Hello! I am very excited to be introducing my first published fan-fiction, The School of Dragons! I like to update fairly quick, but for this story I will wait until at least three people have commented on each chapter before publishing the next.
((Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD))
The School of Dragons
Chapter 1: Life of a Felman
A ray of sunlight came through a crack in my house and I opened my eyes. I pulled my blanket further over me to block out the cold. I noticed that my father, who was already up, was pulling his old fur coat around himself. He saw my open eyes and smiled.
"Time to get up, Fred." he told me warmly. I sighed and sat up, wishing I didn't have to wake up so early. My father went out the door as I stepped carefully over my brother, sister, and mother, who were sleeping on their mats on the floor. I stumbled into the back room and grabbed my shirt, pants, belt, and wool coat, slipping them on quickly in the cold air. I then headed outside to meet my father at our field. As always, he was already hoeing the ground in straight rows. I used my own hoe to start a lane next to him. I worked the field, churning it up and preparing it for seed, over and over again, always the same job, always the same time each day, always the same mindless task. The only thing I liked about hoeing our little quiet mountain field was the times when my father told me stories of my clan's history.
"Father," I asked as I gazed at the sea village far away and the sea that stretched to the horizon, "Why did our clan move up here, to the mountains?" My father sighed. It must be a difficult subject to explain. I thought.
"A long time ago," he began, "When your great great grandfather was just a boy, the chief of the Turgor tribe died, and his two sons, Bard and Geir, both wanted to become Chief. Half of the Clans sided with Bard, and the other with Geir. Violence arose all over the village and many people died. Geir and Bard finally came to an agreement: to pick the finest warrior from each clan to battle each other. The survivor's side would be the winners and the man they followed would be the Chief. However, Birger, the spokesman of the Kulman clan and its finest warrior, refused to participate in the battle. He had known the former Chief and told the brothers this was not what he wanted. Outraged by his "non-viking and coward-like ways", they did the fight without him. When Geir became leader, he banished our clan to the Ring Mountains on the island, degrading us and forcing the other clans to stay away from us. With no access to the coast, we became farmers and fell into poverty. Without ships for travel and fighting, we were excluded from every war, which meant our young men could not move up in viking society.
Over the years, we became known as the "Felmen" which means "living in the mountains." In the sea village and not to the our faces, they call us 'chickens' because of Birger's peaceful act so long ago. Because of our isolation in the mountains, we have developed a different culture than the rest of our tribe. With our sons forbidden to marry people outside the clan, our numbers have slowly diminished until there are only a few of us left. Without a blacksmith and proper training, our mountain village was unable to defend itself, and now here we are, scratching out a living on these mountains."
I thought about what he said for a long time. "Will it always be this way, Father?" I asked.
"I certainly hope not. If we could send some young men like you to another tribe to learn a trade, then they could come back and teach us as well." I pondered this statement as well. I had always wondered why the rest of my tribe treated us lower and would not let us sail. I stared out at the ocean, where the ships could go for miles without sighting any land. I would certainly be an exciting adventure traveling to an unknown land. The only glimpse I ever got of other lands was when Trader Johann came to trade goods with the other clans. In fact, there was a ship sailing toward the sea village now. I looked at it and realized it did not have the Turgor Tribe Crest symbol. I only knew one ship with a blank sail: Trader Johann's!
"Father! Trader Johann's here! He's here!" I shouted excitedly, pointing at the harbor. My father looked up and I saw excitement in his eyes. He ran to our rickety house to grab his money bag and I ran to the mountain village as fast as my legs could carry me. The small circle of houses was quiet and the people shuffling about were as well.
"Trader Johann's here! Trader Johann's here!" I yelled for the whole village to hear. Tired eyes looked up, and heads peeked out of windows. The whole village was at once a bustle of activity. Men grabbed their money and loaded up carts of trade-able goods. Children ran towards the sea village and women followed them closely. I took off and beat them all to the docks, where a large crowd was awaiting Johann who was lowering his gangplank.
"Ahh, the Ring Isles. My favorite place to trade." Johann said as the villagers poured onto the ship. I got on the ship too, admiring all the contraptions but knowing my family couldn't afford most of them. My father showed up soon, and he was able to trade three bushels of wheat for a new fur coat. As it was starting to get dark, we all headed into the great hall where Johann would tell one of his stories and give us news of the other tribes. My clan made sure to take the seats at the back and stay out of the way of the other clans. Soon Johann started telling a story about his encounters with the Meathead tribe and the way he had escaped the evil chief. Towards the end of the story I was pretty bored, but then I listened again when he began telling us news of Berk, a tribe in the northeast. It was a tribe we had heard a lot about in the past years. First, they had stopped a war with the dragons in the north, then, they had defeated a giant dragon and a strange man that controlled him and an army of dragons. It had always fascinated me, and although we never had seen a dragon this far south, I had always hoped to see one.
"...invitation to all the tribes to learn about dragons at his new school of dragons." Johann said. The elders murmured to each other. "'Anyone from age 14 to age 18 can join.' the Chief Hiccup said." continued Johann, "Of course you do have to pay, the fee is 525 coins."
By this time my brother and sister were nearly asleep, so my my father tapped me on the shoulder. "Fred, lets go." I regretfully stood up and followed my family back to the mountain village.
The next morning, I awoke to my father's voice.
"Wake up sleepyhead." I opened my eyes and looked at my father, who was kneeling beside me. This was not the usual time to wake up, it was still dark. I looked at my father confused as I sat up. My mother was up too.
"Is everything alright?" I asked nervously.
"Yes, but we have something important to tell you. Get dressed and follow me." My father whispered so as to not wake up my siblings. I silently obeyed. I noticed my mother had tears in her eyes as I followed them out of my house and into my uncle's house, where it appeared that half of the Kulmans had gathered. I stood wide eyed and confused as my relatives looked at me sternly.
"What is happening?" I asked my father, my voice trembling a little. Instead of answering, he moved aside as my Uncle Shad came up to me and laid a firm hand on my shoulder.
"Last night, the elders of our tribe had a meeting. They are going to send a ship to Berk to establish a treaty," He started, "And also one teenager from each clan to enroll in the school of dragons..." A mighty hope sprung up in my heart but then died at his next words.
"...except for the Kulman clan." He paused, letting me take in his words.
"However, we realize that our survival as a clan depends on you of the young generation. This morning, the boat will be leaving for Berk. The warrior in charge is willing to accept a payment in exchange for your passage to Berk." He explained. He took a leather pouch from a shelf in the house. He reached inside and pulled out a pure gold dagger, the symbol of the Kulman clan. The jewels on it's ornate hilt glistened. Everyone in the house stared at the dagger in awe.
"You must take this and give it to the warrior in charge of the ship." he explained carefully, putting the dagger in my hands. I gasped. My father nodded at me. I didn't know what to say.
"Son, a lot depends on your journey. You must learn a trade and come back and teach us. That is a big responsibility, but I know you can do it." my father assured me. "Come, bid us goodbye, you leave at dawn." My relatives took turns embracing me, including my brother and sister, who my mother had brought. Part of me was sad at the thought of leaving them, but another part of me was excited that I was going on a journey no Kulman had been on before.
As the sky grew brighter, my family and uncle walked with me down to the docks. The people from the sea village whispered about us and remarked about my journey. When I finally reached the docks, the ship that was going to take me was already packed with gifts for the Berkians. As I stepped aboard my father handed me two large sacks, one filled with my belongings, and the other filled with trade-able goods. As we set sail and floated away from the docks, I waved goodbye to my father. I watched him waving back until he faded out of sight. The other passengers and crew seemed to ignore me, which I was okay with, since I wanted to be left alone to gather my thoughts. I had never been on a ship in the middle of the ocean before, and it was new to me. The salty air, the seabirds, and the gentle rocking of waves calmed me. I was on a journey to a better future!
There you go! First chapter.