hurried over to him early in the afternoon.
"Hiccup, the Mayor is here to see us."
"What do I need to do?"
Frodo gave him a smug grin.
"Don't you worry about anything; I will do all the talking. The story is that you and your friend are old acquaintances of Bilbo's; you are warriors he met on some distant adventure. You are now here to help us with a problem, the wight in the Barrow-downs, in return for being allowed to live in the Shire after the job is done. Got it?"
Hiccup nodded in understanding.
"Sounds easy enough. When do we bring Toothless here?"
"I would like to talk with Will and introduce you to him first. Then I will keep him here while you go get Toothless from the forest. Oh, one more thing..."
"Yes?"
"Will is very... how should I say it... plump."
"Plump?"
"He is probably the fattest Hobbit in the Westfarthing."
Hiccup chuckled at the image. While many of the Hobbits certainly enjoyed a few extra cakes or mugs of ale and did not mind it showing, few of them appeared to have let themselves go too wildly.
"Some people back on Berk were like that. Very big, but strong underneath. They said that the extra blubber helped keep them warm in the winter."
He took a breath to steady himself and then followed after Frodo out the door. A small crowd of very well-dressed Hobbits were gathered around another Hobbit who was wearing a red coat. Said Hobbit was on the tall side for Hobbits, carried himself with a somewhat haughty air, and also looked to be slightly older.
He was also very plump.
"Mayor Whitfoot! A pleasure to see you here at Hobbiton," Frodo began.
"Mister Baggins, I hear that your Uncle Bilbo has finally done it! Vanished into thin air!" Will cheerfully answered.
Frodo blinked, as if for some reason he was slightly unsettled by what the Mayor said, but he shook it off and greeted Will with a polite shake of the Mayor's hand.
"Yes, my Uncle has left the Shire and gave Bag-End to me."
"Most appropriate. And what do we have here?" Will noticed Hiccup, "A Man in Hobbiton. How curious. What is your name, good sir?"
"Haddock, Mayor Whitfoot," Hiccup politely answered.
"He is one of the ones I mentioned in my letter, Mayor," Frodo continued.
"Is he indeed? Doesn't look like a fighter, but what do I know of Men? We never see any of them in Hobbiton. Well, this should be interesting. Do you have afternoon tea ready?" Will eagerly asked.
Hiccup rolled his eyes as he thought back over the list of meals that Hobbits enjoyed: breakfast, second breakfast, elevensies, luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner, and supper.
"Afternoon tea and some pastries for the three of us. What kind of Hobbit would I be if I was not ready to welcome guests?" Frodo laughed.
"Indeed. That would be most disreputable. Well, let us go now. I'm feeling quite peckish," Will agreed.
The three of them set out up the hill to Bag-end. The crowd of Hobbits who were eager to entertain the Mayor remained outside, chatting with each other about the various goings-on throughout the wider Shire.
"I do hope that this does not take too long. I was just catching up with the Bracegirdles and Proudfeet when you found me!"
"Not too long, Mayor. Maybe half an hour at most," Frodo answered.
"Excellent. Perfect amount of time for tea, cakes, gossip, and serious business..."
Hiccup, Frodo, and the Mayor eventually settled down at Frodo's table. Will began helping himself to a copious number of cakes and pastries in between his sips of tea. Meanwhile, Hiccup and Frodo shared subtle, amused looks between themselves.
"So, Mayor Whitfoot, you remember why I asked you out here?" Frodo began.
Will took a break from munching on his cakes.
"Something about... business? Boring things."
"Even if it is about the Barrow-downs?"
Will sputtered at that and looked up in alarm.
"The... the... the Downs..."
"Yeah, remember all those stories about the ghosts in the Barrows?"
Will shivered slightly and took a long drink of warm tea.
"Gives me the creeps every time I hear about it. A farmer or trader goes missing, and it all becomes my problem."
"Perfect. We may have something to help with this problem," Frodo then offered.
"What is it?" Will wondered.
Frodo gestured at Hiccup.
"Mister Haddock, you are a great warrior in your own way, yes? You have slain countless enemies!"
"Definitely..."
"Wonderful! Would you please go get your friend and bring him here to the Hill? I will explain everything to the Mayor while you are gone."
"Friend? What friend?" Will asked in curiosity as Hiccup left Bag-end.
"Remember, Toothless, we don't want to scare them at all."
Toothless nodded and purred softly, his ears twitching in the wind.
"I understand. I will be on my best behavior. No teeth, no fire, no growling, only a polite and harmless little Night Fury..."
"That sounds like a good plan. Remember, think 'winged salamander!'"
"What is that?"
"It's a really cute.. a... actually, I'm not saying..."
He was slapped with an ear while Toothless laughed.
"What was that for?"
"You deserved it. I know it!" Toothless barked.
They glided in over Hobbiton, and then the hill under which Bag-end was built was immediately before them down below. As Hiccup expected, a small crowd of Hobbits were standing outside on the path before the house, and Frodo was clearly in animated conversation with the Mayor.
He knew that he and Toothless were clearly visible in the sky.
"Alright, it's go time!" Hiccup eagerly announced.
They pitched down in a gentle dive toward the house, and Toothless flung out his wings to land, eventually touching down on the main path and trotting to a stop.
"There they are!" Frodo shouted.
Toothless, Hiccup still strapped into the saddle, walked calmly up the path. The Hobbits had far more varied reactions.
Some of the ladies fainted dead away and collapsed where they had been standing. Some of the men turned around and ran yelling down the path toward the market. Others stood still, as if in a stupor, with their eyes very wide as the dragon calmly approached.
"Toothless! Mister Haddock! Good to see you both again!" Frodo declared and strode forward to meet them.
The Hobbit stopped a couple paces from Toothless and then bowed respectfully. Toothless similarly inclined his head and hummed softly. Then they both glanced back at the stunned Mayor who was staring at them in disbelief.
"See, I was telling you the truth all along! They are here to help us," Frodo cheerfully explained.
"Is it... well, I never... is it... what in the... it's a real... dragon!" Will vigorously pointed a finger.
Hiccup dismounted and stood at Toothless's shoulder.
"I believe he is. Toothless, are you a real dragon?"
Snort.
"Yes, but not a winged whatever you called me..."
"And it talks too!" Will exclaimed.
"Sometimes I wish he didn't," Hiccup began when he was then batted in the head by a paw. "Alright, I deserved that one..."
"Yes, you did," Toothless huffed.
"And are you hungry for Hobbit?" Hiccup teased.
"No, but I might be for Viking!" Toothless narrowed his eyes on him.
Hiccup flicked an ear while rolling his eyes.
"Well, it is good that there are no Vikings here!"
They both burst out in laughter at that, and Frodo joined in. Their jovial laughter shattered much of the remaining reluctance among the Hobbits as they began inching closer while staying behind their Mayor.
"And, is it true? The reason why you are here?" Will exclaimed, his hands in the pockets of his expansive waistcoat.
Hiccup stepped forward and took a deep breath, knowing that this was a crucial moment. This was his opportunity to be a peacemaker and do something right for a change!
Please don't screw this up...
"We, Toothless and I, left our old home far in the North. We want somewhere we can live in peace. Somewhere like the Shire. We'd be willing to work, both of us, to earn our keep here. And to prove ourselves to you, we will help with your ghost problem in the Barrow-downs."
That made many eyes go wide in amazement. Lots of Hobbits also started whispering in fear and surprise.
"What do you think about that, Mayor Whitfoot? Is that a fair trade?" Hiccup asked.
The Mayor paced with his hands in his pockets.
"Well, uh, we don't really like having outsiders... let alone a real dragon... in the Shire, but..."
Both Hiccup and Toothless held their breath as the Mayor considered the situation.
"But the Barrows have been a... haunted place for generations. Are you sure that you are able to deal with it?"
Hiccup nodded toward Toothless.
"How about you ask him?"
Will was definitely hesitant to look up at Toothless, but the Mayor did manage to maintain his composure, for the most part.
"Dragon, are you sure you can do this?"
"Yes, I have my fire."
"Why are you doing this?"
Toothless glanced at Hiccup and then slowly stepped closer to the Hobbits. Then he knelt down to be on the same level as the Mayor.
"I want to help you Hobbits and earn a place for myself and my friend."
Stunned silence followed that statement until Frodo eagerly stepped forward and stood at Toothless's shoulder.
"See, told you so. How about it, Mayor? Let Mister Haddock and a friendly dragon live with us, maybe even help protect us against any strange folk from beyond, and they will get rid of some ghosts for us. Maybe even find some treasure for us in the Barrows. It sounds to me like a very good deal for you."
Will nodded in agreement after a moment of thought.
"True. And if they die in the Barrows, it is no great loss to us."
"Yeah, that sounds just great..." Hiccup muttered.
"Well, go and get a move on. We'll be right here when you are finished," Will cheerfully encouraged them.
Hiccup looked down on the rolling forest below and found himself agreeing with Toothless's prior sentiments. Something about the old forest did not feel... right. It was impossible to figure how the sight of trees only could inspire such a feeling, but it was there nevertheless. The forest felt... wrong.
Alright, this place should be just past the forest if I remember correctly.
"Almost there, bud."
"What are we looking for?" Toothless rumbled back.
"I think the Downs are like a plain with rolling hills. Really not sure what else we will see there."
Hiccup's thoughts went again to the old stories of draugr and other undead things living in the crypts, contradictory though the concept of living dead things was.
Surely they were just stories told to keep people out of the burial places. After all, people are sometimes buried with treasures or family relics which a gods-denying person would want to steal.
Then he had a thought that made perfect sense.
"Toothless, there might be something in there after all. I think someone like an outcast is living in these tombs or caves."
"Outcast?"
"Someone who is not allowed to live in the village or the city because they do not follow the rules."
Toothless nodded in understanding and gave a faint growl.
"Some dragons could not live in... peace... in the nest. Other dragons would chase them out of the nest, or the monster would eat them to stop others from dying in fights."
"Did dragons fight a lot?"
"Yes, much. Mostly among their own kinds to impress mates or claim a place in the nest order."
They flew out over the end of the forest, and something caught their attention.
"Uh, Toothless, why do I think that is it up ahead?"
"Why do you?"
"It looks spooky."
They both stared at the grassy plain filled with rolling hills and no trees. There was something that was terribly wrong about this land. Unlike the old forest, which held a hidden menace and chill, what was unsettling about this place was very obvious.
The Downs were partially covered in fog despite it being the afternoon. Fog always burned off during the day, but not here.
Thick, misty fog hovered over every valley and floated down the slopes. Small hills stuck out from the fog like islands in an ocean. A single, large rock formation like a marker rose up from the mist on the side of the largest hill near the center of the mist.
"Creepy, huh?" Hiccup chuckled.
"Ground clouds... those do not happen much. They can be fun to sneak in," Toothless answered with a chuff.
Without wasting another moment, they dove toward the rock and entered the fog. The mist swam around them and swirled chaotically as the warmth of the sun was stolen away and a cold chill filled the air.
Then Toothless flung out his wings, slowed his dive, and touched down, gently prancing to a stop.
Neither of them moved as they stared into the thick mist. It was so thick that Hiccup could not see more than a dozen paces ahead.
Hiccup then dismounted and stood at Toothless's shoulder.
"Can't see anything in this mist," Hiccup observed.
Toothless gave a warm growl.
"I can."
"What? How?"
"Like this."
Toothless gave a very high screech that made Hiccup cover his ears. Hiccup winced and spun on Toothless, but he noticed something strange. The Fury's ears were lifted high and twitching.
"There is nothing around us," Toothless grunted.
"How do you know and what was that?"
"Sound-seeing."
"Huh?"
"Night Furies can see sound. That sound jumps back to me and I see shapes around me even in total dark."
Hiccup was amazed by that.
"Wow, bud. I had no idea you could do that. It would definitely help with night raids."
"Yes, it did..."
Even as they looked around, the mist before them flowed and parted, almost like it was making a path. But there was no wind.
That is definitely creepy.
Hiccup shivered again and gave himself a hug, putting his hands in his pockets. Clouds of mist formed at his every breath.
"Gods, is it that cold now?"
"These clouds block the sun," Toothless hissed softly.
"Right. Well, no turning back now, bud. It's go time!"
"Stay behind me. Remember that I have the fire," Toothless chuckled.
"Yeah, that is not going to change unless you... I don't know... change me into a dragon also or something..."
Toothless turned to him and gave him a very amused look and purr.
"Change Hiccup into a Night Fury? Why would I do that?" Toothless laughed heartily.
"Punishment, a gift, to save my life somehow, all are good reasons, I guess," Hiccup ticked off the reasons.
"Well, I will work on changing you into a Night Fury then, once I figure out how..."
"Yeeesh, there is one problem with that. Who would work your tailfin?"
They both snorted at that and then turned their attention to the path before them. Slow and cautious steps followed as they walked together with the mist curiously parting before them. Toothless's ears swiveled slightly as he listened for anything around them.
Hiccup felt the temperature dropping even further, impossible as that was, as he kept pace with Toothless. Something felt very strange about these Barrow-downs.
Definitely a good place for someone to hide in. People thinking it is haunted would only help with that. The weather here definitely contributes to people thinking it's haunted. Gods...
Then the mouth of what looked like a man-made tunnel lay before them. The crypt's entrance was framed by withered grass, and a very pale light glowed from deep within the inner dark.
"I do not like this..." Toothless hissed.
"Yeah, me neither, but we have to go in there. Just be ready in case it isn't empty..."
"I am always ready..."
Hiccup shivered openly as they walked into the Barrow. It felt as though the warmth of his blood was being stolen away. The withered grass underfoot gave way to a cold, rocky floor in the tunnel. The only sounds were the click of claws against the rock and their own heavy breaths, every exhale forming a small cloud of mist.
Then they turned a corner and froze in place as they stared in shock into the inner chamber.
Piled all around the walls of the sanctum were mounds of gold, coins, precious gems, armor, and weapons. There were several burial chambers where the dead were interred, and some of the chambers had been broken open. Desiccated corpses lay wrapped in burial linens on the stone tables.
Toothless stared at the piles of warm, precious gold and was amazed at the sight. He had never seen anything like this before.
This place was dark, safe from outsiders, and all the gold was sitting there, unclaimed by anyone.
He could claim it all and sit on the gold for all time and make it his and...
"That's something amazing. Isn't it, bud?" Hiccup breathed.
Toothless blinked and shook his head while growling softly.
What am I thinking...
Motion caught his gaze at the end of the passageway in the dark. A void was moving in the shadows.
"Gods, it's getting even colder. Should have brought a jacket," Hiccup muttered at his side.
He jumped over next to Hiccup while growling openly. Doing that spooked Hiccup because he jumped in surprise.
"Toothless, what is going on?"
He readied his fire and curled his tail around Hiccup to keep him safe against whatever this dark thing was.
"There is something here..." he hissed and snarled.
"What?" Hiccup gasped.
"Look!"
Then they both heard it: a faint song was echoing from down the cold, dark hall.
They went silent to listen to it, and then the words became clear.
"Cold be hand and heart and bone... and cold be sleep under stone... never more to wake on stony bed... never, till the Sun fails and the Moon is dead."
"In the black wind the stars shall die... and still on gold here let them lie... till the dark lord lifts his hand... over dead sea and withered land."
A darkness with glowing eyes floated above the ground at the far end of the hall.
Hiccup felt his eyes growing heavy as a great weariness came over him. The song swam in the cold, dark air around him and burrowed into his limbs.
So tired, weak, calm, and he needed rest now and his eyes were too heavy and it was safe to sleep here under stone and never wake from this bed.
He slumped against Toothless, and everything faded to darkness. The same darkness that he saw creeping toward him, reaching out, and dragging him down.
No life in the void.
Emptiness.
Dark.
"Hiccup!" Toothless growled and stretched out a wing to hold him close.
The dark shape kept slinking toward them, but it paused when he began holding his fire in his mouth to give some light. The shape considered his light for a few wingbeats, gave a shrieking wail that dug under his hide, and then advanced on him, almost flying in its haste.
He saw it coming closer, floating above the ground. A human-like shape under a torn, dark hide-cloak. The thing had glowing eyes and an outstretched paw of bone only.
It was coming to hurt or take his Hiccup!
His human brother!
Never!
He loosed his fire, a bright and screaming flame of purple wrath. The fire struck the not-dead, floating thing with a flash and storm of flames that tore through the cave as he curled around Hiccup to protect him.
A high, piercing scream and wail tore through the dark cave filled with fire. The wail grew louder, digging as if with claws at his ears, and then completely faded as the flame died out.
Silence followed.
A dark silence.
An empty silence.
A peaceful silence.
He snorted defiantly and growled at the smoldering remains of that thing. It was very dead now. If something that was dead could be made more dead, he had definitely done it.
Then there was motion at his side and under his wing.
"Unrgh... Tloohlesss," Hiccup groaned.
"Hiccup, you are safe now. I killed it."
For emphasis, he knelt down and licked Hiccup's face. That always worked whenever he needed to get Hiccup up, and this time was no different.
"Ugh, what happened?" Hiccup asked as he shakily got to his feet and wiped the drool from his face.
Toothless spun in place and growled at the thing that had been in this cave-den. Neither of them moved for a moment, and then Hiccup cautiously approached the smoking remains. He followed very closely behind Hiccup, just to keep him safer.
A skeleton was all that was left inside the charred and ripped shroud. Hiccup recoiled from it in shock and took several unsteady breaths.
"Oh gods, we just killed someone. What was that shot? You took all the meat off it..." Hiccup nervously chuckled.
"There was no meat on it."
Hiccup blinked and was dumbfounded as he stared. He unknowingly crept back against Toothless's chest as a creeping shiver crept down his spine.
"But that's... that's impossible! Bones don't walk around and... oh gods... are we sure it's... dead now?"
Toothless flamed the remains again and then stomped on them to be safe. The white, charred bones crunched and crackled under his paws and claws. Then he hopped back to Hiccup's side and snorted at the remains.
"That looks dead to me," he then purred.
The crunched bones did not move.
"Yeah, I hope so. Wait a minute," Hiccup paused, realizing something, "does it feel warmer?"
"Yes, it does. The cold is gone now."
"I wonder..." Hiccup turned back and dashed toward the exit with Toothless bounding along behind him.
They both darted outside the Barrow and into the warm, bright light of an afternoon sun. The thick, smothering mist that had been flowing in the valley just minutes earlier was completely gone now.
"Toothless, I think you did it! That thing is truly dead!"
Toothless gave a smug purr of triumph.
"I knew that my fire was hot."
Hiccup then put his hands on his head and started to pace.
"How was that thing... doing what it... did? I don't understand..."
Toothless rested his chin on Hiccup's shoulder to purr peace to him.
"I do not know. It is dead now. What should we do?"
Hiccup took a deep breath to steady himself, and then he stared back into the crypt.
"Okay, I think we should grab some proof that it is dead, and then we head back to the Shire."
"Stay with me."
They delved back inside the Barrow. It felt much warmer now than it had been only minutes before. But it was still a very creepy place because of the corpses and abandoned equipment inside.
Alright, what should I take as proof?
He saw the wight's pile of burned and torn robes.
Great, nothing better than that.
He very reluctantly picked up the ruined robes. He shivered as he removed the robes from the broken skeleton they were on and then shoved the robes into the saddlepack.
Then he saw a pile of swords and daggers on a stone table. These daggers were very different from the ones used back on Berk. Primarily, these were more finely made; they had ornate carvings in the hilts and on the blades themselves and had fiery stones gleaming on the hilts. The strange metal of the blades even glimmered in the pale light.
The ones back on Berk were purely practical and not usually used in actual fighting except maybe to throw. The last time he really used a dagger for anything involving self-defense was when he threw one away in the cove.
This world apparently had some dangers.
It might be a good idea to have something that is not Toothless to defend myself. Plus, bringing these back would be more proof of the successful mission. I don't think anyone would mind me taking a couple of these.
He selected a pair of the ornate daggers and stowed them away with the wight's robes in the saddlepack. Then he patted Toothless on the shoulder as the Fury stared at the pile of treasure, weapons, and armor.
"Alright, let's go back now."
Toothless glanced over his shoulder toward the pile of gold and jewels. They were surely precious things. As strong as the calling was to that place, Hiccup wanted to leave.
And so did he. These Barrows were not a good place.
"Yes, we should fly."
He followed Hiccup out into the open air and then flared his wings as Hiccup hopped on his back. One final, subtle glance went back into the place filled with the unclaimed treasure.
Then he huffed and jumped for the sky.
They touched down on the edge of the Old Forest. Hiccup had asked that they land so that they could talk.
"Toothless, what happened back there?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean," Hiccup shivered at the memory of the crypt, "I don't know what happened. There was a song and that... wight thing, but I don't remember anything else..."
Toothless warbled softly. He did not want to have to tell Hiccup this.
"You... collapsed against me. Then I flamed that thing, and you woke up."
"I... fainted when I saw it or heard it? That's not surprising..." Hiccup mumbled.
Toothless stepped over and roughly nudged him in the belly with a paw.
"You should not say that about yourself!"
"But I did. I cannot fight anything, even bad things."
"You heard what Frodo said. That thing had been taking people for a long time, yes?"
"Yeah..."
"So it is not only you who were afraid."
"Toothless, that doesn't matter! I'm still a coward. I'm nothing without you..."
Toothless growled freely and snarled at that.
"Hiccup, you went alone into the woods and freed a wild dragon instead of killing it... me! You are not a coward!"
A long silence followed between them.
"But it is true that you do not know how to fight well. You do not need to as long as I am here, and I am never leaving you unprotected. You know that."
Hiccup slumped with a shrug.
"Yeah, but I wish I could protect myself too."
Toothless purred softly and grinned back at Hiccup.
"You just need to learn to have claws and teeth of your own."
"I guess so. Let's just go," Hiccup sighed.
Neither of them said anything more about what happened as they glided in over Hobbiton and saw their destination. They had been gone most of the afternoon, and it was near sundown. There were still a number of Hobbits out and going about their business, most of them down by the Bywater.
"What do you say, bud? Shall we go down and introduce ourselves again?"
Toothless nodded and dove toward the clearing while not making the wind scream in pain. There was no reason to scare the Hobbits.
Then he touched down and trotted to a stop. Hiccup hopped down and stood at his shoulder. As they both suspected would happen, the crowd of Hobbits began running around while yelling at each other and pointing at him.
"Dragon!" "Get down!" "It's them!" "Hide!" "They're back!" "Told you!" "Don't eat me!"
Then a pair of very familiar faces came forth from the crowd.
"Toothless! Hiccup! Good to see you two again!" Frodo cheerfully greeted them as the Mayor made his dignified approach.
"Frodo..." Toothless hummed softly to the familiar Hobbit.
"I take it that there is no more wight problem in the Downs, now is there?" Frodo asked after eagerly glancing at the gathered crowd.
Hiccup and Toothless shivered slightly at that innocent reminder of what had just happened to them and what they had seen in the Downs. There was one more very direct reminder of that thing which they still had to share as proof.
"Go on, bud, tell them," Hiccup whispered.
Toothless took a deep breath and then lifted his head to look directly at the Mayor.
"Yes, I killed it with my fire. Hiccup, will you show them?"
Hiccup then opened the saddlepack and took out the charred remains of the wight's robes. He still trembled slightly while holding the robes, but he took some slight comfort that Will also looked disturbed as he beheld the remains. Finally, he pulled out the pair of old and ornate daggers and held them out for the audience of Hobbits to see.
"And... it is really gone now? The Downs are safe now?" Will eagerly exclaimed.
"That thing is very dead now. Toothless flamed it and stepped on its bones. The mist that was over the Barrows is gone now. There's also a lot of treasure down there," Hiccup explained.
That remark about treasure caused muttering and whispering. There was a lot of commentary about the cursed hills, things that go bump in the night, an eerie and haunting song, and piles of gold and jewels.
Then Hiccup noticed something else that was very good. There was, as far as he could tell, very little muttering and whispering directed at Toothless or his being a dragon.
"What did we miss?" Hiccup asked Frodo.
Frodo glanced at the Mayor, who amazingly gestured at him to continue. That may simply be that Frodo was clearly more familiar with and comfortable around Toothless.
Frodo then crossed his arms and assumed what Hiccup recognized as a look of pretend pouting.
"I spent the whole afternoon talking with the Mayor and the other Hobbits of Hobbiton about the plan for you two. That you both want to live here with us and were willing to do something good for us to prove yourselves."
Hiccup shared a glance with Toothless and gave him an encouraging nod.
Both of them were wondering what was going to follow.
"I will be honest, a lot of people were and are still worried about having a dragon live among us," Frodo began.
Toothless wilted slightly.
"But I told them all that you are not like the dragon we heard about in Bilbo's old stories. You do not want gold and you want to live in peace with us."
Toothless looked up at the Hobbits around them. They looked... very small of course, but there was no clear hostility in them. There was some fear in their eyes.
He had an idea.
He stepped toward the other Hobbits, looked toward them, and deliberately bowed his head and wings. Then he addressed them all.
"We do. I do. My human friend and I have no other place in the world."
"You have no home?" Frodo asked, while raising his voice to the gathered crowd.
"No, we do not," Toothless answered him.
Hiccup stepped forward and addressed everyone at once.
"I know that letting a dragon live with you would be... different, and he needs to eat more than you do, but we will help earn our keep here. Will you excellent and admirable Hobbits give us a chance?"
All the Hobbits murmured among themselves and looked to their Mayor.
The Mayor looked to Frodo and gave him a nod.
Frodo looked to Hiccup and Toothless.
A tense moment passed, and then Frodo grinned widely.
"Welcome to the Shire, Hiccup and Toothless!"