Lightning And Death
"Let's fly!" Hiccup shouted.
Toothless threw his wings wide and leaped from the ledge into a dive. The beat of many wings followed closely behind him as about half the pack's adults also took flight, following his lead. None of them made a sound so as to keep the surprise as long as possible.
"Like old times, bud?"
"Old times?"
"The raids..."
Toothless snorted.
"This time is very different!"
They were still very high above the swarming army, beyond the reach of any normal weapon the Uruks may have.
A roar went up from the army beneath them, and the Uruks began advancing toward the shattered wall while the main gate was already under siege. The defiant roar of the army below grew louder, shattering the silence and echoing off the mountains. The lightning crashed in the clouds high above, as though the sky had forgotten that the storm was over.
Toothless took a very deep breath. The time for hiding was over.
His roar was even louder than that of the army, especially when his defiant roar was answered by his packmates.
The battle seemed to pause. The bows stopped firing, and the Uruks stopped waving their spears. Everyone now knew that they were here.
Flame-In-The-Night, Snowflame, Starlight, and Wings-Of-Ice spun toward the main gate and higher ramparts. The enemy was ramming into the main door while very tall ladders were being hoisted up to the top level.
Far-Flight, Growls-At-His-Shadow, and Moonbeam followed him toward the broken wall. The original plan had been to flame at and destroy the ladders. That plan had been blown to pieces just like the wall. Very few of the attackers were even trying to climb up the wall; rather, they were gathering to march in through the gaping hole in the wall.
"Bud, new plan, take advantage of the chokepoint!" Hiccup shouted.
"I know how to attack!" Toothless roared back.
Hiccup rolled his eyes, knowing that Toothless definitely understood strategy, given his previous attacks on Berk. But he stared in confusion when he saw the Elven archers in the courtyard behind the wall. The archers were also drawing their swords, as if they were getting ready for melee combat in the courtyard.
They don't plan on fighting there, do they? Gods, they could be Vikings! Very brave, stubborn, and probably dead soon...
Hiccup tried very hard to not think about all the still bodies on the ramparts. There were far more of the armored Uruks that lay dead though, so that was encouraging.
Toothless roared again in command. The other three Furies swarmed around him directly over the breach into which the Uruks were flooding.
Then the night started raining fire. Glowing shot after glowing shot flew down into the breach in the wall. The blasts knocked down and burned dozens of the packed Uruks at a time. While very effective protection against arrows, the Uruk's metal armor was terrible against fire.
With dozens of Uruk corpses filling the entrance, the attackers were having difficulty advancing over the growing pile of dead.
Hiccup kept watch on the Uruk formations beyond the wall. Even a few seconds of early warning could be the difference between life and death. Fortunately, there were no large weapons he could see. There were definitely crossbow bolts being fired, but none of the Furies presented good targets. They were nothing but shadows dashing along the wall. Moonbeam was slightly more visible, but she was very quick and kept changing her flight so that no archers could reliably aim.
After another successful dive, Hiccup saw into the inner courtyard and, now that he was much closer, noticed someone very familiar and welcome.
Aragorn was leading the hundred or so Elven archers. Behind them was a series of caves set in the base of the mountain, but that was unimportant. The Elves had put away their swords and were aiming their bows.
A volley of arrows flew into the breach, felling dozens more Uruks in the gap. None of the arrows came close to any of the Furies.
Alright, they got the message: don't shoot the dragons!
He glanced up to the main gate. The Uruks, forced to march up the narrow bridge to the main gate, were easy targets for diving blasts, of which there were many. Dozens of Uruks fell many lengths to their deaths, blasted off the narrow walkway.
Toothless snarled down at the broken wall where the attackers were struggling. There were so many of their bodies piled in that small place that it was very hard for the attackers to move around or advance.
He saw that several of the ladders were again being used by the Uruks trying to climb the wall.
"See the ladders!" Toothless roared.
"Yep! Let's take them down!" Hiccup shouted.
Toothless roared commands to the other three Furies, who then roared back in agreement. He flew higher and joined them as they dashed as fast as the wind, their precise shots crumpling the ladders leaning against the wall. Ladders blasted to pieces could not be put back up.
A pair of bright flashes lit up the night high up near the tallest ramparts. Sky-Dancer roared aloud her triumph as two of the tallest ladders leading up to the highest level broke at her fire and crumbled, sending all the Uruks on the ladders falling hundreds of feet to their deaths.
Hiccup wasn't sure whether to be pleased that she was getting in on the action too, or worried about her. There was something about having her in harm's way that was completely wrong.
Between being routed at the gate, having their ladders felled, and being unable to advance into the courtyard, the attacking Uruks hesitated and pulled back slightly, filling the air with defiant roars and cries as they did so. They were waving their spears and crying out in wordless voices, perhaps because they couldn't speak.
A slight lull in the battle ensued as the lightning crashed closer up above.
"This is our chance! We should talk to Strider!" Hiccup shouted.
They swooped into the courtyard and touched down with a splash in the mud and red water that was pooling within.
Aragorn was the first to run over to them. The Ranger was covered in sweat and his clothing was torn, clearly since he had been in close battle already.
"No time for pleasantries! What is this?" the Ranger gestured toward the sky.
"We found other Night Furies and more! They're here to fight with us! What are you doing down here?" Hiccup shouted back from the saddle.
Aragorn breathed heavily and glanced over his shoulder to the many Elven soldiers at his back.
"We sought to hold the wall, but that was before they lit the fire of Orthanc under us! Saruman's foul craft!" Aragorn answered.
"We cannot hold that place much longer!" Hiccup added while pointing toward the breach.
"You will all die if you stay down here! Go fight from up there!" Toothless tossed his head toward the upper level.
"The Furies don't have unlimited fire! Go now!" Hiccup added.
Aragorn stepped back and surveyed the scene. The Uruks were already rallying beyond the wall, slowly carrying away their fallen to clear a path. Several visible Uruks were now carrying large, thick shields that could make arrows useless and might help against plasma blasts.
Aragorn then shouted in Elvish up to the wall.
Hiccup could only make out one familiar word: the name Haldir. The rest was incomprehensible.
Where have I heard that name? Probably Lothlorien...
The Elf, probably the leader, apparently agreed with whatever was said because he gave a command and beckoned to all his forces. All the Elves turned as one to flee up the slope toward the upper, far more defensible level. Several wounded were being carried. Hiccup even noticed a Dwarf and another familiar Elf running at Aragorn's side, though the Dwarf was being unwillingly dragged away from the combat.
Good thing the Hobbits are not here in the fighting. They could not fight well at all. I'm missing something here. Wonder where they and the Gondorian are... and Gandalf also...
"Back to the breach!" Hiccup cried.
They hopped into the sky and summoned the other three Furies. They only needed to win some time for the survivors to flee the courtyard. More plasma blasts flew into the narrow gap which had been partially cleared of fallen Uruks.
Then Hiccup saw several seriously wounded Elves up on the wall or on the ground just inside the wall, unable to walk or flee to safety. There was a chance that something could be done for them, even if doing it was crazy.
"Think you can get them!" he pointed.
Toothless understood and dove, briefly touching down and grabbing a fallen but still living Elf in his arms.
Far-Flight, Growls-At-His-Shadow, and Moonbeam, their maws smoking, landed around him on the ground behind the rock-wall.
"How much fire do you have?" Toothless growled.
"Not much more. What are you doing with that human?" Far-Flight asked.
"Trying to save this Elf! Find living but hurt ones and help me save them!"
Holding his wounded Elf, he hopped and flew up toward the higher level without looking back at his packmates.
The last of the very tall ladders fell to his dam's diving fire from on high. He bared his teeth and snarled happily at his dam's strike. He only briefly imagined her striking at Hiccup's pack many years ago, and then he threw out that thinking. He had done the same as her in striking at Hiccup's old pack, long ago.
Then his warmth at the successful fighting was chilled when he arrived at the higher level that had all the humans defending it. What was so bad was that he could only see three of his kin in the sky instead of four. They were too far away for him to see which one was missing.
He spun up over the ledge to where he could see the inside of the place. It was filled with shouting humans and Elves, almost all of whom had bows in their paws. Arrows were now flying toward the main gate and down the slope toward where the Uruks were pouring through the gap.
Cold poured into his soul-fire when he saw that there was a downed Fury behind these higher walls. His packmate lay on its side while humans swarmed around it.
The instant of fear and alarm passed when he realized what was happening. The humans were grooming it, letting the fallen one drink water from a bucket while they tended to some unknown hurts.
Satisfied that nothing bad was happening there, he hopped down to the rock ground inside and gently dropped the Elf. It was still alive, but it was too pained to speak.
"Think we can get more of them?" Hiccup asked.
They hopped back to the edge of the wall so they could look down on the courtyard. Uruks were now pouring into the courtyard through the hole in the wall.
"Maybe. Do the Uruks have many arrows and bows?"
"Yeah, that would be a problem. They have a few crossbows..."
"They were not shooting at us."
"Probably because they were surprised or scared. They're not now. Going back there is probably too big a risk."
Far-Flight, Growls-At-His-Shadow, and Moonbeam arrived only moments later, each of them with a wounded Elf in their paws. They dropped off their catches and joined Toothless perching on the edge of the wall.
"Burning-Star, are you going to get more of these... Elf-things?" Far-Flight barked.
"I wish I could!"
"The attackers have many spine-throwing things!"
Toothless grumbled. The enemy having many bows would make it very hard to safely fly those skies now. Even if the night was dark and stormy, there was always the change of an arrow hitting him by chance only.
"Then it is too dangerous," he groaned.
"Let us fly this flight!" his sire added.
What? Sire, what are you doing?
"You must stay here! You cannot do this with Hiccup flying with you!" Moonbeam added.
"Do what?" Hiccup asked, confused.
She only flashed her teeth.
Moonbeam, Far-Flight, and Growls-At-His-Shadow turned away from him and flew up into the sky away from the fighting.
Hiccup thought that was strange of them. Why would they fly higher when the Elves were down on the ground? Why did they think they could safely rescue anyone else?
"What are they doing?" Hiccup wondered.
"I do not know."
Neither of them could look away out of curiosity. They were carefully watching the three flights when the lightning jumped from the clouds without warning and struck the two soaring Night Furies. Their bodies crackled with the lightning. Meanwhile, Moonbeam shot a blast directly ahead of herself and then dove into the fire-cloud.
All three dragons vanished from sight in the open sky.
Toothless's jaw hung open while Hiccup stared, completely dumbfounded.
Neither of them knew what to think.
It was completely impossible.
And it just happened before their eyes.
"Did they just disappear?" Hiccup gasped.
"I... think they did..."
"Hhhhow?"
"I do not know. I did not know my kind can do that..."
Toothless looked down to the wall. He could see far enough in the dark while Hiccup could not. His suspicions were confirmed wingbeats later when he saw three Elven bodies impossibly lift into the sky from the top of the wall. That happened while a swarm of Uruks rushed through the courtyard, the attempts to scale the walls having been abandoned. The Uruks did not notice anything strange around them.
I could not try that with Hiccup on me. That would be too dangerous for him. I do not even know how to do that!
"They grabbed some Elves!"
"Did they? Good! Oh gods... maybe there is something to the saying," Hiccup mumbled.
Toothless swooped back toward the front gate and fired a shot toward the attackers massed outside the gate, sending over a dozen of the Uruks tumbling off the walkway. Then he pulled up and began gliding high above the keep.
"What saying?" he asked.
"Night Furies being the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself. I don't know though..."
Toothless grumbled.
"We should talk about that... later."
His musing on the impossibility of what he had just seen over, Hiccup turned his attention to the defenses again. The front gate was easily holding because the battering ram could not be reliably used. Any Uruks trying to attack the gate were struck by blasts from above. There did not appear to be any more of the extremely high ladders that could reach the second level. Finally, the only path that led from the fallen courtyard was up a very steep slope being covered with the bodies of the fallen. There were already so many dead Uruks that their advancing was slow and difficult.
"Let's go see what is going on up there, shall we?"
Toothless grunted his agreement and dove for the clearing inside the upper level. There was not much room to land on, and he had to tuck his wings and fall a little further than he wanted to. His landing also disturbed several of the humans who immediately scrambled back in alarm. While they were surprised, none of them lifted a weapon or threatened him.
Then he bounded over to his downed packmate. It was Starlight. The teal-eyed male was lying on his side while breathing heavily and looking pained.
"Starlight, what happened?"
"A spine hit my side. I fell here..." Starlight groaned in pain.
"Where did it hit you?" Hiccup bent down next to him.
Starlight lifted a wing and showed off the large puncture in his side. The arrow or bolt had already been removed, but the hole was bleeding even if it was not a deep or large wound.
"May I lick it?" Toothless asked.
"Please do..." Starlight winced.
Toothless lost no time and bent down to lick the hurt. While doing so was definitely necessary and would help Starlight heal, it was also the first time he ever tasted his own kind's blood that was not his own. A terrible thing to know.
All the other humans nearby kept their distance.
"What happened with the humans?" Hiccup asked.
"They... ran to me... after I fell. Then they... helped with the spine-thing..." Starlight shakily explained.
Hiccup nodded, pleased that the people of Rohan had been understanding. Though, seeing the dragons fly to their defense made it very clear that they were allies. Of course the people of Rohan would want to help. There was also a good chance that they had already heard about the dragons being good.
Then he started in surprise when three groaning Elves were gently placed on the ground on the ramparts inside the top wall. There was nothing immediately present in the air except for a faint shimmering, though that was very difficult to see in the darkness, and the audible stroke of wings.
There was also a very, very creepy trio of pairs of glowing eyes that did not fade from sight.
"We will look for more!" Moonbeam barked.
Then the three invisible Furies were gone again.
That would take some getting used to. He had no idea that Furies could disappear like that.
The rolling, pained Elves got his attention. They looked like they needed attention as soon as possible. One of them was even missing an arm.
"Be right back, bud!"
"I will stay with them!"
He hopped down from Toothless's back and went looking for doctors or healers. A few men and women in blood-soaked rags were tending to the wounded back near the entrance to the Keep.
"These Elves need help!" Hiccup shouted.
"Great, more of them. Show us!" one of the women shouted.
He led several of the healers up to the ramparts to where the wounded Elves were dropped. They picked up the Elves and carried them to the Keep where they could properly attend to them.
"Good Elf!" a new man shouted over the din of battle.
Hiccup returned to Toothless's side. Now that he got to look more closely at Starlight's wound, he felt a lot less worried. While he was fortunately not an expert in Night Fury internal anatomy, the wound was probably not in any important body parts.
The thick coating of dark red blood on the ground under Starlight looked very ominous though.
"Make way! Make way!" an indistinct voice cried.
Then a heavy hand fell on Hiccup's shoulder. He spun around in surprise.
The tall, middle-age man who had greeted him was dressed very differently from all the fighters around them and on the walls. He had golden pauldrons and a very fine coat of armor with the insignia of a white horse. He bore a bronze or possibly golden helmet which was the same color as his long hair and trimmed beard.
This was evidently someone of status to the people of Rohan given how they gave him space and respect.
The man looked very confused, awed, and speechless at the same time.
"What is this?" he eventually gasped with a nod toward Toothless and Starlight.
"They are dragons, and they are here to fight for Rohan, as you can see! It is a long story. Who are you, sir?" Hiccup asked.
"I am Theoden, son of Thengel... and King of Rohan."
I'm speaking with a King! Oh gods...
"I am... Haddock. I speak for these dragons, for these Night Furies and Light Furies."
Theoden then turned toward the ramparts. His gaze followed the dragons circling over the keep.
"How is this possible?" Theoden gasped and gestured.
"It is a very long story, and I will tell you more later. For now just know that these dragons are your allies!"
"Even more unlooked for allies? I... can see that, even if I find it hard to believe. I did not believe what I was told before. Gandalf assured me that this could be, but still... How is that one?" Theoden nodded at Starlight.
"He will live. I don't know who tended to him before, but it helped."
As much as he wanted to ask more about what Theoden thought about the dragons, there were more important matters right now.
"What is the plan now, my King?" a new armored man approached and asked Theoden.
"We hold the Keep, Gamling!" Theoden replied.
"How long?"
"As long as we can!"
Hiccup grinned, liking this display of stubborn optimism.
"Will Eomer and the White Rider come?" Gamling asked.
Strength or determination appeared in Theoden's eyes where before there had been surprise.
"We must believe they will come! Courage is the best defense we have! We hold until dawn!"
Theoden then strode over to the edge of the wall from where he could see the whole valley. Hiccup joined him and stared out at the swarm of thousands of Uruks. They were roaring, waving their pikes, and shouting despite their failure to advance or make any progress.
"What happens at dawn?"
Theoden lifted his chin and shoulders.
"Allies will arrive at the first light of dawn on this fifth day. Enough to rout this foe. I did not believe that we could hold, but now..."
The Uruks were making no progress ascending the slope inside the fallen Deep wall and up the narrow path to the Keep's rear gates. There were too many archers above and already-fallen bodies in the way. A diving blast from a Fury occasionally tore into a thicker group of the Uruks down below. The main gate was not under assault now because the Uruks had pulled back, unable to break through the gate under the occasional blasts from above.
However, it was very worrying how large the army still was.
"How many dragons are there fighting for us?" Theoden asked.
"There are twenty-three in the pack right now," Hiccup answered.
A pair of Furies dove past them and spiraled high above the army, gradually ascending toward the high peaks where the rest of the pack lay in hiding.
"I can scarcely believe it. Dragons flying to our aid. Why?" Theoden wondered in awe.
"They are not monsters. They are people like you and me. They want to be free of Sauron and his servants. We found them living in hiding far up in the North. I and Toothless convinced them to fly down here, and then we heard that your people were in danger."
"Toothless?"
"Oh, he is my dragon. Well, not really mine; he is my best friend. It's a long story."
"I can only imagine. I hope that you do not mind my asking, but are you an Elf, Haddock?"
Hiccup laughed at that, remembering that he was wearing all Elven clothing. Then he parted his hair to show off his perfectly human ears.
"No sir, I'm human just like you."
Theoden put a hand on Hiccup's shoulder.
"My apologies. Your appearance is deceiving. Many Elves are thin as you are. Pray-tell, how many winters have you seen?"
"Seventeen, sir."
"Seventeen winters and already a speaker for and rider of dragons? You are truly special, Master Haddock."
Master Haddock, I could get used to this...
He turned and watched the two resting Furies in the inner courtyard. Toothless was still licking at Starlight's wound.
Then he remembered something important, an amazing detail that might help save lives.
"King Theoden, this will sound very strange, no stranger than friendly dragons probably, but you should let the dragons lick any injuries anyone got. That would help the wounds heal a lot. Trust me on that."
Theoden looked a mix of alarmed and amused.
"Far be it from me to reject any aid from an unlooked-for ally. We can speak to the healers after the battle is won. We could even..." he then answered.
"Take cover!" someone shouted.
He and Theoden crouched down as a hail of arrows and bolts rained down on the ramparts. Many of the shots harmlessly struck the rock wall in a clatter like hail.
A howl of pain tore through the sky, and Hiccup's heart skipped a beat at the terrible sound.
It got even worse when he saw a Fury struggling to stay aloft above the Keep. Its wings beat irregularly as it hovered and wailed. Many of the men on the ramparts turned to stare at it.
No! Gods... no!
The Fury roughly beat a trembling flight toward him, glided over his head, and crashed down inside the Keep's inner level into the open courtyard.
He was at the fallen Fury's side in seconds.
It was Snowflame.
"Snowflame!"
She opened her pain-wrought eyes and whined softly, her entire length trembling.
"Hic...cup..."
"Where is it? Where are you hurt?" he put a hand on her forehead.
"Wings... and belly..."
She whimpered and rolled onto her side. There was a bolt sticking out of her belly. There were also small holes in her wings, likely where arrows had torn straight through.
"Am I... going to die..." she whined.
"No... no, you will be fine..." he whispered and held her head.
Another Fury dropped in next to her with a fearful cry, having heard her distress. It was Flame-In-The-Night.
He bounded straight up to his daughter, saw the bolt in her belly, and then froze with narrowed eyes.
"Sire..."
"Little... one..."
"Don't move, Snowflame. You will be fine... I promise..." Hiccup whispered and stroked her head.
Then he turned to the distraught Alpha.
"Tell the rest of the pack to stay very high! I'll take care of her!"
Flame-In-The-Night visibly trembled as spun in place and leaped into the air. The roar that followed was one of pain, fear, wrath, and death. It echoed off the mountains on both sides of the valley, and sent combatants on both sides to the ground in fear.
Then the wrathful Fury started glowing blue from his head, his back, and all the way down his tail. The lightning crashed in the sky above and struck him just as he dove out of sight.
Hiccup could not see what caused the following flash of light that turned night into day. Neither could he tell what caused the crashing ring in his ears or the trembling that shook the ground under his feet.
But he knew it probably wasn't good for the Uruk army.
What the...
Flame-In-The-Night spun up into the sky and gave another roar of triumph and warning to his pack only seconds after his strike. The Fury was glowing like a blue star.
Having just seen two impossible things from Night Furies, Hiccup gave up trying to understand what Furies were capable of, and instead he turned all his attention to the prone Snowflame before him. She needed help with the bolt in her belly. Worst was that he didn't know if it was in any important body parts. It definitely looked deeper than Starlight's wound.
"Toothless! Can you come here!" Hiccup shouted.
Toothless bounded over to him, his eyes narrowed in concern for her.
"How is Starlight?"
"Well. He is not bleeding now."
"Okay, stay here with Snowflame! Snowflame, stay still. I will be right back!"
She whimpered her response as Toothless gently nuzzled her head and purred comfort to her.
Hiccup flew to his feet and ran up the flights of stairs to where Theoden stood, staring in awe at the blue star blazing above the keep.
"King Theoden! Where is Strider?"
"I know no Strider."
"Aragorn? Where is he?"
"The rear causeway!" Theoden replied.
He ran for the upper level's rear causeway. That area was around a corner where a large number of the Elves were gathered and from where they could pick off the Uruks that tried to ascend the steep inner slope. There were barrels upon barrels of arrows on the highest level.
A familiar Elf was firing arrow after arrow down into the Deep, certainly letting no shot go to waste. A Dwarf was fuming at how few enemies there were for him to hew with his ax. And there was a man who also had a singing bow.
"Aragorn!"
The Ranger, dripping with sweat and looking very weary, extricated himself from the front line and ran over to him.
"Haddock!"
"You have skill at healing, yes?"
"I do. Why?"
"One of the Furies needs help now! She has a shot in her belly!"
Aragorn looked very troubled and uncertain.
"I do not know what I can do for a dragon..."
"Anything is better than nothing! I cannot let her... die..." he desperately pleaded.
Another moment of indecision passed before Aragorn nodded.
"Lead the way. I will do what I can."
They ran along the Keep's wall, protected from the shots from afar, and entered the inner courtyard.
Snowflame was still where he had left her with Toothless standing with her.
Hiccup knelt at her head and let her again rest her head in his lap.
"It hurts..." she whined.
Aragorn knelt at her side and saw the embedded bolt dripping with dark blood. Something changed in Aragorn's appearance as he stared at him gently stroking Snowflame's head. The Ranger got to his feet and knelt beside him.
"What is your name?" he softly asked.
She blinked.
"Snowflame..."
He smiled.
"Snowflame, you have a beautiful name. I am... Estel; it means hope. Will you let me help you?"
"What will you do?" she groaned.
"I will take out that shot from your belly, and I will help it not hurt. My hands are gentle."
"Please do..."
"But it will hurt at first to take it out. Can I trust you to not... claw at me?" Aragorn asked.
"I will not move," she growled.
"Do you mind if I... hold you still... if I must?" Toothless asked.
"That... might help."
Aragorn knelt at her belly, pulled out a small knife, and retrieved a tiny pouch of a leaf which he then started chewing. Hiccup immediately recognized the leaf from its fragrance.
Athelas...
He covered her eyes when Aragorn took the small knife to the bolt and got to work. Toothless also stood alert, ready to intervene and hold her down if there was a need.
She whined, whimpered, and growled as tears of pain dripped onto the stones, but she did not move a muscle except for her thrashing tail.
All the while, Hiccup kept whispering encouragement to her. Anything to take her mind off the surgery or distract her would probably help.
Aragorn, after a tense minute, set aside the bloody and wickedly-jagged bolt coated in blood. Then he put the Athelas chew into her open wound.
"Do we have bandages?"
"There is no need. Move aside," Toothless answered.
Aragorn complied and watched as Toothless started licking the wound. The Ranger wiped his bloody hands on his soaked pants.
"Many creatures lick their wounds, but these are very effective from what I remember of Frodo. Did he ever lick any wounds of yours, Haddock?" Aragorn asked.
"Nope, and I hope he never needs to."
Aragorn then gestured all around them toward the walls and the ramparts. There were dozens of wounded visible and definitely many more already being tended to within the Keep.
"There will be many wounded from this battle."
Despite how terrible the battle and war certainly was, Hiccup saw the obvious opportunity here. It was something he had already suggested to Theoden.
If the Furies help heal people who are hurt in the fighting...
"I can help with that injury later, but I must return to the front. My skill with a bow is needed."
Aragorn departed without further ceremony or waiting for an answer.
Hiccup remained holding Snowflame's head and whispering encouragement to her.
"Very good, Snowflame. Very brave of you... How does it feel?"
"Like... the worst belly-clawing... and flaming ever..." she groaned.
"Good! Feeling nothing would be worse. You'll be fine. I promise."
Finally, Toothless stepped away from her a few minutes later.
"The bleeding is stopped," Toothless whispered, albeit with a sad glance toward her wings.
Hiccup noticed his gaze and frowned, deep in thought.
Those are small tears that can be sewn up and heal in no time, hopefully.
"Her wings can be fixed. I'm sure about that. Snowflame, how much does it hurt?"
"Some, but not much now. The hurt feels warm," she sighed.
Athelas and Fury licks, a potent combination.
An Uruk arrow bounced off the stone wall behind them. It was very concerning that an arrow had reached this far, though he didn't know where it had been shot from. That had been a random shot for certain, but being out in the open, even at the top level, was suddenly riskier.
"Can you walk?" he asked.
"Why... must I?"
"We need to get you out of here. You might get hit again out here."
She blinked and struggled to her paws with a wince and yelp. She followed him while he kept a hand on her neck. It definitely hurt her to walk.
"Starlight, you should come too," Hiccup added when they reached him.
He led both downed Furies up into the entrance of the Keep itself where they would be sheltered from any more unlucky shots. Snowflame and Starlight had just lain down in the shelter when another pair of wings flew in behind him and roughly touched down.
The blue glow that illuminated the night was all Hiccup needed to know.
Flame-In-The-Night bounded over next to him and bent down to nuzzle Snowflame's nose.
The bright glow began to fade until only a very faint shine remained.
"How are you... my little one?" he gasped.
"Better... sire..."
Hiccup stepped away from them.
"Alpha, we helped both of their hurts. They should stay here to be safe."
Flame-In-The-Night's ears went back as he looked around at all the surrounding humans with weapons in their hands.
"I am staying with them!" the Alpha growled and sat down between them, covering both of them with a wing.
Hiccup nodded.
"Fair enough. Just don't hurt any of the humans. They helped Starlight without us asking. Were any others in the pack hurt?"
A snarl followed.
"No. The others are flying very high and unseen now. They can still be hit when hiding from eyes," Flame-In-The-Night answered.
Note to self, ask about the lightning and going invisible thing. For now though, one more thing to do.
"I'll be right back!"
He ran outside the Keep to the ramparts where Theoden stood.
"King Theoden, would you please follow me?"
"Gamling, you take watch!" Theoden immediately replied.
Theoden and a small company of his men followed him back inside the Keep.
Gods, I can ask a King to follow me and he does...
"Master Haddock, what is this about?"
"King Theoden, I wanted you to meet a couple of the dragons yourself. You should meet one of their leaders at the least."
"Indeed, I should. After what they have done for us..."
They arrived at the protected entrance to the Keep.
Toothless stepped before Theoden and calmly regarded him.
"This is my best friend. He also goes by Burning-Star," Hiccup explained.
"You are the human Alpha?" Toothless asked.
Theoden looked confused for only a moment.
"Alpha, yes, I am. I am the King of Rohan, this people. I never imagined that I would meet a friendly dragon."
Toothless purred and nodded.
"I would once have thought the same about humans."
Then Toothless stepped back as Hiccup gestured toward Flame-In-The-Night. The Alpha looked far more uncertain and remained warily staring at Theoden. His reluctance to move was probably also because he was comforting his wounded packmate and his daughter.
"This is Flame-In-The-Night. He is one of the Alphas for the pack along with his mate. That one there is his daughter, Snowflame, who was the last to be hurt. The other one is named Starlight," Hiccup explained with a gesture to each of them.
Theoden remained staring toward the three dragons, two of whom were laying on the ground.
"Are they well?" Theoden eventually asked.
"They will live!" Flame-In-The-Night hissed.
"I am glad to hear it."
"We have not known good humans before!" Flame-In-The-Night growled back, his eyes narrowed.
"No?"
"They hunted us and drove us from our dens and worse..."
Flame-In-The-Night growled again and glanced at Theoden's sword. Theoden noticed and froze for several seconds. The King slowly drew his sword and placed it on the ground, and then he defenselessly strode toward Flame-In-The-Night, eventually stopping only a couple feet from him.
"There are indeed stories of cruel dragons in these lands. Stories of dragons that have burned cities and killed innocent peoples. But not you and your kind. Whatever happens next, I will not forget that you and your kin flew to our aid when you did not need to. Your arrival was as a flame in our night of despair," Theoden whispered with a slight bow.
Flame-In-The-Night looked completely shocked and didn't know what to say to that.
Theoden then spun around, retrieved his sword, and set out for the battlements to resume command.
Hiccup stood at Toothless's shoulder and watched the King's departure. Flame-In-The-Night still stared after Theoden in evident surprise.
Alright, that is one potentially bad introduction over with!
"That went well. Shall we fly?" Hiccup then asked.
Toothless hopped forward and crouched in front of the Keep's entrance a second later. They took to the sky and spiraled higher into the night without hesitation.
Curious about what had happened earlier, Hiccup carefully looked out at the Uruk army. There were a pair of smoking craters around a pile of metal and burning wooden wreckage, likely the remains of whatever arrow- and bolt-shooting machines the Uruks had brought with them.
"How many shots do you have?"
"Maybe two or three more!"
"Alright, let's save them!"
"For what?"
"Just in case!"
A stalemate ensued as the night dragged on. The front gate could not be breached because a Fury was always ready to dive from the heights and send the attacking Uruks flying from the causeway with a single explosive shot. The Furies had, for the most part, switched out from the first round of fighters so that everyone now above the Keep was able to fight well.
There were too many fallen Uruks in the Deep's courtyard, and archers on the ramparts for the attackers to be able to advance. The Uruk army revealed no remaining new strategies, weapons, or tricks. They had nothing except the same stubborn attack which was completely ineffective.
All of this passed through Hiccup's thoughts as he and Toothless perched high up on the Keep's needle-like tower so they could oversee the entire battlefield. The light had been slowly growing brighter despite the thick cloudcover that remained overhead. Dawn was approaching with a warm breeze.
A ray of light struck them from the east above the valley.
"The sun is rising," Toothless purred.
They blinked and recoiled in surprise when they saw a mass of creatures up on the far distant slope.
"Is that what I think it is?" Hiccup exclaimed.
"That is a very big pack!"
"Not only horses, bud! Those are horses and riders! The rest of Rohan arrived!"
"And they will join the fight!"
"Yes! We should tell Theoden!"
Toothless unwound his tail from the structure and then glided down from the spire. He touched down in the courtyard.
"King Theoden! They are here, your other men!" Hiccup cried.
"Where?" the King approached from the edge of the wall.
"The eastern slope!"
Everyone on the wall gazed to the east and beheld a flash of white at the top of the slope. There were many smaller shapes around the white shape.
"The White Rider... he found Eomer..." Theoden whispered.
White Rider? Eomer? Who are they?
Hiccup and Toothless, his wings spread wide in display, perched on the battlements and stared out toward the remaining army of Uruks. There had to be easily several thousand still out there in the valley between Helm's Deep and the distant forest. The Uruks were all moving away from the Keep toward the distant slope.
They both hopped back down to the King's side.
Theoden slowly drew his sword. His fingers wrapped around the pommel as he lifted the blade. The light from the torches reflected off the pure steel.
"He was right. I do remember my old strength. Bring the horses and bridle them! Unbar the gate and sound the horn!"
"My Lord?" confused cries went through all at the gate.
Theoden pointed the sword out at the army and raised his voice with a clear cry.
"Our kinsmen ride to us! I will not sit here like an old badger in a trap! Bring the horses!"
A joyous cry went through all the warriors as most of the men departed from the gate to bring forth the horses gathered within the stables inside the mountain. Dozens of war-horses were led forth out of the Keep into the courtyard where they were mounted. The wounded Furies had been moved aside so that they were out of the way and unlikely to frighten the horses.
Legolas, Aragorn, and Haldir emerged as well on horses of their own. That the Hobbits were not with them made perfect sense.
Where are Gimli and Boromir?
Hiccup was again certain that he had missed something, but he had neglected to ask for many details during the battle.
Theoden sat on a very white horse at the head of the procession. The horse had no bit or bridle.
"What are they doing?" Toothless asked.
"They are riding to join the rest of their... pack in battle."
The distant flood of horses and riders began flowing and thundering down the slope at the eastern slope of the valley. There were so many that the ground itself trembled from afar.
Theoden's white horse whinnied loudly and kicked wildly, fighting with the sky. The King clutched his sword, and men of Rohan lifted spears and swords.
"Fell deeds awake! Now for wrath, now for ruin, and the red dawn!"
The battered front gate was flung open.
"Forth Eorlingas!"
A deep horn, the drone of which shook the ground just like the distant thunder of hooves, boomed out from the Keep as the charge began. Dozens upon dozens of mounted horses streamed out along the empty path. The banner of Rohan flowed high in the morning breeze.
Hmm, Vikings would approve. Actually...
"What do you say we give them some cover?" Hiccup proposed.
Toothless snarled and leaned off the wall, beating his flight ahead and following the charge down below. He roared aloud in challenge and defiance.
His roar was echoed by a chorus of other voices from above.
A couple pawful of his packmates dove from the hidden ledge which was already covered in dawn's light, slowly moving lower down the cliffside. Their dives pained the sky itself, for it shrieked at their passing. The diving Furies' maws were aglow with death.
And the first of the sunlight finally crept over the distant flood of horses charging downhill led by an intense white glow.
The Uruks facing the dawn were blinded and swept into chaos, spears and pikes wavering, as the charge met them.
The Uruks facing the Deep, pikes extended to greet the charging cavalry, were struck with a rain of explosive shots that shattered the lines before the horses met them.
All the host of Rohan was taken by a fey mood, for they sang as they slew, heedless and unworried of the shadows and wings darting over their heads.
The Furies filled the sky with roars louder than the din of battle, and they rained fire into the center of the Uruk horde, far away from any Rohan riders.
The Uruk army, being driven and hounded all along the valley, turned to flee in retreat toward the thick line of trees.
Then a voice carried even above the chaos of battle.
"Keep away from the trees! Stay out of the forest!"
Hiccup and Toothless started in surprise and joy at that voice filled with power and command. It was a voice they both knew dearly.
"Gandalf!" "He is the White Rider!"
They watched as the White Rider, whom they now knew was Gandalf and who was appropriately named for he rode a snow-white horse, rode in front of all others while crying out to prevent them from advancing. The white staff the bearded man carried with him was another sign of who it likely was.
No one was moving near the trees. Everyone, rider and horse, was afraid of the forest.
What are they afraid of? Gandalf knows what he is doing, but it's not like trees can attack anything...
Then the trees started swaying wildly and moving on their own. Uruk howls and cries sounded from within the forest.
Okay, I give up! What do I know?
"Are even the trees fighting for us?" Hiccup gasped.
Toothless grumbled as he stared ahead in amazement.
"True, Middle-earth is very strange!" he agreed and huffed.
They glanced down and saw four figures on horseback at the head of the massive Rohan army. One was Theoden, another was Gandalf, one was the Elf Haldir, and the other was some unknown Rohan leader who was embracing the King. Then all four of them looked up toward the circling Furies.
Theoden lifted his sword arm high and raised his voice in a cry that was repeated in a chant all down the line.
"Victory!" "Victory!" "We have victory!"
"We don't want them to forget us, do we?" Hiccup chuckled.
"Never!"
Toothless roared with joy, and all the Furies circling above him added their triumphant voices.
The vale rang with echoed songs to welcome the red dawn.