To all the people who follow me, I'm sorry I've been gone for a while. I had a lot of personal stuff going on, but I'm back now. This is the prequel to my Daypeace Encounter trilogy. I highly advise that you read that first before reading this story; otherwise you might get confused. I will do my best to show the gradual changes in the characters so I hope you appreciate my efforts. Now, on with the story
The rising sun shined its rays on the crystal blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea. The sunlight parted the ring of mist hiding a beautiful tropical island. A large city could be seen sprawling along the front of the island. The city was remarkably advanced for the time period. While most of the city drew influence from Grecian and Roman culture, small sections of the city resembled different cultures from around the world; such as the Oriental, African, and a bit of Native American.
In the palace, the sun was creeping its way across the bed of a young teenager, who was asleep in a four poster bed with light fabric drapes. The second the sun hit her face, the girl awoke, working her hands through her tangled pink locks. "Morning already? Oh and no Conservatory today! A wonderfully free day!" Nissa laughed.
The one hundred and three year old teen quickly changed into a simple pink tunic with red drapes the fell just past her tunic. Putting a simple gold circlet on her head, she hurried out into the hall and down the steps to the banquet hall for breakfast. She arrived just as the other members of her family approached. "Good morning Mother, Father. Praise Helios for this wonderful day."
"I believe that Hemara also had something to do with it. How did you sleep last night my little pleasure?" Ola, her mother asked. Ola was very beautiful, moving so gracefully. She had pinned up her long lavender hair up. As she sat down she unclipped her personal dagger from her belt and sheathed it on the back of her chair. Aunt Rayna didn't like weapons at the table, and not even her younger sister, was above punishment.
Her father, Ragner, and her uncle, Aksel, had already started talking amongst themselves about their latest project together. King Aksel was talking about creating a new observatory with a range of telescopes and some instruments that he thought would help them study the stars better. Her father, of course was already drawing up blue prints at the table. Both of them had gotten lost in their own world once again.
"Can't we have one breakfast without them going on and on about some project? Honestly Ola, I really need my husband to focus today on the matters of our island home," Queen Rayna told her sister. Her auburn and lavender hair started to come undone from its fancy curled braids. "Look at my hair! I can't do audiences with my hair like this."
"I'm sure no one will notice how you look Mom. Besides, I have audience duties today remember? I'm certain that the petitions today won't be too demanding," Prince Arkin reminded his mom. He was a handsome teenager, only seven years older than Nissa, but already he commanded respect and was praised often about his prodigy abilities when it came to manifesting his inner dragon. He had nearly completed his second level of training involved with being the next King and protector of the Draconia Daypeaces and their island home of Xanadu.
His mom looked at her son with pride in her eyes. "I'm sure you'll do a good job son," she told him in a loving tone of voice. She turned her attention towards her niece and her whole body language and tone of voice changed. It wasn't disrespectful or mean, but it always sounded harsh to the young girl. "What are you going to be doing today Nissa? Just because Conservatory is not in session today, I hope that you will take the time to improve yourself."
Ola growled at her sister, using her mental bond to gently rebuff her sister. Looking at them, it was obvious they were having a mental conversation via their Dragon Hearts. Finally, they broke the link as the mothers' each gathered their children and dragged their husbands away with them. It was another busy day for the Royal Family of the Draconia Daypeaces.
Two hours later, Nissa was wishing she had done without her draping and just stuck with her tunic for today. While her father was working in the forge with his assistants to create the new telescopes for the observatory, while her mother decided to cancel her advance self-defense with weapons class, to help her daughter work on controlling the ability to partially manifest her dragon side. They had been practicing in the private training grounds, with only three members of the Honor Guard watching them. Nissa was glad about that, no reason to embarrass herself with a larger crowd, or, one not bound by an oath to not to speak about the Royals secrets.
"Perhaps you should throw the draping away my little precious. Your tunic covers you up enough and it's easier to manifest when you have less clothing," Ola advised her daughter. Giving her daughter an encouraging smile, she slowly showed her the exercise sequence again. "Remember, your inner dragon is an extension of who you are. To do a partial manifestation, you must be at harmony with both sides of your soul." Ola stretched her right arm out, visualizing the change. Slowly her limb started to change. Pink scales replaced her skin as her fingernails started to turn black and sharp. Then she did the same with her other arm. She bent herself over, her limbs returning to normal as her yellow and orange spine crest appeared on her back. Next, her tail and back feet appeared making her lower body to be completely dragon. She started to spin around, as quickly as her lower half reformed, wings and horns appeared on her body. Lastly, she took to the sky to changing her head fully into dragon form, breathing out all the different colored flames and flying through them, before landing and completing the exercise, by resuming her completely human form.
The applause from the small group was very big. Many of the Honor Guard praised the young woman for her talent and grace. Her own daughter wanted to sing praises to her mother. Her mother made it look so effortless to simply change the different parts of her body in a controlled sequence. It's because I manifested so late that I'm not further along in my training like all my classmates she lamented in her head.
"Now none of that Nissa. Each person is different and sometimes it takes even Royals a little longer to get it," Ola said, as she brought her daughter into her mindscape, this one was a sky of many colors.
"It's so hard Mother. I want to be able to demonstrate the powers worthy of our family, but I just can't. I'm always a few steps behind." Ola stepped over and gave her daughter a big hug. The love between the two was immense, giving Nissa the strength to try again.
Returning to the real world, Nissa took a deep breath. Taking her stance, she focused on her right arm, slowly extending it. Taking several deep breathes she willed her arm to change. Nothing happened, but she didn't give up. After a few more minutes, one piece of skin changed into a pink scale. Closing her eyes, Nissa slowed down her breathing and relaxed her stance. A creeping sensation made its way up her arm. When it reached her wrist she giggled, it had tickled her joints!
"Open your eyes Nissa." The teen did as she was told. Shock filled her face at the sight of her entire right arm changed into her front leg. No scales missing, all her bones and ligaments perfectly aligned, her finger merged into three toes. "I did it. I really did it!"
"I'm proud of you Nissa. Now I want you to change it back to human. Can you do that?" Nissa bit her lip. Demanifesting a partial transformation was tricky. It required the person to reverse the exercise in a slow and sometimes painful process. Keeping her concentration on her arm, she willed the limb to return to normal, careful to keep her inner dragon under control. The arm was almost back to normal when a crack was heard.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Ow it hurts! It hurts!" Tears filled her eyes as pain shot through her body. Before the others could reach her she passed out.
Sometime later consciousness returned. Blinking her eyes rapidly; the teen struggled to get up. "No, don't get up yet. You need to rest and keep your arm elevated," the voice of Healer Skerry said to her. Her parents were sitting at her small table as the healer finished placing the cast on her upper arm. "You had a training accident. You broke your humerus in two places. This cast will help it heal."
"It's a common injury Nissa. I broke my leg when I first tried demanifesting my left leg. It takes a few tries, before you master the process, of the rapid partial change from dragon and human," Ranger told his daughter. He made sure not to jostle her as he gave her a half hug. "You'll be back in action soon." The look from his daughter was clear. How long would she be like this?
"Judging by the type of break and your own unique healing abilities, you'll only be like this for two and half weeks. I'll give you something for the pain," Healer Skerry informed her, as her broken arm was put in an elevated sling.
He was giving instructions to her parents, but Nissa mind was a million miles away. This injury would put her further back in her training, perhaps even preventing her from applying for an apprenticeship, the next stage in her education. If she didn't get a mentor by the end of the month, then she have to wait another year. How humiliating would that be? Closing her eyes and leaning back against her pillows, praying to the gods to help her.
Two and half weeks plus one day later, Nissa break had healed. Running to the Conservatory, she kept praying. "Please Helios, please Tyra, let there be some apprenticeship left for me." Reaching the beautiful five story Grecian styled building, she hopped the steps, two at a time, and barely made it to her first class, Apprentice/Mentorship Prep, on time.
As soon as she sat down, she could hear the whispering going on all about her. Nissa kept her head down, didn't the rest of her classmates have better things to do then gossip about an Honorary Princess? Sure, she had only entered the class about two months ago and not the start of the semester, but that hadn't been her fault. The Administration Office had been partially damaged by unknown hot spring causing damaged to the records.
It took all she had to ignore the rumors flying around. Instead, she focused her attention on her teacher, Mentor Augusta, who had flown in through the window and was demanifesting her body, in beautiful artistic performance. Slowly, her crest vanished as she stood on her hind legs, her tail retracting as her hind legs gracefully changed. She pulled her wings over her body, before they vanished leaving behind a curly brown hair and eyed woman in a crisp white toga.
"Greetings, my youthful teens. Today is an important day for all off you. After lunch today, you shall all meet your mentors," Mentor Augusta explained, catching the attention of the class. Her eyes lingered a bit on Nissa, who looked very downcast. Gaining a stern tone, she continued to speak. "This is your first and only chance to make a very good impression with your mentors. Some have mentored several students in the past, many of them going on to do great and honorable acts. I can tell you from experience that the next few years will the hardest of your lives."
Once more the students talking amongst themselves. Several groups of boys bragged about how well they would do at their apprenticeship. A few of the girls couldn't wait to start learning their arts. A few students had concerns about balancing their schoolwork, training in their powers, and their apprenticeships. No one noticed or cared that Nissa was listening to their chatter, hoping to learn that at least one apprenticeship was still available. From what she heard, there were none.
A few hours later, the bell for lunch rang, the entire class hurried out, hoping to eat quickly, so they could fix themselves up to meet their mentors. "Princess Nissa, could you please stay here for a few moments? We need to discuss your future." Tugging at her hair, the girl pulled up a chair waiting to hear her fate.
Mentor Augusta begrudgingly placed her hand over her student's connecting their hearts. Through the link, she projected her disappointment and frustration. These feelings felt sharp as if knives were cutting her skin. A wall of intense irritation block any emotions the princess tried to send. Mentor Augusta dissolved her wall, conveying slowly building anger only to be met, by a hazy confusion.
A memory seeped in before jamming itself in Nissa's mind. The memory was playing at super speed, indicating the sender was either reluctant to share or perhaps, ordered to do so by a higher power. Grabbing a hold of the memory the Dragon Heart forced it to rewind and play at normal speed. It appeared to be a recent memory, only a day old.
She recognized the setting, it was her Uncle Aksel's private study. She had been there last night, begging him to help her with finding an apprenticeship so she didn't fall further behind her studies. As King, he had knowledge of everyone who had applied for a mentorship and who had received an apprentice. He had turned Nissa away, leaving her to run to her bedroom upset. This memory started about an hour after that.
King Aksel was bringing cups of pomegranate juice over to his table, offering one to each of his guests. One was Mentor Augusta and the other was a man, wearing a uniform she had never seen before, who looked about her uncle's age. As they took their drinks, the king settled down in his throne back chair. "I thank you both for coming on such short notice. There is a matter of importance I wish to discuss with both of you."
Mentor Augusta hands wrapped tightly around her drink, her eyes narrowed as she could already sense what this meeting was about. "NO, I will not make any exceptions Your Majesty." The King started to open his mouth when she interrupted him again, a small amount of orange fire filtering out of her mouth. "I will not do any favors for a student, especially your niece, for failing to apply for an apprenticeship. The young "princess" shouldn't even be in my class."
A puff of blue fire struck the woman's side, causing a temporary paralysis. Her own flames vanished, and once more the King could speak and talk. His expression was one of contained anger and unhappiness. The other man tapped his shoulder, a burst of emotion was felt by the King, calming him down.
"Let us get something straight Miss Augusta Romana, I am your King! You just attacked your ruler and flat out refused to listen to a proposal by him. Those actions are punishable with some jail time and loss of title and position; that is if you are not killed outright."
Mentor Augusta, who was still paralyzed, tried to open her mouth to argue, but couldn't, so she was forced to listen. It was clear by her frozen body language she was less than happy about the situation.
King Aksel reached under the table and pulled out some papers. The memory was not clear enough to read them. "You're actions are puzzling to me. When my son was taking your class to prepare for his apprenticeship, you were more than helpful to him, even going out of your way to get extra mentors to extend offers to him. Yet, according to these papers," he said, sliding them across to her and allowing the other man to take a copy of them. "You, have been prejudice against my niece since before she entered your class. Why?" he asked before undoing the effects of the blue fire. Mentor Augusta stayed silent, only conveying emotions describing her dislike for the girl. They were tinged with something else, a highly guarded secret. Neither the king nor his companion could figure out what it was.
The other man stood up from his seat before giving Mentor Augusta a stare worthy of a Typhoomerang. Doing an about face, he saluted the King. "It is as you suspected my old friend. There is enough evidence to support deliberate sabotage against your niece's education. I am more than willing to be Princess Nissa's mentor and teach her the ways of being a Recruiter. I have no doubt she'll excel at the work." He looked very confident and pleased to have a chance to mentor someone of the Royal bloodline.
"As always, I can count on you Captain Livis. Nissa will be extremely happy to have a chance to explore and find more people to live with us, so that we may carry out our mission of peace," King Aksel nodded in joy. He turned to Augusta to give her orders just as the memory faded.
In the real world, Princess Nissa stumbled out of her chair and backed up against the wall, fearful of what her former mentor, would do to her. She shouldn't have worried as Honor Guard Davin and Isak, already had cuffs on the woman's wrist and slipping something into her toga's pocket. Even with her abilities suppressed the teenager could feel the hatred towards her. What had she ever done to earn this much scorn, and why had Mentor Augusta deliberately attempted to ruin her education?
"Princess Nissa, you are to report back to the palace to meet your mentor and begin your apprenticeship. We'll be doing a full investigation into your sabotaged education. Do you understand?" Davin questioned. She nodded and went out the door, where Honor Guard Ula met her to take her back home. Today was really starting to get interesting.
Once back at the palace, Honor Guard Steiner, met her. "Apologies Princess. Mentor Augusta didn't follow protocol today," he said, bowing low. Gripping his sword, the man started to scan around for signs of trouble. He took a big sniff, identifying everyone in the immediate area, before he proceeded. His pace was fast, but steady. His body was coiled and his armor freshly polished. He was obviously worried about something. She tried to question him only for him to cover her lips, practically dragging her to the lower levels.
Fifteen minutes later, they reached their destination, a hallway full of stored pieces of art, waiting to be placed around the palace for special occasions. Steiner led her to the back wall, and changed his right hand before pressing on a tile. Hissing in, what had to be the Honor Guards private Dragonese dialect, a secret door opened as Nissa stepped inside wondering what was going on.
The room didn't resemble anything she had seen before. The culture of the room must be from some place cold because the walls had all sorts of furs or skin's on the wall. The furniture was sturdy, mostly pine and fir. Stepping closer, she noticed the little details in the furniture, almost telling a story. A space had been cleared at the front, in order to make a life size model of the main room in a home, like history museums would do in the far future. Mannequins wore clothing she had never seen before. Heavy tunics and fur vests, some had armor, but not a lot of it. The woman's outfit seemed to have many layers to it and the child has a small tunic and boots on it. "What is this place?"
"This my dear, is what we've been able to gather so far on the culture of tribes living in the far north," her father's voice mad her jump back, nearly tripping on the ropes behind her. Faster than the eye could see; Ragner pulled Nissa into the center, of the room and helping her sit on a bench. "Careful, wouldn't want you to get hurt."
"Especially before we officially meet," Captain Livis chortled. The man's looks were the envy of the island, appearing to be the living perfection all Daypeace males aimed for. His features chiseled and almost dragon like in human form, with short brown hair with only a single strand of red, showing his heritage. His uniform was a blue skintight body suit, with cream colored tunic with a small badge on it and brown leggings over that. Lightweight chain mail could be seen in different places. He carried his sword and helmet. "Captain Livis, Head of the Recruitment Division. For the last forty years, I have lead many expeditions to new lands, seeking allies and finding people to go through the Rebirth Ritual. I've seen my Recruiters mark and retrieve nearly eighty percent of the recruits they've bonded with."
Nissa's eyes widened in amazement as she listened to his accomplishments. He was to be her mentor? Laughter filled the air as King Aksel appeared. His eyes had shadows under them and his clothes appeared frumpy. Tilting her head Nissa reached out trying to connect only for her father's voice to enter her mind. "Leave him alone for now daughter. When he wants to, he'll let you know more about the problem at the Conservatory. Right now, you need to be greeting your mentor."
Letting out a little eep, she bowed to her new mentor. "I'm honored to be chosen as your apprentice. I have great admiration for what the Recruiters do." She bit her lip to avoid blurting out everything in her head. She had a million questions she wanted to ask, most important, why he agreed so easily to be her mentor. "I'm still puzzled as to why you agreed to be my mentor without proper procedure."
Captain Livis rolled his shoulders. "For this kind of job, testing and essays, won't give me the information I need to select an apprentice from. I've been friends with your father and the King for many years. I've seen and heard enough about you to know this apprenticeship is what will define you in the years to come." Linking all their minds together Nissa saw and understand everything, from the secret room, to the kind of training she would be doing, and her first mission in two months. "I know you'll make us all proud Princess Nissa."
Two and half months later, Nissa was very excited. Under Captain Livis training regiment, her body had become super flexible and her stealth was unmatched. Her ability to partially manifest or the reverse, was much better. As of now, she was able to do her limbs with no problems. Livis had given her a book of known cousins that lived in the Northern Lands to memorize.
Today, she was inside the Recruitment Training and Housing building. A large wall similar to the Coliseum had been built around the training area. A large four story Mediterranean style home, with large verandas and a series of interior courtyard, doubled as both a dorm for recruits, as well as classrooms for the Recruiters and the people they marked. Nissa was situated in one of those classrooms, taking a pop quiz to test her knowledge of the Northern Lands.
Captain Livis casually strolled in front of his student. Back and forth he went before coming to an abrupt stop. "Give me the classifications names for the dragons and name one example now!"
"Stoker Class; Monstrous Nightmare, Boulder Class; Gronkle, Fear Class; Hideous Zippleback, Sharp Class; Deadly Nadder, Mystery Class; Boneknapper, Tidal Class; Thunderdrome, Strike Class; Nightfury." A shiver went down both their spines at the mention of their natural opposites. Daypeaces and Nightfurys simply didn't get along. Livis smiled at her rapid and perfect response. "Good, what kind of writing system is used by the people and what are they called?"
"Runes, little markings of different lines. A majority of the people in the Northern Lands, are titled Vikings. In the Barbarian Archipelago, there are a number of different tribes, each with its own unique traditions and behaviors," Nissa replied in a matter of fact tone. Smiling, she mentioned what little they knew about the Viking governing system. It wasn't much considering all the Daypeaces knew for certain was they had chiefs that met at a Thing once and in a while.
Livis hid the fact he was impressed. Picking up some chalk, he traced the outline of the archipelago. It wasn't a complete picture because they didn't know the area very well and only knew the local names of a few places. It was this part that Nissa hesitate. Geography was a subject she struggled with. After standing there for a few minutes, she labeled only two place. Helmighn Gate and an island called Berk.
When she wrote the word Berk a strange tingling feeling went through her entire body. Pushing it down, she looked at her mentor, surprised by his expression. That's when she realized he had briefly connected to her. Fingers dug into her palms wondering if she had done something wrong. "You felt something about that island didn't you?"
Blushing, the girl dismissed it as a chill from the breeze, coming through an open window. The Captain shook his head. "Do you know why the Queen is organizing this trip to the Northern Lands, a place no Draconia Daypeace has been in over sixty years?" Nissa played with her hands, not knowing the answer. Her aunt took many trips throughout the year, in order to keep the peace. Sometimes she would meet up with other decedents of the original elemental dragons to restores ties with them.
Her mother would describe the amazing place, the new and different kind of creatures she had seen. Her father had gone on a trip once. He mentioned that he had picked up many different designs for numerous of items during that travel. She and Arkin loved hearing about the trips, what interested them the most, was the people in all the different lands.
"You're projecting your thoughts apprentice." Lives gently told her. Nissa found herself in Livis mindscape, a place that resembled parts of Xanadu mixed with other lands. The princess wanted to run and hide out of embarrassment.
Captain Livis put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. The land responded to his emotions, brightening before reshaping into a heart. Slowly her embarrassment left her and she reached out to touch a craggily mountain top. An image of a young Livis being comforted for accidentally projecting to his mentor, made her calm down.
"It's alright to make mistakes or lose control occasionally. That's why you're an apprentice." Livis led her around his mindscape, showing his pupil all the different places he had found recruits. Each place contained a certain memory of a friendship. Most importantly, he seemed to come back from each recruitment, changed for the better.
Returning to the real world, Nissa looked once more on the crude map of the Northern Lands. I understand now. Captain Livis is using this trip as a chance to learn more about this new world. That feeling I felt were my instincts telling me I need to go there, something is waiting for me, she thought as she traced the map. A Recruiter's job is much more than finding and guiding people like minded to Xanadu. I'm part of bringing knowledge back home to help our people grow. In turn I'll became a better person. That is my duty.
Three days later, a scouting party left Xanadu heading for the Northern Lands. The King and Prince had stayed behind to keep the island and its people intact. Originally, Queen Rayna had been very reluctant to allow Nissa to be part of this expedition. She thought Captain Livis should bring a more experienced Recruiter with them, one who had success in the past. Captain Livis had finally worn her down when Ola agreed to travel with them and keep an eye on her daughter.
The traveling party had been making good time, having reached the first Gateway an hour earlier than expected. Captain Livis was having difficulty keeping his apprentice from doing loop-De-loops. Judging by the way her body wiggled, this might be her first time using the Gateways. "First time using a Gateway?" Captain Livis growled in Dragonese.
"Yes! I'm excited! I've seen models in the King's private study and helped His Highness the Prince, with his hypotheses on the origin of the Gateways," she replied in an excited tone. Imagine, traveling hundreds to a thousand miles, in a single trip blew her mind. How long would it take if they were forced to use the long way? It would take weeks, maybe even a whole month to get to their destination! "What happens if the portal falls apart? Would we die or be thrown all over the globe? How do you find a Gateway if you get lost? Can our path be changed during our transition? What if…"
"Apprentice enough!" A tail blade slapped her across her flank, forcing her to be submissive. Her ears drooped as her snout was hooked by her mentor's horns to reprimand her. "What was the number one rule, I told you to follow when you were given permission to come on this expedition?" His voice, a deadly hiss in order
"Follow your commands and stick close to you or my mother. If I have questions, wait until it's a good time to ask them."
Captain Livis nodded his large head. At the moment a powerful burst of magical energy was felt as the Gateway portal opened. The swirling colors had a hypnotic look to them. Queen Rayna shrieked a warning for everyone to stick together and be careful. They didn't know what kind of dangers they would face there or if the inhabitants were nice to dragon hybrids. In pairs, the party entered the portals leaving Captain Livis and Nissa for last.
Passing through the Gateway was unlike anything she had ever experienced. Her entire body felt like it was a ray of light shooting through the air, only to emerge whole and glowing on the other side. Her entire body shivered as the cold winds blew through the air and the choppy waters churned below. Without being asked to, she started warming herself up from within, as she regulated her heartbeat in order to acclimate quickly to her new environment. "Never thought I be so glad to be able to improve my own body heart, being a warm blooded dragon has its advantages."
"This is only one part of the journey my precious," Ola stated, as she flew around her daughter and rubbing their heads together. She was very careful when using her claws to stroke her daughter's hair. "Remember, we have to be careful not be seen in our dragon forms, the locals will most likely try to harm us."
Queen Rayna glided over and started to hover next to them, "We need to find a boat to hide our nature from the locals. After that, our next step should be mapping the area and looking for our cousins to understand what their lives are like here." She locked eyes with sister for a few seconds before turning to her niece. "I will be very surprised if you find anybody in this area that uses their brains instead of their brawn. Don't be disappointed if you don't find anyone, not all Recruiter apprentices do on their first expedition."
"Thanks for the concern Aunt…I mean Queen Rayna. I'm certain that I'll surprise you by finding someone."
Queen Rayna blinked, before ordering everyone to follow her. They took off traveling for a few miles until they spotted an empty ship, half sunk in the ocean. They swooped down and went to work on fixing the ship. Within an hour, the boat was properly floating, supplies had been scavenged, and the sail had been changed out to mark them as simple merchant ship. It was a bit crowded, but it would serve their purpose well.
Time seemed to fly by as their little expedition party traveled through the known area of the Barbaric Archipelago searching for their cousins and mapping the area. During the daytime hours, Captain Livis started teaching his pupil the basics of survival. Nissa quickly learned that she didn't excel very well with cartography or learning to speak Norse, unlike her aunt who had already mastered the foreign tongue. Ola also taught her daughter the basic self-defense moves while wielding a knife, but the weapon didn't sit right in Nissa's palms.
During the night, she would join the others in meeting with some of their cousins. It shocked most of the party how easily their cousins' hatchlings seemed to trust Nissa, which made talking to pack alphas much easier. It was while she was playing with a few Terrible Terrors that she learned the difference between a pack and a nest. Packs were made up of the same kind of dragons with an alpha pair in charge. A nest was large group of many different dragons living under the guidance, (control), of a queen species of dragons. The hatchlings repeated stories their parents had told them, warning them away from the inhabited islands and never go near the Hemigline Gate, lest you be placed under the Queen's spell.
Those stories were on her mind that night they were flying through a storm to get back to the boat and head home. Queen Rayna had determined it was too dangerous to go further into the archipelago to inhabited areas, with a Queen species very near. No one was sure what would happen if there were two queens in the same area or if Daypeaces could fall under the spell of said species.
As they flew, a strong tugging sensation kept pulling the princess off course. Unconsciously, she kept trying to go backwards in a northeastern direction. Ola and Captain Livis had fallen back several times in an attempt to correct her with little to no success. The adults opened their mouths to roar to the party to stop when a big flash of lightning illuminated the sky; revealing a huge pack of Nightfurys heading their way!
The pack hadn't spotted them, but the Daypeaces weren't going to take a chance. Ancient blood feuds took over common sense and peace. Queen Rayna's Honor Guards, Davin and Fia, struck first. Davin started flying in a corkscrew aiming dead center for the guard on the alpha's right. Slamming head first, the impact resulted in a loud crack as the two of them disappeared into a harsh storm cloud. Fia came from underneath, locked all her claws on the dragon to the left dragging them both down as they exchanged fire.
Chaos erupted as the alpha blasted a massive wide spread plasma attack. His teeth popped out as he rushed Queen Rayna who gracefully dodged the attack. She did a tail strike only for the Alpha to easily out fly that. The Nightfurys had the advantage, it was dark, they were faster, and their echolocation could find a Daypeace with ease. Still, the bad weather hampered their abilities, which the Daypeaces took advantage of. Also in their favor was their endurance and agility as they made full use of their different colored flames on their enemies.
Nissa found herself completely abandoned and struggling to stay in the air as her mentor and mother rushed to defend the members of their expedition. The young teen looked for a place to land. "No one said anything about fighting for our lives in the middle of crazy storm! I'm not ready for this, I can't even conjure a single light!" she screamed hysterically at herself. A massive wind flung her across the sky nearly tearing the membrane of her right wing in pieces. The wind carried the roars of the hatchlings from somewhere nearby.
"Keep together, don't break the circle."
"If any Daypeaces come close, aim for their hearts! Then they can't use that freaky power on us!"
"HELP! HELP!"
"TRYGVE! MOTHER'S COMING AHHHHHHHHH!"
Searing heat nearly roasted both the mother Nightfury and Nissa. Hearing that pleading, triggered Nissa's instincts to light up for a few seconds, a beacon in the dark sky. No hatchling's life was worth an impromptu fight. Ignoring the pain in her wings, the princess reached out with her Dragon Heart, momentarily locking on to the hatchling. At edges of her vision she saw a Nightfury about the size of a yak calf falling towards the water. Pushing her injured wings are hard as they would go, she caught up with the hatchling. "Take my claw, I'll get us to that nearby outcropping!" She called out, seeing a pile of rocks in the middle of the ocean. The little Nightfury reached for her, valuing his life more than stupid feuds. A giant wave chose that moment to rise up as the wind drove them into it. Freezing cold water zapped both dragons of their energy as they passed out from lack of air.
The next time Nissa opened her eyes she found herself stranded on an island at dusk in her human form. In the sand next to her was a raggedy cloak and piece of driftwood. "Ugh, my head feels like an entire pack of Chinese dragons sat on it. Where am I?" The ocean stretched across the horizon, behind her was a sheer cliff face and in the fading light she could see some fir trees with snow.
That tugging sensation she felt before had grown stronger. Her Dragon Heart was calling out to someone. She felt pure joy and innocence coming from the other end. "I'm on Berk! Something, no, someone here is waiting to bond with me. Mentor Livis never mentioned that a recruit would call back to me before we bonded." Determined to meet this person, she started to climb the cliff. She was going to find this person no matter what it took.
Two hours later, she crept out of the forest near the top of a steep mountain. There was a single house and a small field of vegetables growing near it. A shiver of fear went down her spine. She didn't want to bump into whoever lived in that house. Quickly, she scurried down the path until she came to village proper. The half-buried village had dying embers indicating that multiple fires had been put out recently. Breathing out a tiny flame onto her torch, it became clear that a great battle had taken place. Finding a charred piece of wood, she touched it.
The past few hours played in her mind as she witnessed a raid. Different dragon species attacked the island, searching for food. Humans had countered attacked in dangerous attempts to slay the dragons. They had managed to murder several dragons as her cousins' spilt human blood too. The emotions of two species overwhelmed her as she let go. Coughing, she stumbled back up the hill a little. "A land of kill or be killed. Aunt Rayna was right, no one here wants peace."
That's when the tugging sensation became all consuming, looking at the top of the hill, there sat a large home, untouched by the attack. A fire was glowing within and she thought she heard a small laugh. That laugh touched her soul, awakening something. Carefully she crept towards the house, using her newly acquired stealth to avoid being seen. Reaching the house, she peered through a slightly adjured window, getting a closer look at the inhabitants. A large man with a beard of red hair was standing by a chair, looking with pride at a lovely young woman, who was cradling a bundle in her arms. She couldn't understand what they were saying, not that it mattered. Her focus was on the bundle as the babe inside wiggled until his face was revealed. The moment she saw his green eyes and soft auburn hair, she knew that he was the person who had called her to this island! A very extraordinary accomplishment for an infant.
It was torture waiting for the parents to go to bed and leave their son in his nursery. The urge to get inside and meet the baby was strong, his little cries sounded as if, he too, couldn't wait to meet her. Finally, the couple went to sleep. Slipping inside through the window, she let out little blue fire under their door, misting them so nothing disturbed their sleep. Tip-toeing towards the baby, she looked at the cradle, seeing a series of runes etched on it.
"Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third," she whispered. The boy giggled at his name, no doubt thinking it was a big name for such a tiny baby to live up to. She picked him up carefully, knowing she had to be gentle with a preemie. "Couldn't wait to see the world could you? No wonder you came early. Ow, stop, don't play with my hair like that." Hiccup just laughed before starting to hiccup. Even though he was only a month and half old, his senses seemed sharp. He liked the pretty lady holding him as he munched on her pink hair. He cooed happily as her tickling drove the hiccups away. His limbs went all over the place demonstrating how happy he was.
"You're a live one, Hiccup. Hmm, you seem a bit cold. Let's rest by the fire." Drawing his blankets tightly around him, Nissa sat down in the big chair next to the fire, just watching the baby wiggle, trying to warm himself up. Preemies could get sick easily, so she added her fire to increase the blaze. Once he was warmed up, Nissa carefully cradled him in her left arm as she pulled down his tunic. She partially manifested her finger tips so they would be sharp enough to crack the skin, but not cause any damage. Humming a lullaby, she gently scratched the boy, leaving behind a trio of marks in the shape of a dragon's paw. A single drop of blood, fell on her palm. Sensing his discomforted, she pricked her own hand, letting her healing blood work its magic.
At that moment an unbreakable bond was formed. Nissa was connecting with Hiccup's soul and he was doing the same. At that moment, it was as if two people shared one body. A coo of pleasure left the baby's mouth as the teen felt extreme joy. "Our bond will only grow as we get older little one. One day, it will be so strong nothing can break it. I have to go now," she told the fussing boy.
Hiccup didn't want the pretty lady to leave. Besides his parents, this one made him feel extremely warm. She had even gotten rid of the cold! He couldn't understand her words or why she took a strand of his hair. Watching her go, the baby yawned going back to sleep, a single strand of pink hair caught in his blankets was the only sign that she had been there at all.
Nissa tried to not cry when she left that house. How could she be sad when she had complete her first marking? Wouldn't that surprise Aunt Rayna? She couldn't wait to tell her parents and mentor all about the experience. The next few years would be very interesting. I don't know what makes you so special Hiccup, but I'm going to help you reach your dreams no matter what it takes she thought as she flew back towards the Gateway. Hopefully she couldn't catch the rest of her pack before they left this land.
She did find the group and completed the journey back home. As soon as everyone had settled back in, the Queen called her in for a private audience along with Captain Livis, to discuss her bonding. The Queen listened with rapt attention as Nissa talked to her about the bonding, becoming very skeptical. "I find it hard to believe that a baby that's not even two months old, would be calling for you. It is impossible for someone that young to be in tune with their soul."
"Rare, but not impossible Your Majesty," Captain Livis, stated calmly. Surprised, the Queen slightly turned toward him, folding her hands onto her lap she arched a single eyebrow, an indication she was listening. "It's a very rare thing to find, but sometimes souls recognize one another from times long ago."
"Are you saying their soulmates?" Nissa's eyebrows went up in shock upon hearing those words. That little bundle of joy would one day be her husband?! She was actually relived when her mentor corrected her aunt by stating it was more likely that the baby had a dragon soul, one that reached out to find another like it and latched onto Nissa's because she was the newest Recruiter, therefore more open to a baby's needs.
"Interesting theory, this baby will be interesting an interesting recruit to monitor," Her attention turned back to her niece. A powerful bonding indicated a future resident on Xanadu. "Are you certain Nissa Draki that the child you marked will survive long? After all preemies are at risk of dying in their first few months correct?"
"Hiccup is very strong to have survived the first part of winter own his own. When I used a drop of my blood to heal his scratches, he felt warmer to me. I doubt my blood did more than just give his immune system a tiny boost," Nissa replied curtly. As the two adults continued to speak reality fell away. Even though she was thousands of miles away, she could feel the boundless joy from Hiccup. She sent back an enormous amount of love through the bond. For the first time in her life, she understood what her mom meant, when she talked about unconditional love.
In her blissful state, the princess had no idea what was going on in the world around. She didn't realize that they had left the throne room or that her mentor had taken her to the secret culture room to discuss what she would be doing for the next fifteen to sixteen years. Only when Captain Livis projected himself into her mind, did she come out of her mindscape. "Apologies Captain. I don't know what's wrong with me. I just feel..."
"Happy? Excited? Extremely well loved?" She nodded shyly as her mentor lips crinkled in smile. Ah to be young and experiencing your first recruit bonding. It was a very unique experience. These bonds felt completely different the ones Daypeaces formed with their friends and family. Humans bonds could be difficult to interpret because they felt one thing, but it could mean something entirely different.
"Um Mentor Livis?" she whispered quietly. "Um what kind of recruitment regiment am I going to follow?" Depending on distance, level of experience, and cultural norms, Recruiters would follow a different regiment. Sometimes a Recruiter would live within the community of their marked person. If the community was already aware of the Daypeaces duel nature then there was no reason to hide. If the culture didn't, then they kept their secret. In Nissa case, her marked person lived in far distance, dangerous community. Livis explained that she would primarily using an opal magic mirror, with Hiccup's hair strand melted into it, to amplify her connection so she could appear in dreams and such. Other times, she would be allowed to spend a few weeks on Berk to do some observations while strengthening the bond. She wouldn't be allowed be on her own during these visits for a few years. At that moment, Nissa's desire to be close to her marked person, override her disappointment about not being allowed to be alone.
The first year between Nissa and Hiccup surprised everyone; especially her family. Nissa had always been a good student. These days she was pushing herself to the limits to master her classes so she could have more time to use the mirror. Even though Hiccup was just a baby, every time they connected, he would get excited sending happy emotions back. If he was super content or excited; he would unknowingly let her see through his eyes.
Through this connection, Nissa learned how to properly speak Norse and add a few new facts to the cultural room. She was there in his mind, watching him reach each of his milestones for baby. She was mentally there when he crawled, started to eat solids, and when he stood up by himself for the first time.
Hiccup used the connection to see through her eyes a few times without knowing it. As a baby he couldn't articulate what he had seen, yet he still found ways to show others what he saw by accident. For Stoick and Valka, it wasn't uncommon to see their baby crawling then wobbling around with blankets hanging from his arms. When he played with his building blocks the end result sometimes resembled a palace and not a chief's house. They both found it odd that when Hiccup was about to sleep, he always held his arms out and seem to cuddle something that wasn't there. His parents believed it was a baby thing and forgot about it.
The month before Hiccup's first birthday, Captain Livis and Nissa returned to Berk. They found a hidden cove to set up camp away from prying eyes. Livis went with Nissa when she crept into the village to observe a normal day. During the nights without raids, mentor and apprentice would sneak into town and snag pieces of fabrics, leather, and furs. Once they were back home Nissa planned to create her own Viking attire and get tattoos, so she could blend in if someone accidentally caught sight of her.
The last day of observation was Hiccup's birthday. Nissa had given Livis the slip and had done the one thing she wasn't supposed to do. Enter the village in daylight in her normal attire. Even with her heavy traveling cloak covering her up, there was still a chance someone might spot her. It was a foolish risk she was taking, using her bond she could have experienced the celebration through Hiccup. However, Nissa wanted to see him in person.
"It's been almost a year since we first bonded. We haven't had physical contact in that long. Somehow, I have to touch him again," she mumbled to herself. From her observations, she knew she had only two openings. One, get into his house before his parents woke up or two, sneak into the Great Hall, mingle with the tribe, and touch him when the village gave Stoick their gifts to honor his heir for making it to his first birthday. Nissa picked up the pace, frowning. She didn't think it was funny to give a child, a name that meant runt or useless, in Norse. Whatever his name means he's still my marked person, she thought to herself.
She had just reached the house, only to see the Haddock getting ready to leave. She ducked behind the closet tree in the forest, cursing her bad luck. Plan A had been the safest and quickest to do. Her stealth had greatly improved, but with the entire village in the Great Hall, she would stick out like a sore thumb. "What was I thinking? I can't risk going into the Great Hall, at least not at this stage by myself. Mentor Livis is going to flog me if I don't get back soon."
"I don't know Val, do we really want Hiccup to get dirty before the party? He has to look his best today," Stoick's voice sounded nearby. In fact, a quick peek revealed that the Haddock family stood a few feet away. A wiggling, whining, Hiccup, was trying to get out of his mom's arms, as he reached out for her. He could sense her!
"Stoick, a little play will calm him down. If you're worried, go get a second outfit." With reluctance, Stoick went back inside as Valka set her son down in the grass. Once on the ground, he hurriedly made his way towards the tree. Valka was going to get him, just as he entered the forest only to stop when she heard happy noises coming from behind the tree her son had been interested in. A few minutes later her son came out of hiding heading back to her. She was going to investigate the tree only for her husband to call her. With barely a second glance, she walked towards him. If she had glance down, she might has seen flecks of pink scales on Hiccup's shirt, or, if she turned around, would have seen a shadow running deep into the forest. It seemed that Hiccup and Nissa's bond would remain secret for now and for many years to come.