686Chapter 40: Many Meetings
Many Meetings
The raids on Berk had always resulted in a lot of work to do afterwards. Supplies had to be recovered, burned homes needed to be rebuilt, the wounded needed to be tended to, and the grieved had to be comforted. He had helped as much as possible, even though not many people trusted him to not make the situation worse.
There was a lot of work to do after the battle of Helm's Deep, and it all started almost as soon as the cheering of victory ended. The united men of Rohan and the Elves of Lorien worked together to clear muddy paths through the slain Uruks and to make encampments in the valley.
Hiccup had shivered the first few times he passed a fallen Uruk, usually in a pool of black blood. They were definitely not humans. Not even the most hideous burn victims back on Berk could compare to how terrible these creatures looked up close with their armor off. However, the initial shock of seeing what Uruks looked like had mostly worn off after the first few encounters.
The armor, shields, weapons, and supplies the Uruk army had brought with it were being removed and stored in a massive pile in the side of the valley. While the Uruks were very foul, their steel was worth keeping and melting down later.
The dead Uruks were being piled in a large mass at the entrance to the valley. He wasn't sure whether the plan was to leave those corpses for the scavengers, burn them, or dig pits for them, but he didn't care about that. Those decisions were for others to take care of.
He had more important matters to oversee.
It had taken a lot of persuading, but the healers of Rohan were convinced, after much reassurance, to include Fury licks in the treatment of the seriously wounded. Toothless, Far-Flight, Sky-Dancer, Flame-In-The-Night, and Snowfall volunteered to provide that grisly service. There were not many Rohirrim seriously enough wounded and brave enough that they accepted the treatment, but a couple dozen did allow it.
All of that activity was finished by mid-morning, which let Hiccup and Toothless have a moment to themselves. The other Furies had returned either to the mountains or to the clearing behind the Deeping wall. They were headed in that general direction so Toothless could have a drink of water when they noticed a couple familiar people whom they had not seen in months. Specifically, they saw an Elf and a Dwarf.
"Bud, something is wrong," Hiccup grumbled.
"Where are the Hobbits and the man from Gondor?" Toothless asked.
"Yep. I thought they'd be out here by now. Aragorn and Gandalf are around, but I'm not sure..."
Toothless growled.
"Even though I do not want to be around the Ring, I do want to see the Hobbits again."
"Fair point. You can stay away from Frodo while we find out what's going on."
They strode across the muddy plain toward the two members of the Fellowship, both of whom were arguing with each other.
"Not a fair fight at all! No one gave me a bow!" Gimli objected while waving his gauntlet around.
"As if you would have known what to do with one. You Dwarves are only proficient with the ax anyway. Further, you had the honor of blowing the Horn of Helm Hammerhand," Legolas retorted.
"But you had more kills because no one sent the Uruks to me! Blasted dragons taking all the kills!" Gimli threw down his gauntlet and fumed.
"My forty-two is a perfect number," Legolas answered while affectionately stroking his bow.
Gimli grumbled something in Dwarvish that he probably would not repeat in Common Speech. Then he and Legolas noticed them.
"Hello there!" Hiccup greeted them.
"Masters Haddock and Toothless. An... honor to meet you again," Gimli gruffly answered.
"Is it? You did not approve of me back in Rivendell," Toothless huffed.
Gimli frowned, leaning against his ax. Then he removed his helmet and bent his head, averting his eyes.
"I have heard far more of your deeds from Gandalf and Aragorn. I see that I was too hasty to judge you... good dragon."
"Apology accepted. I met your kin in Erebor," Toothless toothlessly grinned.
Gimli crossed his arms and looked surprised.
"You saw Erebor? Mine King Dain welcomed you there?"
"He did. I had to show them that I am not like Smaug."
"Oh really, how did you do that?"
Toothless smirked.
"I might have damaged a golden floor. There are claw marks in that floor now."
Gimli laughed freely.
"Are there indeed? I shall have to see them when next I am in Erebor. To hear tales told of the good dragon who was once in Erebor and to see those marks myself, I would enjoy that! I would even say that mine kin will treasure those marks for as long as we hold Erebor."
"They are only scratchings in the ground," Toothless chuckled, amused.
"Aye, that they are. But they are proof that a dragon was there in peace with mine kin. I shall need to hear all about this from mine father, Gloin!"
That name struck a chord in Toothless's memory.
Where did I hear that name before? Bilbo... quest... yes!
"Your father, Gloin, was one of the Dwarves who took Erebor from Smaug, true?"
"Aye, that he was."
Toothless chuckled as he sat down. This was a very good opportunity to get an answer to something twisted about that story.
"What were they thinking, trying to bury such a big dragon in gold?"
Gimli grumbled and looked exasperated.
"I have asked mine father that question many times. I still have no good answer. There were many parts of that journey which are... most incredible."
"Fair enough."
Toothless then turned to the Elf. Legolas had been silent so far and only had eyes for the starlight pendant hanging from his neck.
Wearing Galadriel's gift after the battle, to help make a good impression for his kind, was his own idea.
"That is a great gift from the Lady of Lorien," Legolas reverently whispered.
"It is. How did you know of that?" Toothless asked.
"Only she could bestow such a gift as the light of Earendil."
"It helps me... not forget what is important. It helps keep me safe from temptation... from gold and other badness," Toothless explained.
"Are the Hobbits around here somewhere?" Hiccup asked.
Gimli and Legolas spared each other a glance before answering. They also made sure that there were no other people listening.
"Keep this to yourselves, but Frodo and Sam went off on their own to finish the mission," Gimli explained.
"Merry and Pippin were taken by Uruks, but the Hobbits are safely hiding in the forest of Fangorn," Legolas added.
"Frodo and Sam are going to... Mordor, alone..." Hiccup gasped in shock.
"Merry and Pippin were taken..." Toothless hissed.
Gimli and Legolas grimly nodded together.
"Yes, the Fellowship broke at Amon Hen. Boromir was slain by the Uruks that took Merry and Pippin. Frodo and Sam snuck away to continue the quest on their own," Legolas explained.
"It was terrible that they parted from us, yes, but it might be for the best. The little folk can move across the lands without being seen," Gimli grumbled.
An important detail in what Legolas had said then struck them.
"You said that Boromir was killed..." Hiccup whispered.
Gimli leaned heavily on his ax.
"Aye, he fell with honor. The mightiest man may be slain with one arrow, and Boromir was pierced by many. We laid him in a boat and sent him over the Falls of Rauros."
Toothless looked away across the field of fallen, mostly Uruks.
"He did not like me in Rivendell," he grumbled.
"Boromir was a stubborn, proud warrior with a good heart, even if he was not perfect and had doubts about the path we took. He always wanted what was best for his people and for the Hobbits. He fell defending Merry and Pippin," Legolas whispered.
Hiccup looked up to the clear sky.
I wish I had gotten to know him. Seeing him learn to trust Toothless would have been very good. If a true soldier could learn to trust him, anyone could.
"Do you know where Aragorn and Gandalf are?" he then asked.
"The last I saw them they were over in the Deep courtyard with the wounded dragons," Gimli answered.
"Thanks."
They stepped away from the Elf and the Dwarf and then flew up above the sundered wall. Sure enough, they spotted several Furies, a man, and Gandalf inside the courtyard behind the Deeping wall.
Wind-Biter lay with a wing over Starlight's back while young Storm-Chaser lay on her father's other side. Flame-In-The-Night, Snowfall, and little Free-Flight crowded around the sleeping Snowflame. Windripper was also present, surely to help comfort Snowflame, though he was presently drinking from the small stream. All the other Furies were up in the mountains, resting after long flights and the battle through the night. The cubs and fledglings wanted to come down from the mountains to meet the humans, but the consensus among the parents was that there was a time for that later... if it was going to happen.
Aragorn and Gandalf were smoking their pipes and taking council together a short distance from the dragons. Just as he had noticed before, Hiccup thought that Gandalf looked different now. His hair and robes were as white as snow in the sunshine. His bright eyes were as piercing as rays of the sun.
I don't know. Something is different about him. Not so grey anymore.
"Gandalf!"
"Well met, Masters Haddock and Toothless. I am glad to meet you properly now," Gandalf solemnly answered after blowing a smoke-ring their direction.
"We heard that you fell. What happened?" Toothless asked.
A shadow passed over Gandalf's countenance.
"Do not ask me about the Balrog. It is enough for you to know that I smote his ruin upon a mountainside, and then I died. Gandalf the Grey is no more. I am... Gandalf the White, if you will. My task in Middle-earth was not yet complete, so I was sent back."
Gandalf then waved a hand toward the resting Furies.
"I see that your task was very fruitful. Elrond and I were correct in our guess that your kin were in hiding in the Northern Waste."
Toothless nodded.
"Yes, they were. We also found my sire and dam; they are alive, and I have another brother also!"
Gandalf grinned for the first time either of them had seen him as he was now.
"I am very glad to hear that. Family reunited is one of the consolations after war."
"And about the other Night Furies... I have a question for you," Toothless paused with a wary hum. He was unsure how to ask about what was bothering him. He was also a little afraid of asking about this because he was not sure the answer would be good.
"Speak, good dragon," Gandalf encouraged him.
"We asked them if any of them want gold hoards of their own. They do not know about gold or want hoards. Do you know why not?"
Gandalf put his arms behind his back and began to pace. Then he stroked his long, white beard.
"I already spoke with your leaders, Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall, about that precise question, though I still have questions. On my journeying there was much time for me to think on your situation. I suspect now that you are tempted in a way that they are not; your situation is different from the rest of your kind... for one reason."
Toothless shared a glance with Hiccup. This was something they both wanted to hear.
"Why?" he eagerly asked.
"The Ring. You were closer to it than any of them ever were. You felt its pull as they never did. I suspect that your being near it did more harm to you, Harm the others never felt," Gandalf explained.
Toothless blinked and grumbled while thinking about that explanation. His being around the Ring had been very bad, yes, but part of the Wizard's explanation did not feel like it had lift.
"But they can speak like me. They should also have that... bad soul-fire in them, true?"
"Perhaps they do, but it might not have any power over them unless they meet the Enemy himself, as you did through the Ring. The kindling is there in them, so to speak, but it lacks a spark. I do not know for certain," Gandalf mused.
Toothless silently considered all this.
"But that is good. They will be free forever after the Ring is gone!" Hiccup reasoned.
Gandalf grimly nodded.
"That is my hope also. But this also means that their fates are tied to that of the Ring. Sauron's claiming it would be... most unfortunate for them. I fear that they would all fall to him were he to reclaim the Ring."
Toothless then turned away and whined softly.
"It was bad chance that it happened only to me? I... wish the Ring had never been near me... and that none of that had happened..."
Gandalf strode over to him and rested a palm on his head.
"That is understandable. So would any who feel such influence, but fate and that which already happened are not what you should concern yourself with. It is as I told another: all you have to decide is what you will do with the time that is given to you. Another way you can think about this is that it is good no others had to feel what you did."
"I... suppose so."
Gandalf stepped back and leaned on his staff.
"What do you both hope to do now that this battle is won?"
They spared a glance at the resting Furies, both those on the ground with them and those perched high up on the mountainside.
"The pack wants to live in peace with humans. We are not sure how that will happen," Toothless answered.
"What are the people of Rohan like?" Hiccup asked.
Aragorn stepped forward and put away his pipe.
"The Rohirrim are proud and willful, but they are true of heart. Bold, but not cruel. They have no books or letters, but they have wisdom learned in life and they sing many songs. Their life is very tied to the land and their horses, as you can see."
Hmm, almost like Berk, less the cruelty part there and the horses here.
"They have also been allies of Gondor for many generations after swearing the Oath of Eorl. They can be trusted with any solemn oaths," Aragorn added.
"Good to hear. We will talk about this with Theoden and the pack soon," Hiccup said.
Then he glanced again at Snowflame, and he felt a pang of sympathy for her. It was bad luck that she had been stuck in the fighting and that she had been wounded in so serious a way as getting her wings punctured. But another way of looking at it was that she was lucky to have not died. Plus, he was sure that such wounds could be tended to.
"Do either of you know someone who can help Snowflame?"
"Is she not healing?" Aragorn asked, visibly worried for her.
"It's her wings. Not sure if you saw before, but they were pierced by arrows. We should help her with those injuries. I don't want her to be... grounded."
Aragorn frowned after glancing at Toothless's folded wings.
"That should not be too difficult. Anyone with skill at the needle could sew closed such wounds. Eowyn might be the best for doing so."
"Eowyn?"
"She is a shieldmaiden of Rohan and niece to the King. I could try to stitch Snowflame's wings, but the entire Fellowship here, King Theoden, and his advisers will venture to Isengard shortly. I am to go with them."
Toothless blinked and growled.
"That is where the bad Wizard is, yes? Why would you go there?"
Gandalf answered.
"Yes, that is Saruman's realm, or it was. I suspect that the fires of Isengard may have awoken something in the Fangorn forest; something that Saruman forgot about because he stopped caring for growing things and all life that was beneath him."
Hiccup shivered at the memory of seeing trees moving on their own. The strange forest that had appeared and into which the Uruk army had fled had itself vanished, though how he was not sure. There was no remaining sign of any of the Uruks that had fled into it.
"So you all are going to Isengard to meet Saruman?" he clarified.
"To meet with him, possibly offer him mercy, and see what information he can share with us. I suspect that he has lost much of his strength already. A mere falling of pebbles sparked an avalanche that fell upon him," Gandalf cryptically mused.
Hiccup rolled his eyes.
Still speaks in riddles. Typical wizard.
Motion got their attention. Well over a hundred Lorien Elves in full battle-attire had packed up their supplies and were beginning to march in formation out of the valley while bearing their wounded and their banners. Those too wounded to travel were to remain in the encampment at Helm's Deep for the time to heal.
Haldir approached him and Toothless, and the Elf gazed long at the starlight pendant on Toothless's neck. Then the Elf inclined his head.
"I see that my Lady's faith in you both was not misplaced. She told me that a storm of lightning and death would descend from the night upon our foes. I see what she foresaw," Haldir said.
"We are only doing what is right," Toothless hummed.
"No, you and your kind are doing more than that. Fighting for Rohan was a pledge of goodwill between your kind and the free humans of this world. To stand united in alliance against a common foe is a deed that we Elves remember and respect."
"Where are you going now? Back to Lorien?" Hiccup asked.
"Yes, we have wounded to attend to and borders of our own to defend. The Enemy will march on our lands also in the coming days of shadow. The people of the woods will not forget this," Haldir answered.
The Elf held a hand over his breast in some Elven greeting or gesture of respect to them first and then toward Aragorn and Gandalf, both of whom returned the gesture. Haldir then departed to lead his soldiers in the march.
"Gandalf, what did he mean that they have borders of their own to defend? Is Sauron going to attack Lorien also?" Hiccup asked.
"Lorien, the woodland realm in Mirkwood, Erebor in the North, all will fall under Sauron's shadow soon. The board has been set, and the pieces are moving. But fear not for them," Gandalf added, seeing his evident worry, "I believe that the hammerstroke will fall on us the hardest. The battle for Middle-earth is only beginning."
"Great, more pain, love it!"
Gandalf's laugh was like a ray of sunshine in the gloom that hung over the valley.
"I missed that wit and dry humor of yours, Haddock. I would also wager that you have found that purpose of yours now."
"With helping the Furies? Yes. It feels like what I'm meant to do."
Gandalf grimly nodded.
"Then how about we go do what you are meant to do. The King and his advisers are waiting for us."
Alright, don't mess this up!
Hiccup put his hands behind his back and considered the bizarre assembly in the Deep's courtyard beside the flowing stream. What was about to happen was surely something that had never before happened in the history of the world. Or the other world, since apparently there was not only one world. That was confusing.
King Theoden, now out of his armor and wearing normal but still Lordly attire, stepped forward into the slight space between the two sides. Many soldiers and civilians watched from the walls or otherwise from a distance.
Hiccup glanced over at the three Furies sitting beside him. They all looked nervous but also eager to get this underway.
It's go time!
"Alphas, this human is King Theoden; he is the Alpha for these humans, as I told you before."
Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall slightly inclined their heads.
"King Theoden, these two dragons are Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall; they are the Alpha pair, the leaders for the pack. As you know, my friend is named Toothless, or Burning-Star to the pack."
Theoden bent his head and then spoke.
"It is my honor to meet you all. May I introduce my commanders: Gamling, Grimbold, Erkenbrand, and Eomer, Marshal of the Mark."
The men were all grizzled, weary and sweaty, and had long golden hair. Their faces were a mix of grim and impassive, probably because of the recent combat they had been through and many years of warfare.
"For coming to our aid, you and the rest of your pack have my thanks and the thanks of all the people of Rohan," Theoden continued.
"We did not think that humans would be so understanding and kind," Snowfall hummed.
"Why not?"
"We were hunted in the world we came from," she answered.
Theoden frowned at that.
"I know not where you are from. Leader to leader, why were you hunted?" he asked.
"There had always been fighting between humans and dragons. He could explain more."
Then she turned to Hiccup and nodded at him, so he continued with the explanation.
"Dragons would raid human villages for food, sheep and cattle, but never for gold or treasure. There was also fighting because dragons are... dangerous, even though that does not make them bad."
Theoden nodded.
"Definitely not. Gandalf is dangerous, but I do not fear his aims. Your flying to our defense saved hundreds of lives. Rohan will never forget that. I will not forget that. Why did the dragons raid humans in your lands? There must be a reason why. Was food lacking in that world?"
Hiccup answered.
"Because dragon Alphas commanded them to and had... powers that could make them obey. The dragons of this pack fled those Alphas to escape that way of life. We want to be free."
"Very good. What do you intend to do now?" Theoden asked.
Hiccup took a deep breath and drew some encouragement from Toothless's deep purr of support.
"The pack flew here to show humans that we are not the monsters you might have thought we are. We hope that we could live in peace with you and your people. What that would look like is what we have to talk about now."
He glanced up to the mountains.
"The pack wants to settle down somewhere together. One option would be for the pack to live up in the mountains. Some of the pack would probably prefer that at first because it is more what they know already. I would suggest that we live more with humans."
"How?" Theoden inquired.
Toothless purred and stepped forward.
"He and I lived in the Shire for over a moon-cycle. The Hobbits gave me a barn-den to live in. I helped work in the fields, and the Hobbits gave me prey, fish and four-legs, to eat."
"It is possible for the Furies to live in peace with you if you both only try. We want to try," Hiccup added.
Theoden crossed his arms on his chest, silently considering all this.
"Would you want that? Would you want to live with us in our cities and throughout Rohan?" Theoden addressed the Alpha pair.
They both swept their ears back and stared at him, softly humming some of their worry.
"That way is very different from the life we have lived. Some of us are not sure how we can trust humans to never turn on us," Flame-In-The-Night calmly said.
Theoden slowly nodded in return.
"Indeed. I understand that. Many of my common folk would be afraid of you because of old stories we have heard. It will be difficult for them to trust that you would never turn on us."
Flame-In-The-Night and Theoden appeared to agree on that understandable reluctance. People on both sides would have difficulties trusting the other at first.
"That is where I would come in. I could work as a peacemaker between you all. I would do things like help kids of both kinds learn to trust each other and be friends, and meet suspicious people and help reassure them," Hiccup offered.
Theoden started pacing.
"That aid, Master Haddock, would be most welcome. It may take time, years even, before that peace and trust can be built strong enough to last on its own."
"You would let it happen though?" Hiccup exclaimed in wonder.
"Certainly I would. Your entire pack, Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall, is welcome in Rohan for as long as I rule and longer, if I have any say."
The two Alphas' eyes went wide in amazement.
"What would you dragons need if you were to live among us?" Theoden continued.
Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall glanced at each other before answering.
"Not much. We would first want a place to be our own where we could rest as a pack," Snowfall answered.
"That is easily met. We do not have large cities in Rohan, but Edoras is one place where many of you could abide. That is where I and my court live with some of my thanes. There are empty homes there and the surrounding lands now because of the fallen. We could give you those homes to be yours after remaking them or even build new ones for you."
"What about food? We dragons need to eat more than humans... do," Flame-In-The-Night winced and hastily added.
Snowfall rolled her eyes and knocked into his shoulder.
Theoden nodded and faintly grinned, appreciating the moment of levity.
"Food should not be an immediate problem. The Eastfold and the Westfold are grasslands in which there are great herds of cattle. I could have a steady supply of them brought. There are also fish in the Snowbourn and other rivers, and wild game throughout the hills and mountains. If there were still shortages after all that, we could speak then on what to do."
That detail about availability of food was one which Hiccup was more concerned about in secret. Dragons needed to eat more than humans needed to eat, and a pack of over twenty dragons would need a lot of food. Adults needed less or got less than growing fledglings, cubs, or pregnant mothers, but even the adults still needed to be satisfied. Rohan was not around any great waters like an ocean, so there was no ever-present supply of fish.
We'll figure it out if there's a problem.
"What about the four-leg horses?" Flame-In-The-Night asked.
"What about them?" Theoden warily asked.
"Are they food?"
Hiccup knew that it was a fair question, but it still made the men of Rohan wary for understandable reasons.
"No. We do not hunt them, nor are they truly our pets to keep in the same way that hounds are. I would not have horses become food."
"What about the dead ones here?" Flame-In-The-Night then added.
Theoden looked pained at that reminder of the dozens of horses that had fallen to Uruk pikes. The fallen horses were being piled apart from the Uruks.
"True, there are many of them, and it would take too long to dig proper graves for them."
Hiccup watched as Theoden paced for a while in thought.
It would be practical to let them eat the dead horses.
"I suppose," Theoden continued, "that you and your pack could take the fallen horses, with the understanding that they are not to be food in the future. It is better that they serve a better purpose in death than only to feed the wolves and scavengers."
Both Alphas dipped their heads in respect.
"Where is the nest where we would live?" Snowfall then asked.
"Edoras is along the mountains to the southeast. It is a walled city on a hill in the plain but near the mountains. Most of the people live in small villages throughout Rohan or have no one place they live, but my court and several hundred others live in Edoras."
Theoden paused.
"I must ask this also. What would you dragons be willing to do among us? Everyone has a role and works for the good of all."
"If I may, King Theoden," Hiccup spoke up, "they could help to work the fields like Burning-Star did in the Shire, herd and protect the cattle, and also help protect everyone from Orcs, Uruks, or any other dangers. They could watch the borders and warn you if they see anything."
"Would you be agreeable to all of that?" Theoden nodded and then asked the Alphas.
Flame-In-The-Night grumbled.
"We must know this first. You are the Alpha for your pack of humans. Would you expect us to bend our wings to you as our new Alpha?"
"No. Not in any human affairs. So will I not presume to have any power over your affairs unless the peace is not sustainable, which I do not think will be a problem."
Snowfall spoke up.
"You humans have four-leg-horses you use to carry you. We will not do that or be your mounts."
"Of course not. You are not beasts of burden," Theoden agreed.
The Alphas stepped aside and whispered to each other as they deliberated. Then they returned after a brief discussion.
"We see no bad in those flights. We must talk to the pack first because of how much change this would be for us," Snowfall said.
"We wonder this also," Flame-In-The-Night asked, "where is your mate? Do you humans not have an Alpha pair like we do?"
"My... wife died long ago," Theoden softly answered.
"And you never took another?" Snowfall added.
"I wanted no other."
A solemn but also surprised glance passed between the Alphas.
"We are much the same. We find one we want for life. We usually want no other after such a loss," Flame-In-The-Night said.
"We will return and tell you what the pack wants to do," Snowfall added.
They then flew off toward the high cliffs where most of the pack waited.
Toothless stepped over to Hiccup's side. They both stared off toward the cliffs while wondering about what was going to happen.
"Now what?" Toothless asked.
"Now we wait..."
"I will get some water then."
Hiccup took the opportunity to see to Starlight and Snowflame while the Alphas were gone. Wind-Biter, Storm-Chaser, and Wind-Ripper were up among the rest of the pack so they could be out of the way during these negotiations. The two wounded Furies were both awake and lapping at the stream that flowed down the mountain behind the Deep.
"Starlight? Snowflame?"
They lifted their heads from the water and purred softly to him.
"How are your hurts?" Toothless asked.
"Better," Starlight huffed.
"My belly hurt does not hurt much now," Snowflame moaned.
Hiccup went straight over to her, realizing that it was not truly that wound which was troubling her. While that was definitely the more painful of the wounds, it was the less life-changing one.
"We are going to help your wings heal," he declared.
"You can do that? How?" she blinked.
"Someone will sew the wing-skin together so that it heals well. You will see. Do wing-cuts heal well on their own?"
"Some can. I remember other dragons whose wings had hurt-marks that had healed," Starlight answered.
That's a relief.
"See, it will happen. I also wanted to let you both know that the pack might be going somewhere else soon. Starlight, do you think you can fly?"
"Yes, I can. This side-hurt does not stop flight."
"Snowflame, you might need to walk."
"If I must," Snowflame groaned.
Her faint croon and backswept ears pierced his heart, so he took her head in his hands and rested his forehead on her muzzle.
"You will fly again. I promise."
She hummed softly and slowly pulled back from him only to lick him across the face.
Under the circumstances, he did not feel at all like teasing her. Instead, he only smiled.
She smiled a toothless smile in return.
"You've been practicing that, huh?"
"Yes, it feels good doing that," she purred.
Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall flew back and touched down in the courtyard. They had not been gone for even five minutes.
Snowfall bounded over to her daughter and started nuzzling her. Flame-In-The-Night strode straight up to Theoden who also turned to meet him. The Fury then sat down and curled his tail around to his front paws.
Hiccup, Toothless, Gandalf, Aragorn, and Theoden's advisers also approached; all of them knew the significance of the coming moment.
"What is the pack's decision?" Theoden asked.
Flame-In-The-Night stared evenly at the King before answering.
"We told them of the offer to live in peace with your pack-nest. We could get new dens and food, and we will help work and protect; two pack-nests living freely together. No forced carrying or bonding. We told them what you have done for my daughter and for Starlight."
"And?"
"We will fly this flight of peace and life together," Flame-In-The-Night answered.
Hiccup closed his eyes and exhaled while leaning against Toothless's side. Some weight he had carried around inside, a fear that his mission might be impossible, fell away. He wiped away a tear from his cheek.
It's really happening! It worked!
"Hiccup, are you..." Toothless whispered.
"Yeah, I'm good... and happy..." Hiccup softly answered as he rubbed circles on Toothless's neck.
"Me also."
Theoden then stepped back and nodded.
"So be it. I will leave with my advisers to meet with the... Alpha who sent the army to attack us. In a couple days, most of my people and soldiers will go to Edoras and their homes throughout the lands. Would your pack fly above my people to help keep them safe?"
"Yes, we can do that. All in the pack are tired and will rest much today," Flame-In-The-Night nodded.
Toothless snorted softly to himself at this first time the Alpha used human signals.
Hiccup must be... rubbing his ways off on him. He does that much.
"You have my thanks for that protection," Theoden said.
Theoden then beckoned Eomer forward.
"Eomer, would you please find your sister and bring her hence?"
"Yes, my King," Eomer departed.
Flame-In-The-Night meandered over to Snowfall and Snowflame, and then Theoden departed with the rest of his advisers, concluding the negotiations.
"Now what?" Toothless asked.
"Now, we just help out here until everyone is ready to leave."
They were discussing what to do next when several sets of wings appeared in the sky a few moments later. Far-Flight, Sky-Dancer, and Breath-Of-Sky swooped in, landed, and bounded up to them.
"Hiccup! We are flying to more humans!" Breath-Of-Sky shouted, tail swaying wildly.
"No way!" Hiccup shouted back.
"Yes way!"
Gandalf's clear laugh drew all their gazes.
"And who would these fine dragons be?" the Wizard grinned.
Hiccup was struck by how Gandalf had been silent until this point in the entire meeting. He had been there but said nothing at all. It was as if the Wizard's role was to guide others to lead and act, rather than being the center of attention himself.
"These are Toothless's parents and younger brother. His father, Far-Flight; mother, Sky-Dancer; and brother, Breath-Of-Sky," Hiccup indicated each by name.
"Who is this white face-fur human?" Sky-Dancer asked, her head tilted in surprise.
"He is Gandalf, a Wizard. He has some... powers that other humans do not have," Toothless explained.
"Powers?" she wondered.
"The first time that I met him he blocked a fireball I shot at him."
"What!" "What!" they both exclaimed.
"Yes," Gandalf grinned at Toothless, "our first meeting was certainly a memorable one."
"You struck first!" Toothless pouted.
"To protect Hiccup from you..."
"Says the Wizard with the power-stick. That is a new one though," Toothless blinked, noticing that Gandalf's staff was a different one.
"Yes, I lost the other one when I... fell."
"Fell? Did someone help you up?" Breath-Of-Sky warbled as he bounded forward and then sat down on his haunches.
"Indeed, dear one, but I needed a new... walking stick."
"The stick walks?"
"When I am walking with it, yes. And you are Toothless's younger brother?"
Breath-Of-Sky eagerly nodded with a toothless smile as Gandalf gently scratched under his chin.
"Yes! I am Breath-Of-Sky!"
Gandalf smiled widely.
"So you are. I am already well-acquainted with good beings that go on the winds..."
Hiccup watched with a distinct warmth in his heart as Gandalf and then Aragorn greeted Toothless's entire family.
Can't wait for the Hobbits to meet them also... wonder when we'll see them again.
Then Flame-In-The-Night called to Sky-Dancer, and she bounded over to him. They started talking on their own a short distance away.
Almost at the same time, Eomer returned leading a women clad in white robes at his side. Her glance was grave and thoughtful, and her long hair flowed down her back as a river of gold. She was slender and tall, but she also appeared strong and stern.
They were also brother and sister from their similar appearances.
"My Lord," she formally, stiffly bowed.
"Eowyn, sister-daughter," Theoden stepped over to her and gently lifted her chin, "do not fret so. There is no dishonor in your charge."
"How often have I heard of my duty, my Lord? Am I a shieldmaiden or a dry-nurse to tend the wounded always?"
"Deeds done unpraised are no less noble. Both war and healing are done to save life."
Hiccup thought that there was a cold or a distance in her eyes, though she remained respectful.
"Is that it? I am a woman, and therefore my place is to mind the house and the sick while the men ride to war and glory?"
Theoden took her slender hands in his own and kissed them.
"Dearest, do not think there is more glory and honor in war than there truly is. You have not heard the screams and been in bloodshed over long, wearying battle. War is the great and terrible province of men, Eowyn."
"For those women who cannot fight, yes, let them stay behind and be protected by others who fight for them. But will you not let me ride with you to honor? I am weary of hiding in the hills so. You know that I can wield a blade as well as any man," Eowyn protested.
There was a firmness in her voice and strength in her bearing that reminded Hiccup of someone else he knew.
They are kind of similar. Both are shieldmaidens eager to fight and prove themselves. I definitely don't see Astrid being content to stay in the house either. She'd definitely have knocked me out if I even suggested it.
Despite their similarities, Eowyn was much older than Astrid. While Astrid was his own age, Eowyn was probably in her mid-thirties and had certainly seen far more from life.
"There may yet come a time when you do great deeds in battle. I pray that you never need to though. I have a task for you."
"What would my Lord have me do?" she whispered.
"I would have you lead everyone back to Edoras, and rule in my stead as Queen regent until my return. Please work with Master Haddock here in anything involving the dragons. They will be... moving in with us, so it appears."
If Eowyn was surprised, she hid it well as she politely nodded at Hiccup.
"It will be done, my Lord," she then addressed Theoden.
Aragorn then came forward before her. She oddly averted her eyes briefly.
"Lady Eowyn, you doubt your skill as a healer, but you have a chance to ply your craft. One of the dragons fighting for us was felled. Snowflame's wings were pierced by many arrows. I would tend to her wings myself, except that I am to go with the King to Isengard. Could you tend to her?"
She did not look at all afraid, though she was visibly surprised.
"I will do what I can. Please take me to... her," Eowyn answered.
Aragorn led her away toward the resting dragons.
Sky-Dancer stepped away from Flame-In-The-Night and returned to them.
"My mate, sons, Hiccup, I will be flying from here for several days."
Far-Flight rubbed against her neck with a deep purr.
"Where are you flying, my dear mate?"
"To bring Hunts-In-Deep-Waters and Lightning to where we are flying as a pack. I can fly the fastest of us all, so I should do this."
"Do you know where the place is?" Hiccup asked.
"Yes," she nodded, "down the mountains from here and some toward the rising sun. A large nest on the plain near the mountains."
"Yep, that's it. I'm sure you can't miss it."
Toothless and Breath-Of-Sky then took turns nuzzling her nose. Finally, Hiccup went up to her and threw his arms around her neck. She purred very deeply back to him and patted his back with a paw.
"Fly fast and be safe," he instructed her.
Far-Flight barked in amusement.
"She is the best flier of us all! I should know..."
She purred at Far-Flight and walked past him, brushing her tailfins along his side. Then she leaped for the sky, beat her wide wings, and darted up out of the valley, vanishing over the mountain as she turned for the north.
With her gone, Hiccup turned his attention back to the other Furies over at the stream. Snowflame was holding out a wing so that Eowyn could closely inspect it and the several holes in the wing.
King Theoden came and stood beside him.
"Master Haddock, what do you think?"
"You helped to change the world today, sir."
"Between your assurance, Gandalf's word, Aragorn's testimony, and what I saw in the battle, I do not doubt that these dragons are good at heart. I cannot promise that it will be easy with all my people, though the aid given here and which you have promised will do much to change hearts and minds."
"That's fine, sir. I'm very used to people being stubborn."
Theoden kindly smiled and patted him on the shoulder.
"Take care, and I will see you in Edoras for the festival."
"What festival, sir?"
"A feast to remember the fallen and celebrate the victory," Theoden explained.
"I look forward to it."
The King and all his retinue left to prepare for their departure. Hiccup then approached Eowyn; she was still inspecting Snowflame's wings, held out for her to see up close.
"Uh, Lady Eowyn?"
"Master Haddock," she answered him.
"How do they look, her wings?"
"They will be easy to patch up. I was about to go and get my needle and thread."
"See Snowflame, what did I tell you?"
Snowflame retracted her wings and purred softly, looking far more cheerful now than she had been earlier in the day.
"Lady Eowyn, do you have a moment to talk on our own?"
She followed him a short distance from Snowflame so that they could speak freely.
"What is it, Master Haddock?"
"Thank you for helping her with her wings. It... means a lot to her."
"I am sure it does. I am only doing as my Lord requests... and as is right."
"Is there anything I can do to help before everyone here leaves for Edoras?" Hiccup asked her.
"We will leave in two days, after the slain have been buried and all others have had their rest. I know to have some of the fallen horses set aside for the dragons. Could any of the dragons help with digging graves for our dead?"
He winced at the thought, though he saw the sense in her suggestion.
"I suppose we could help with that. It might be best if the dragons only help with the digging and not anything else."
"Of course. We will handle actually laying our dead to rest."
"Good. Oh, and for what it's worth, I understand your wanting to fight. The women where I am from fight alongside the men."
She smiled at that.
"It must be a great and honorable place where warriors are held in high esteem," she said.
"Well, there is certainly a lot of fighting there. Everyone fights because they must."
"Who are the enemies?"
He groaned and looked away from her, his gaze eventually settling on something else in the inner-courtyard.
"Dragons... not like these ones though!"
She crossed her arms on her chest.
"Pardon me, Master Haddock, but you must appreciate how strange this still is to us. All the tales we heard of are of monstrous dragons."
"Yeah, I hear that one a lot."
"Did you know that one of Rohan's greatest heirlooms, the Horn of the Mark, was taken from the hoard of Scatha the Worm."
"Worm?"
"A flightless dragon," she explained.
He crossed his arms and grinned.
"Do you want to see proof that dragons, these ones with us anyway, are not monsters?"
"What proof might that be?"
"That," he gestured over her shoulder down the slope, and they both looked.
Toothless and Breath-Of-Sky had each other's tails in their mouths. Far-Flight was sitting upright, his ears lifted high while watching his sons at play.
Eowyn faintly grinned.
"Yes, that will do it. If you please, Master Haddock, would you stay here with Snowflame? I will be right back with the needle and thread."
"Sure."
Hiccup went to stand with Snowflame while Eowyn left to retrieve her supplies.
"Where is she going?" Snowflame asked.
"She needs to get some things to help her fix your wings when she gets back. It might hurt a little, but your wings will heal."
"How long will that take?" she warbled, resting her head on her forepaws.
"I'm not sure. It will probably be a while, a few... moon-cycles, before they are strong enough that you can fly."
"I can wait. Windripper will not be happy about this..."
"Oh really? Why is that? Wait... do I want to know?"
"Why would you ask if you do not want to know?"
"Eh, fair point. Let's just leave it at that."
She huffed.
"Fine. I will let Eowyn fly with me if I do fly again. She feels like a good human."
Hiccup grinned at the thought.
Who will be the first person from Rohan to go flying? Guess I'll find out someday. At least they will already know everything about saddles, if the Furies don't mind wearing those of course.
Standing there with Snowflame, watching Toothless and Breath-Of-Sky playing with abandon, and seeing several other Furies calmly gliding high above while none of the men and women nearby looked afraid made everything, all the cold, hunger, and silence on the long flight into the north and even the minor and serious wounds Snowflame and Starlight had recently suffered, feel worthwhile.
Still, the promise of peace and something approaching normalcy was very appealing after all the drama and uncertainty of the past few months.