686Chapter 13: Strider
Strider
Toothless grumbled softly to himself.
Hiccup was unusually quiet. He had been ever since that meeting with the very bad black rider thing. Even more so after his outburst of self-doubting by the water.
Though, to be fair, even the generally happy and talkative Hobbits were far more sullen than usual. Meeting a bad rider out to hunt them was not a life-warming thing. Seeing several of the bad riders was even worse.
The constant, cold rain did not help either. The soft drizzle that had been falling since sunfall had become a true downpour just recently.
The weather could not chill his soul-fire or inside-warmth though, which contributed to why he was doing what he was doing.
He was sitting under a tree, one of his wings outstretched over the four Hobbits and Hiccup to keep them drier and warmer.
Skies, I command you to stop raining! Now!
If anything, the rain became heavier.
He sighed heavily and looked up into the dark sky. The worst of the storm was indeed approaching. Rain poured in a river off his back and wings as the wind gusted.
It would have been nice to sit unconcerned in the rain, but he needed to stay alert for any sign of living shadows in the darkness. He had not seen any or heard anything, but those things wanted to make the Hobbits and Hiccup into prey.
Maybe they learned to fear me after I flamed one of them. They should fear me! Anything that threatens Hiccup or the Hobbits should fear me!
"Staying warm?" he warbled.
"Yes, not sure what we would do without you, bud!" Hiccup shouted back.
"Probably shiver in the cold!" Frodo chuckled.
"And be totally miserable..." Merry added.
"More than we already are?" Pippin groaned.
Toothless chuffed. Knowing that he was helping to keep them dry and warm greatly warmed his soul-fire.
His thoughts flew back to one specific night when Hiccup had stayed in the cove with him. A storm had flown in very quickly and had forced Hiccup to stay in the cove.
It was the first time he had sheltered Hiccup under his wings.
He had wondered then why Hiccup had preferred his company over that of his own kind, over his own nest. Some curious sniffing of his human had given him the obvious and bad answer.
Hiccup only smelled of himself.
There were no other scents of humans on him.
He was alone in his nest and apparently was not nuzzled or comforted by his pack in any bonding ceremonies. Not even by his own sire.
That isolation even among his own kind was something that he and Hiccup had in common, though their situations were slightly different. Hiccup at least had a nest of his own kind. He himself came from a nest with many other dragons, but none very like him, no other dark wing Night Furies.
The rain got heavier.
"There it is," Frodo pointed ahead.
Hiccup squinted to look through the steady rain. Ahead was a tall wall that certainly completely enclosed the town.
I wonder why they have such a large wall. Anyway, cannot wait to get indoors and out of this rain.
He turned back to Toothless, knowing and not liking what was again necessary. Bree was not the Shire, and it was unlikely that anyone here would know about Toothless being a good dragon.
They might have heard some rumors, but Hobbits don't deal with outsiders that much, so maybe Bree doesn't know at all... Better safe than sorry though.
"Alright bud, you know what to do?"
"Yes, I will stay out here and not be seen," Toothless answered.
"Are you hungry at all?" Hiccup asked while retrieving some of his supplies from the saddlebag.
"No, I do not need anything. You all go to your den and get warm. I will stay under those trees," Toothless nodded at a particularly dark grove of trees a short distance off the road.
Then he trotted off through the rain and melded with the darkness.
"Let's get a move on and get out of the rain!" Pippin exclaimed.
They needed no further motivation and pulled their cloaks tight as they approached the closed main gates. The road was mere mud that sloshed around their shoes.
I really hope they let us in.
They beat at the gates for a moment before they heard motion from within. Someone, likely a night shift guard, slid open a tiny porthole in the door by the gates.
"What do you want?" the man gruffly asked through the porthole.
"We are heading for the Prancing Pony!" Frodo answered.
"Hobbits, four Hobbits and a man lad. Very strange."
The hooded man opened the small door in the gate while holding a lantern.
"What business brings you to Bree?"
"We wish to stay at the Inn! Our business is our own," Frodo confidently answered.
That assertion satisfied the guard who then stepped aside to let them through.
"Alright, young sirs, I meant no offense. It's my job to ask these questions after nightfall. There's talk of strange folk abroad. Can't be too careful..." he added as he closed and locked the door.
Hiccup beheld the town of Bree in all of its glory.
Mud.
More mud.
A few horses and simple homes.
Shaggy-haired men wearing cloaks and hoods were going every which way in the rain. It was entirely possible that many of them had been drinking. There were some Hobbits out and about. One of the men was even gnawing on a carrot for some reason.
It was apparently a plain, simple village of mostly normal people going about their lives.
"You know where we are going?" Hiccup asked.
Frodo answered by pointing toward a far building.
Hiccup's Common Tongue runes were still limited enough that he could not read the words on the sign. The image of what looked like a dancing horse was enough of an answer.
The five of them made their way with haste through the muddy path and then entered The Prancing Pony.
The patter of rain gave way to the constant drone of conversations, laughter, and shouting. Some type of fragrant smoke lingered in the air, and the smells of ales and other meals were strong as well.
Hiccup looked around at everyone he could see. Unlike his experience in a Buckland tavern, there were no other Hobbits present save the four he was with.
He strode up to the front desk and immediately got the attendant's attention. The man had an impressive mustache and sideburns and a kindly disposition.
"Good evening, masters. My name's Barliman Butterbur, at your service. If you are seeking accommodations, we have a few regular rooms and some cozy Hobbit-sized rooms available. Mister...?" Butterbur expectantly glanced at him.
"Haddock," Hiccup answered.
"Haddock..."
"I am traveling with my friends here. We would all like to stay at the Inn."
"Splendid! Always a pleasure to serve my guests. Haddock, eh? Why do I feel like I've heard that name before?" Butterbur wrinkled his brow in intense thought and confusion before eventually shrugging it off.
"Oh well, it'll come to me eventually."
Coins were exchanged and keys were obtained. The Hobbits took their packs up to their room, and Hiccup did the same, having gotten a room of his own since he would not fit as well in a Hobbit-proportioned room.
Despite being an older establishment, The Prancing Pony certainly had a homely charm in its simplicity. Everything from the wooden bedframes, to the worn rug on the floor, to the old stone fireplaces reminded him of some of the good parts of his old life: simple homes that had recently been rebuilt, furs from hunts hung on the walls and floors, and roaring fireplaces and songs sung at winter festivals.
Then his stomach protested.
Alright, alright you win...
He took off his traveling cloak and hood, went downstairs, and saw the table that the Hobbits had taken. They already had food laid out for them.
Humph, I wonder if they are on dinner or supper?
Then he remembered that they were supposed to find someone named Strider here. Gandalf had neglected to explain how they would find him, making it sound like it would be impossible to miss this person.
Maybe I should ask Butterbur. He would probably know if Gandalf or any of his friends have been around here.
He strode over to the front desk and got Barliman's attention.
"Excuse me..."
"Hello again, Mister..."
"Haddock..."
"Haddock, yes, of course! What can I do for you?"
"I was wondering, do you know a man named Gandalf the Grey?"
Butterbur looked off into the distance, as if working hard to remember something.
"Gandalf? Gandalf..."
Comprehension lit in his eyes.
"OH! Yes, I remember him, the elderly chap with a big grey beard and a pointy hat!"
"That's him!"
"I've not seen him in six months," Butterbur glumly added.
Hiccup shrugged in disappointment.
Oh, well that is a shame. He probably doesn't know anyone named Strider then.
"Are you sure that we have never met before, Mister Haddock? I swear that I know your name from somewhere."
Hiccup shook his head.
"Don't see how. I'm going to join my friends over there. Could I get an ale?"
"I'll bring it right over to you, Mister Haddock."
Hiccup then went over and joined the Hobbits just as Merry returned with what was by Hobbit standards an extraordinarily large mug in his hands.
"What is that?" Pippin exclaimed in awe.
"This, my friend, is a pint."
"It comes in pints?"
"Mrmnhm," Merry answered.
"I'm getting one!" Pippin flew to his feet and left to get another drink.
"You've had three already!" Sam groaned at Pippin's antics.
"What's the matter, Sam? You know he's probably going to drink too much anyway," Hiccup asked.
"I don't really care for being here, surrounded by strange men. They don't look like the friendliest folk," Sam answered.
Hiccup looked around at the tables and booths, thinking to himself that it was not an unreasonable concern. Many of the men did look shady or had unkempt hair. To be fair, the Berk Vikings did not always have the best personal hygiene either. Bath day was infrequent for some of them. Almost everyone made sure to see themselves to the bath houses at least once a month.
On the other hand, there was also a lot of cheerful discussion, laughter, and singing happening in this Inn.
"Got my latest mead shipment in!" "Ole Ferny's lost his ponies!" "Oye, barmaid, you brought me the wrong kid, where's my lad!" "Need a refill of ale!" "Big game hunters heading West!" "Man in the moon!" "More Hobbits... is one of them Mr. Boggins?" "Need more Old Toby!"
"For example," Sam continued, "that man over there in the corner has been staring at us ever since we took this table."
Hiccup looked in the direction Sam indicated, and he noticed that a strange looking, weather-beaten man was sitting alone in the shadows near the wall. The man had a tall tankard in front of him, and he was smoking a long stemmed pipe. A stained traveling cloak of heavy dark green was drawn close about him, and in spite of the heat of the room he wore a hood that covered his face. His eyes faintly gleamed because of the glow of his lit pipe.
The stranger struck a very imposing image, shrouded in mystery as he was.
Hiccup quickly looked away from him and tried to calm himself by chewing on some bread.
Okay, that is not one of those black riders, but he's definitely interested in us. That cannot be good.
Butterbur arrived just in time with his mug of ale.
"Excuse me," Frodo politely asked, "that man over there in the corner, who is he?"
Butterbur glanced over toward the stranger and shivered once, lowering his voice when he answered.
"He's one of them Rangers. They're dangerous folk who wander in the wild, doing who knows what. What his right name is I've never heard, but around here we call him... wait..." Butterbur looked up at the ceiling in confusion.
It was not an infrequent event for him.
"Str... Gan... Hadd... blimey! How did I forget?" he suddenly exclaimed and slapped his forehead.
"Uh? Forget what?" Hiccup asked.
"Give me a moment, Mister Haddock! I have to go look for something! Now where did you put those, Barliman you fool? One thing drives out another..." Butterbur berated himself as he wandered off.
Hiccup gave Frodo and Sam an amused look.
"I've known crazier," he mumbled.
"Really? Care to tell?" Merry asked.
He was about to begin telling the story of Gobber's supposed encounters with the Boneknapper, as if such a crazy-sounding dragon could possibly exist, when he overheard something at the bar.
"Baggins! Sure, I know a Baggins! He is over there!" Pippin cheerfully waved at them.
Nearly a dozen of the strange men turned to stare at them.
"Frodo Baggins! He's my second cousin once removed on his mother's side..."
Whatever else Pippin was saying was completely lost to him. He, Frodo, Sam, and even Merry understood the significance of what had happened. Their cover of secrecy had just been blown.
Oh gods... this is bad...
Frodo agreed as he jumped to his feet and raced toward the bar, likely to try to prevent any further damage.
"Pippin! What are you doing?" Frodo exclaimed.
Pippin had no chance to answer before something happened. Frodo tripped over someone's foot, knocked into someone else by accident, and fell on his back out of sight.
A moment of silence passed as everyone at the bar stared at where Frodo had fallen.
Then confusion and muttering broke out among them all along with gasps of alarm and shock.
Uh, what just happened?
He stepped over to the side to get a clear look at Frodo and maybe help him up.
There was no one on the floor where Frodo had fallen.
Huh? I must have missed him? Odd.
To be fair, there were a lot of people and tables around the bar, and it would have been easy for a Hobbit to go unnoticed amid all the sudden commotion.
He went back to Sam and Merry.
"What happened over there?" Sam asked.
"Not sure. Frodo must have gotten lost in the crowd or slipped away..."
Pippin arrived at the table almost an instant later. The Hobbit looked very confused.
"What happened to him? He was there and then he just... poof!" Pippin gasped.
"Huh?" "What?" "Poof?"
"He disappeared!"
Sam looked up and noticed something that made him fly to his feet in alarm.
"That man is gone now!"
Sure enough, the seat where the stranger had been sitting was now empty. What had happened started to look very suspicious.
Okay, this is very bad now!
Butterbur chose that moment to return to the table in the midst of all the ruckus.
"Cannot believe I forgot about these letters. Would you believe it but they are from..."
"There's no time for that. The stranger! Where did he go?" Sam growled.
"What?"
"That man that was in the corner. Does he have a room here?" Hiccup added.
"Well, yeah, he does but..."
"Where is he?" Merry implored.
"You really don't want to mess with..."
"He might have taken our friend!" Sam exclaimed in anger.
"Alright, alright! If you really want to... second floor third room on the right. Take his letter to him too if you please," Butterbur handed him a pair of letters and departed.
Hiccup did not bother looking at the letters since rescuing Frodo was far more important, so instead he shoved them in a pocket.
"What do we do?" Merry gasped.
"We fight!" Sam immediately answered.
They had no time to plan before Sam spun around and started for the stairs. Merry grabbed a chair in lieu of a better weapon, and Pippin grabbed a candlestick. Hiccup patted the pair of daggers that he kept at his hip; he was thankful that he had decided to keep them with him always just in case something went wrong.
They started climbing the stairs, and Hiccup thought about the upcoming conflict.
A young man who had two daggers he did not know how to use, two Hobbits, one wielding a chair and the other a candlestick, and one Hobbit with nothing but his fists. All of them against a large, mysterious man who kept to the shadows and was definitely dangerous.
Well, we have numbers on him...
They stood outside the closed door and grimly nodded to each other. Then Sam kicked open the door, and they all flooded inside with a shout.
To be met by a very tall man swiftly drawing a sword. The man had long, shaggy hair that fell down into his eyes, and he also had an oddly neat and thick beard. His tunic was dark and very rugged. His eyes blazed with intensity, power, and... amusement. It was definitely the same Ranger who had vanished from downstairs.
Frodo was also apparently safe and unharmed, standing without concern before the fireplace.
"Let him go! Or I'll have you, Longshanks!" Sam shouted and waved his fists.
Incredibly, the stranger sighed and sheathed his sword.
"You have a stout heart, but that will not save you."
His voice was unassuming, solemn, and firm.
"Who are you, and what do you want with our friend?" Hiccup warily asked.
"I wish to protect you and your friend, Mister Underhill or is it Baggins, from the servants of the Enemy," the man answered.
"How do we know that you are not a servant of the Enemy?" Sam retorted.
"Yeah, how can you prove who you are when you don't even say who you are?" Pippin added.
Interestingly, the man almost grinned.
"You are right to be wary of me. All that I can say to prove myself is that if I wanted your Ring I could already have taken it and killed all of you."
The man held a hand to his sword. It was clear that this man did not make idle threats and was very skilled with his sword. A keen and commanding light blazed in his eyes.
Sam stared at him defiantly, and Hiccup gulped in alarm, knowing that there was no way that Toothless could help him now.
He was definitely doomed if this came to blows.
Then the man gave a great sigh and removed his hand from the pommel of his sword.
"But I am not a servant of the Enemy. Far from it. I hate Sauron and I have spent my whole life opposing him."
Silence followed, no one knowing what to do until Frodo stepped over to the stranger.
"I do not know who you are, but I believe you. You look foul but you feel fair, and I think that a servant of the Enemy would look fairer but feel fouler, if that makes any sense," Frodo mumbled.
The man gave a wry and solemn grin.
"It does. More than you know. It is amusing to be openly said to have an ill-favored look, though not surprising to me. A hunted man sometimes wearies of distrust and longs for friendship. All that is gold does not glitter, and not all those who wander are lost."
"Do you have a name?" Hiccup asked.
The man sat back in his chair after inviting them to sit down, which they did after closing the door. The Ranger barred the door, which should have felt ominous but did not.
"I have had different names in my journeys through the years. You may call me Strider."
"Strider!" they all exclaimed with surprise.
Well, how about that? What a coincidence.
"Wonderful, we were told by Gandalf to look for you here," Hiccup said.
"Were you?" Strider looked surprised, "That is strange. I have not heard anything from Gandalf about your arrival."
"No? He told us that he would let you know about our coming here," Frodo explained.
Strider was confused.
"I have been staying here in Bree for many weeks now. If Gandalf were to share a message with me it would probably be in a letter, but I have not received a letter from him in over a month."
Hiccup had a faint suspicion of something and retrieved the two envelopes from his pocket. He still could not read the runes on the outside of the envelopes.
"Is one of these yours? Butterbur gave them to me a few minutes ago."
Strider took both letters and handed one to Frodo after looking at the address. The Ranger looked both amused and frustrated by something.
"I see that Barliman's memory failed him again. It is also Gandalf's fault for relying on such an unreliable but well-meaning man."
This was evidently not the first time that something like this had happened.
Strider and Frodo both opened their respective letters and read by the firelight.
"Well, Mister Frodo, what does it say?" Sam eagerly asked as Frodo read the letter.
"It is from Gandalf. It says that we can trust Strider to lead us to Rivendell. There is a way to test him to see if it truly is Strider, but I know now that he is not lying. He said something already that this letter would have had me ask him as a test. This man is Strider."
Strider took longer reading his letter. He appeared to reread several passages, as if not certain that he had read them correctly the first few times. Then he sighed heavily and looked out the window into the rain.
"So I was right. It is the One. I wondered if it was only a lesser magic ring, which would still be a powerful tool even if not a great ring. I know of your quest, Frodo Baggins, and I will aid you on it. The other part of this message, however, I can hardly believe."
"What is it?" Frodo asked.
Strider stared very intensely at Hiccup, as if trying to judge something of his character. There was some force of will in Strider's appraising look.
"That there is one more who is traveling with you, and that this other is a dragon."
The Hobbits all turned to stare at Hiccup.
Alright, here goes nothing. Hope I don't screw this up...
"It is true, sir. Toothless is definitely a dragon, and he is not like Smaug or any other dragons you may have heard of," Hiccup answered.
"Yep, Mister Haddock and Master Toothless helped out the Shire and were living there with us before this whole Ring business started," Sam piped up.
"Yeah, they helped us all by clearing out the wight in the Barrow-downs," Frodo added.
Strider warily glanced between him, Sam, and Frodo, and then he retrieved both letters and tossed them in the fire.
"I would not believe it if Gandalf did not attest to it, but he did. Where is this dragon now?"
"He is staying just outside Bree. We didn't think he would be welcome somewhere that doesn't already know him," Hiccup explained.
"He is outside the walls of Bree? I want to meet him as soon as I can."
Hiccup felt pleased by this rather warm welcome from this total stranger who was unafraid of meeting Toothless.
Gandalf did say that he would have more influence where we were going. His word is important after all!
"Great, we can introduce you to him in the morning."
"Now would be better," Strider firmly answered.
"Uh, alright, we can go right now."
"We'll head back to our rooms and go to sleep," Merry sighed.
"Yeah, I am beat..." Pippin yawned.
Strider looked thoughtful and wary of something.
"No, get your blankets and your things and sleep here in my room. Your rooms might not be safe. Bar the door after Haddock and I leave, and do not open it for anyone else. Do you understand me, Frodo?"
Frodo nodded, and the four Hobbits got to work. Hiccup heard Merry and Pippin whispering to Frodo about the Ring, so they knew the full truth of what was going on now.
Hiccup retrieved his rain cloak from his room and met a similarly-prepared Strider downstairs.
There were many things about Strider that did not make sense, even given the very little that he knew of the strange man. His mild, deliberate voice contrasted starkly with his wild, rough appearance. His way of speaking felt too polished for him to be a true ruffian. He was definitely dangerous, but he was also in evident control of himself and the situation.
Strider was also not one to waste words because he said nothing at all as they walked through the light rain to the main gates.
Hiccup did not try to make smalltalk either.
"Do you know what time it is to be going out... oh, Strider..." the guard started in surprise.
"We will back shortly," Strider briskly answered.
"I'll be here as usual," the guard nodded and let them out.
It was then just the two of them standing in the rain outside the main gates of Bree. Strider gestured at him with a hand partly wrapped in cloth.
"Please lead on, Mister Haddock."
"I will, but first I want to tell you don't threaten him or me. He is very protective of me."
"I understand," Strider slightly nodded.
Alright, go time!
He led Strider toward the dark grove of trees slightly off the muddy road. His heart raced quickly at the approaching meeting. Something like this definitely would not have worked on Berk.
Or would it have?
Maybe if he had asked his father to come with him into the woods on some quality father-son time, maybe then he could have introduced his dad and Toothless under less stressful circumstances than something like an arena or anywhere in the village. In hindsight, that sounded like a much better plan than the abandoned idea with the arena and the graduation ceremony.
He winced under his hood and tried to banish such thoughts from his mind.
Just as expected, he noticed a very dark shape hidden among the trees. It would have been easy to miss if he were not looking for it.
"Wait here."
Strider stopped and waited.
He continued ahead to meet Toothless and crouched down before the sleeping Fury who had his head on his forearms.
"Hey, Toothless..."
Toothless stirred very faintly, his eyes twitching under his eyelids.
"Bud, can you wake up?"
He put a hand on Toothless's nose as had helped wake him up in the past.
This time was no different as Toothless's eyes immediately shot open and fixed on him.
With slit eyes.
And curled lips.
Then the Fury's eyes immediately widened as Toothless blinked and shook his head.
"Grr, Hiccup, what was..."
"Are... you alright, bud?" Hiccup gasped.
Toothless grumbled at something and rubbed his head with a paw, pointedly looking elsewhere.
"I was... having a bad dream. Why... did you wake me?"
"We... found the man Gandalf wanted us to look for. Strider wants to meet you now."
That got Toothless awake and to his feet very quickly. The opportunity to meet someone peacefully was one he surely wanted to take seriously.
"Where is he?" Toothless warbled.
"Follow me," Hiccup answered and put a hand on the Fury's neck.
They walked together from that dark grove into the slight clearing where Strider stood.
Even if this is only a simple Ranger, it is still good for Toothless to meet more people who are not out to kill him.
Hiccup tried to imagine how it must look to the man to see him emerge from the darkness alongside a large, dark shape with green eyes that glowed in the darkness.
He saw the moment when Strider noticed them because the man immediately stiffened, though, much to Strider's credit, he kept both his hands visible and off any weapons. The Ranger remained still and standing tall as they approached through the dark and the rain.
Then they stood only a few paces apart, Toothless and Strider staring at each other.
Neither of them moved.
"So this is Toothless," Hiccup nervously began.
"This must be Strider," Toothless lifted his head and slightly snorted.
If Strider was surprised that Toothless could talk, he did a good job hiding it. Though, apparently all dragons in Middle-earth could speak, so that would not be surprising.
"And you must be the Night Fury who Gandalf wrote to me about. The dragon who is different from all other dragons."
Toothless sighed.
"So I have heard. I only want to protect my friend Hiccup and the Hobbits."
"Truly? You have no desire for gold or a hoard?" Strider prodded.
"Why would I?" Toothless retorted after a very slight pause.
"Because that is what dragons do; that is what they are. They hoard gold that they take by killing."
"I do not understand it," Toothless then muttered.
Strider reached up and removed his hood, and his doing so soaked his long hair in the rain. Hiccup refrained from chuckling to himself.
The rain might help as a shower for him. He looks very rough.
"Neither do I, but I accept what I see and what Gandalf told me. You know of the Ring, yes?"
Toothless growled openly at that, which certainly made for an impressive image with the rain dripping from his chin.
"I hate that very bad thing! That ring of fire. It feels like it wants to reach out with its teeth and..."
Toothless closed his eyes and looked away, so Hiccup lay a hand back on Toothless's head in reassurance. The Fury noticeably calmed and leaned into his hand.
"The Ring tried to do something to him. It is not safe for him to carry someone who has the Ring, which is why we are not flying Frodo to Rivendell," Hiccup softly explained.
Strider nodded slowly and spoke softly.
"I know well about the corrupting power that Great Rings can have. Too well. Why it would have some power over him without him having it, I do not know."
Strider then put his hood back up and looked around at the dark forest.
"We should speak more, but it is too dangerous out here. I know what was hunting you and the Hobbits."
"What do you mean, out here? Outside of Bree?" Hiccup looked toward the distant lights of Bree.
"Yes, it is not safe for you, Toothless, to stay out here," Strider answered.
"But he can't really go into Bree itself," Hiccup objected.
"He can if they do not know he is there."
Hiccup and Toothless glanced at each other in confusion.
"Toothless, can you jump the walls?" Strider asked.
"Easily," he snorted.
"I will have a barn free for you. Most of the people should be asleep, so we can get you in without them seeing you," Strider explained.
Hiccup nodded in agreement, pleased that Strider had thought all of that out already.
"What do you say, bud? Should we give this a shot?"
"Yes, I would like to sleep out of the rain and away from danger," Toothless nodded.
"Very well, I will call to you when it is time," Strider said.
Hiccup and Strider turned back to Bree's main gates, walked silently and swiftly, and were let inside. It was only then that Hiccup fully realized how comforting and much safer it was to be inside the walls when there were black riders possibly nearby. In hindsight, leaving Toothless outside was a very foolish and inconsiderate thing to do, for which he felt miserable. But on the other hand, it would have been difficult to hide Toothless inside Bree without someone willing to help on the inside.
He followed after Strider to an enclosed stable just inside the perimeter wall. The ranger opened the door and led out a very handsome and proud stallion. The horse still snorted at being led out into the rain to an adjacent outside stall. At least, the horse protested until Strider gently took its head in an arm and whispered into its ear. The horse immediately calmed down and was led without protesting.
That's just like Gandalf did. I wonder if Strider knows that Elvish also.
Strider returned, inspected the stable, and took a moment to clean out the little manure, lay down some fresh straw, and light a single torch inside. It was not lost on Hiccup that Strider was so considerate.
Apparently satisfied, Strider came out of the barn and put his fingers to his lips, giving a piercing whistle like a birdcall.
A darkness appeared up on top of the sturdy wall seconds later.
Toothless made for a very impressive figure, perched up there on the wall in the rain with his wings still spread from his leap. He jumped down to the ground an instant later, landing smoothly but with a splash in the puddles. He kept low to the ground as he darted over to their side and slipped into the barn.
They let themselves inside the barn and closed the door behind them.
"Well done, bud, no one saw us," Hiccup cheerfully greeted him.
"How do you know?"
"No screaming."
"What did the Vikings say about me?" Toothless rumbled back as he slowly spun in place to curl up.
There was just barely enough space for him to do that, and he definitely knew better than to try to burn his bed.
"Never shows itself, fair enough, you are a sneaky dragon..." Hiccup chuckled as he sat down against Toothless's side, heedless of the mud and straw on the ground.
Strider then stepped closer to the resting Toothless, and the man inclined his head slightly.
"I wish that you had a better place to stay, but you will be much safer here than beyond these walls."
"Maybe," Toothless hummed, "I already killed one of the black riders."
Strider stiffened at that and slowly shook his head.
"You do not know what they are? Neither of you truly do."
"Not really, but he did kill one. There was nothing left but robes and metal," Hiccup explained.
"And there was the Barrow-wight. I also flamed that thing," Toothless added with a faint growl.
Strider leaned against the barn's wall and gazed at them.
"I can believe that you vanquished a Barrow-wight. However, you did not kill that black rider. They cannot be killed because they are neither living nor dead."
It was only the solemn sincerity with which he said that which kept Hiccup from chuckling at how contradictory that was.
"What are they then?"
A distant, haunted look came over Strider's features. The flickering torchlight illuminated half of his face as he stared off into another world.
"They are the Nazgul, the Ringwraiths. They can feel the presence of the Ring and are drawn to it. They were once great kings of men, mighty and lordly."
"What happened to them?"
"Sauron the Deceiver gave to them nine Rings of power as gifts. Filled with greed and pride, they took the Rings and used them to become greater. Their wills slowly weakened until they stopped thinking for themselves. Their wills became Sauron's will without them ever noticing. Their bodies are long gone now, mere phantoms of what they once were, though they are still enough a part of the world to kill and do Sauron's bidding. Destroy one of their forms now, and they will be remade far away to continue anew in Sauron's service. Can you two believe that?" Strider whispered.
Toothless was the first to answer while laying his head on his paws.
"I believe it. I lived in a nest of dragons that were controlled by one monster dragon. It could control the others and twist their thinking to make them obey it."
Strider frowned.
"About that Barrow-wight, I assume that you refer to the Barrow-downs East of the Old Forest."
"Yes, we destroyed it to help show the Hobbits that Toothless is a good dragon," Hiccup explained and shivered.
Toothless grumbled.
"How is that possible, that living dead thing of bone?" he growled.
"They are fell spirits from Angmar, a kingdom of men who served Sauron and one of his servants long ago. The spirits claim a dead body and fill it with malicious will. Only fire and light can break their hold on a tomb," Strider answered.
"I never thought that I'd see anything like that," Hiccup whispered and averted his eyes.
"The wight did something bad to Hiccup. It made him fall asleep..." Toothless explained.
Strider nodded.
"Yes, those spirits and their haunting song are very perilous to those who do not know the danger beforehand. The same is true of the Nazgul, though they are much weaker in the day and against foes who are defiant. Fear is their greatest weapon."
"You sound like you've seen a lot of the world," Hiccup mused.
Strider gave a very grim smile.
"I have indeed journeyed far in my years and seen things that most never see. I have seen the Far East of Harad, the Dwarven realms of Erebor and Moria, the Forests of Lorien, the Plains of Rohan, Edoras, Minas Tirith, the ruins of Osgiliath," Strider paused before continuing, "and these lands of lost Arnor. Never have I seen or heard tales of a dragon like you, Toothless."
Something about how he said that was odd.
"Wait, have you seen any other dragons?" Hiccup warily asked.
"Only once and from a great distance," Strider answered.
Hiccup and Toothless both inhaled and gasped at this revelation. Toothless's tail even went forgotten at his side.
"What was it like?" he eagerly asked.
"It was a cold-wyrm up in the Grey Mountains. It was bigger than you and had no wings."
Toothless's jaw fell open.
"No wings!" he exclaimed in horror.
Strider almost smirked in amusement. Then he pointedly glanced toward the riding gear on Toothless's back.
"I see that you do not mind carrying your friend into the sky. How did you two meet and where are you from, may I ask?"
They spared each other a weary and amused glance, knowing that this was probably going to be a story that they had to recount many times.
Hiccup answered first.
"We are from Berk, an island far North and West of the mainland. Even Gandalf didn't know where we are from. As for how we met, uh, do you want to take this one, Toothless?"
Toothless nodded and unfurled a wing to drape it over him.
"That monster dragon made other dragons hunt to catch prey for it. I flew with the other dragons to protect them from humans, and Hiccup shot me from the sky with a net-thing."
"Bolas, that's what they were called..." Hiccup interrupted.
"Whatever... I fell from the sky, and Hiccup found me later. He could have killed me, but he did not do it. He let me go. But I lost a tailfin when I fell."
He lifted the end of his tail for them all to see.
"That grounded me. Hiccup found me again and brought me fish to eat while I was grounded. We eventually became friends, and he made me a new tailfin that works with him flying with me."
"I am kind of an inventor," Hiccup mildly explained.
Strider gave him a small nod.
"I can see that. Why did you two leave your island?"
"Because the Vikings there, those are my tribe, were... are still at war with the dragons. My people would have killed Toothless, so I left with him. I flew away from my father and everyone else I knew."
"How long have you been gone?" Strider kindly asked.
"Gods, it has been over four months now between our time in the wild and in the Shire. Hard to believe it has been that long, huh, bud?"
"I know. Four moon-cycles of peace, mostly," Toothless softly answered and yawned widely.
Hiccup also yawned.
"My apologies for keeping you awake, Toothless. We will let you get your rest now. I hope that we can leave Bree before dawn," Strider said while getting to his feet.
"Does that sound good, bud?"
"Yes, but can you stay a while, Hiccup?" Toothless whispered.
"Sure."
"I will be in my room," Strider dismissed himself and stepped out of the barn by the side-door.
He left behind the torch, which still gave the inside of the barn some light.
"Alright, what's the matter, bud?"
Even in faint light it was clear that Toothless's ears went back with worry.
"It was the dream that I had when you woke me up."
Hiccup vividly recalled that moment only a few minutes ago. Seeing Toothless's eyes narrowed to slits while staring at him had, for a brief moment, been frightening in a way he had only truly seen once before.
"What was it?"
Toothless sighed and rearranged his head on his paws.
"I was back on Berk in the place where the trapped dragons are kept. The Vikings were sending... many fighters to fight me. I had to kill them, again and again, to stay alive."
"That's terrible."
"It is worse. I started liking killing them. I finally killed the last one, and I was set free. The dead Vikings all looked like you."
He covered his head with his tailfin.
"Oh, bud. It was just a bad dream. I'm sure it doesn't mean anything."
"There is more," Toothless whispered from under the tailfin.
"What?"
"I... am... afraid..."
Hiccup knelt at Toothless's side.
"Bud, those black rider Nazgul things should be afraid of you. You showed them that."
Toothless flicked away his tailfin, and Hiccup gasped at what he learned in the moment that followed.
There were tears leaking from Toothless's eyes. Dragons, or at least Night Furies, could cry.
"It is not the... black riders I am afraid of..."
"What then?"
Toothless warily looked down at the ground before himself.
"I am afraid of myself."
"Why? I don't understand," Hiccup pleaded.
"Neither do I..."
Hiccup was not satisfied with that being the end of the talk. There was something else going on here, and Toothless was definitely trying to avoid it.
So he grabbed Toothless's muzzle and leaned his own forehead against it. They remained like that in silence for a very long time.
"Please tell me. I cannot help if I don't know what it is."
Toothless whined softly and slowly pulled out of the embrace, staring down at his paws.
"I... did not remember you when you woke me up. For a moment, I thought you were... an enemy. It was like I was not me..."
"Well, I might have startled you by waking you up like that. It was my fault," Hiccup reasoned.
"That was not the first time it happened. My thinking does feel more... twisted... when I am around gold. And on our first day in the Shire, when we were resting under the stars, I felt like I needed to go down into Hobbiton and find something... probably the Ring. But I did not even know about it then..."
Hiccup frowned. What Toothless just shared sounded more worrying, if still very unexplainable. This was the first time Toothless openly told him about these issues.
"Alright, we can, uh, ask Gandalf when we get to Rivendell. He would probably know better than me what is going on. Until then, just remember that I trust you always. You're my brother; I know that you would never hurt me."
Those words must have helped, as Toothless gave him a very faint purr.
"The plan is to leave early before sunrise. We should both get our rest now. It was a long day," Hiccup yawned.
Toothless nodded and yawned as Hiccup started for the door.
"Hiccup?"
Hiccup paused at the door and wearily glanced back at him.
"Toothless?"
"Thank you for everything..." the Fury whispered.
Then Toothless pulled a wing over himself.
Hiccup slipped outside the barn, closed the door, and stepped into the now-gentle rain.
Any time, bro...
Then he headed back toward the Prancing Pony for some more food and as much rest as possible.