It's funny how things work out, in the end. How they sometimes go from bad and amazing at aht drop of a hat. That's what happened with me. I was an outcast in my own village, with no one but the eccentric blacksmith as my friend since I couldn't pick up anything heavier than a knife and was a total klutz-though, that one is rather justified. But, I found a new, better home when I found the guts to leave my home behind. I've made amazing friends, become a strong and competent warrior, found love, and moved on from whatever grievances I've had.
My name is Hicca and I'm a Sky Flier.
(HICCA'S P.O.V.)
It was early in the morning. Me and my ever-faithful dragon, Toothless, were flying high and fast in the sky, not a care in the world. To us, there was nothing better than flying high in the sky, the surge of energy you feel, the wind against your face, and the sense of freedom it gives you. You can say I'm a Dragon trapped in a Human's body, at times. It's been five years since I've come to Heaven's Peak and a lot has changed in that span of time. Ou war with the Dragon Hunters is still raging, but I can say with confidence that we're slowly pushing them back, despite everything Viggo, Krogan, and Johann threw at us. We beat every trap and cunning plan they devised.
We've had discovered and allied ourselves with three separate tribes in that span of time. The first was a Dragon-friendly group known as the Defenders of the Wing, led by Queen Mala. At first, she didn't like us, thinking we were spies for Viggo. If it wasn't Justin's amazingly good negotiating skills and our dragons' protective instincts, we would've been Speed Stinger food. After a few months, Mala managed to warm up to us, and I can vouch that she'll help us in anyway, personally.
Next was the Wing Maiden, an all-female tribe that had a very peculiar job. According to them, the Razorwhips-Windshear's species-had nearly went extinct since the males kept eating the hatchlings. Freya, herself, had tasked the Wing Maidens with ensuring this didn't happen and helped watch over the infant Razorwhips. They're born blind, so they help the babies learn to fly by having them cling to their backs, allowing the Wing Maidens to fly using the baby Raxorwhips. They do this until they are old enough to be returned to their mothers. We had no issues with them, and they were quite friendly, as long as only female Sky Fliers came to the island. Turns out female Razorwhips attack any male, no matter the species, on sight. Blade learned that the hard way.
The final tribe was the Bog Burglars. Like the Wing Maidens, they were an all-female tribe. However, they excelled at thievery and escaping, which put me off a little, as I came from a tribe that solved problems with direct action. Again, we had no major issues with them and I got along great with their chief's daughter, Camicazi, who was as feisty as Astrid, and just as skilled.
With their aid, we fought the Dragon Hunters to a stalemate, with us slowly pushing back, as a result. We also received several Sky Fliers from these tribes, with their Chiefs' permission, of course. We also gave them access to our Vibranium supply as a token of our friendship and sign of trust.
Many of us had also matured a lot in these five years. I've personally blossomed into a beautiful 20 year old woman most men would drool over at first sight of me. I now sported a tall, athletically built, muscular body that was skill adorably petite. Any remaining baby fat or lankiness I had was now gone. My hair, which I kept rather short, now reached the middle of my back styled into a braid with two smaller braids on the right side. At the tip of my braid was a red boy, given to me by Koryn.
I had also changed my outfit. I now wore a dark green sleeveless tunic, black pants, and brown knee-length leather boots. Over my tunic, I had a black trench coat reaching to my ankles with red highlights and trimming and a hood. The coat's tail left the front of my legs exposed and had two addition layers over it, each layer being half the previous one. I still had my Sky Flier cape, which now draped over my right arm along with my flight harness. Finally, leather bracers with built-in map, compass, and sheath for Inferno completed the look.
I must look sinister, don't I? Well, that's the idea. My outfit not only helps me blend in with the night like Toothless, but t also makes me appearance as some sort of demonic entity to Dragon Hunters. The coloring helps. The best part? It's made completely out of Toothless's scales, making it fireproof. Added bonus! Nothing seems to scare Dragon Hunters more than seeing me emerge from a blazing fire, Inferno in hand and Toothless at my sight. I'm pretty many of them needed a change of pants after that.
And it isn't just my appearance that's changed. I'm now a confident woman that doesn't care about her past. I've denounced all of my ties to Berk, even to Stoick, my father. The only family I had now was my sister, Heather, and my wife, Koryn. Yes, that's right. Koryn and I are now married. We had decided to tie the knot and had gotten the chief from a nearby tribe to officially marry us and keep the whole thing a secret from any travelers, especially if they're from Berk. He was surprising okay with the idea of two women being together, though he didn't exactly approve of it. I was the happiest girl alive that day, and everyone I knew watched us.
Anyway, me and Toothless performed a whole series of complex moves in the air. With five years of experience under our belt, our cohesion and cooperation was on par with the twins' own synchronized style. We don't need to use any fancy commands, we just know what each other is about to do, as if we had a telepathic link. As we ended our routine, I let out a cry of joy, mimicked by Toothless.
"Another successful day of flying, huh, bud?" I asked. He warmbled in agreement. The big lizard was like a big, fire breathing brother to me. I noticed the sun climbing higher in the sky.
"Well, we better head back" I said and we fly off to Heaven's Peak.
We landed in the square. The damage done during the Dragon Fliers' assault on the fort was repaired and even sued an excuse to make some improvements and additions. Many new houses were built to accommodate more Sky Fliers as well as special perches for dragons and griffins alike, a storehouse and improved to forge to handle Vibranium and Thor-knows-what else. I dismount Toothless and take a big breath of air.
"Hey, Hicca!" A familiar voice called. I turn to see Heather walking up to me.
Like me, Heather got herself a new outfit. Her braid was now much longer than it was before. She now wore a long-sleeved, light grey shirt, a short-sleeved hooded shirt over it, a brown leather vest, wristbands, dark grey pants, and brown boots. She has three black belts around her waist, one of which holding her horn. Like me, she used some of Windshear's scales as part of her outfit, having made shoulder guards, bracers, knee pads and a skirt out of her dragon's scales. Her right shoulder guard was longer and had two additions on top and her left bracer was longer, as well. On her back was a Vibranium axe painted to look like it's made of Windshear's scales, as well.
About three years ago, Heather has requested Bernice to train her like she did me. Guess, she wanted to fight beside her sister in battle. She agreed and it quickly became obvious that Heather had an astonishing amount of talent as a warrior. She must get it from Stoick. Now, she was as skilled as me or Astrid and, combined with her crazy strength, was one of our fiercest warriors.
Once she's close enough, we share a tight hug. Even after five years of harsh training, Heather's still stronger than me. After a few moment, we break up.
"I was wondering where you were. I hope you didn't forget what today was" she said.
"The monthly meeting between Heaven's Peak and our allies, I know" I said. Yeah, every month, Mala, Atali-chief of the Wing Maidens-and Big Boobied Bertha-chief of the Bog Burglars-come to Heaven's Peak to discuss any changes to the Dragon Hunters, potential strategies, and anything else that might be important. As the one in charge of Dragon rider faction of the Sky Fliers-with Deamun leading the Griffin faction-I was expected to attend these meetings.
"I'm surprised, since you often have your head in the clouds. And I mean that literally" she said with a smirk. Oh, yeah, she also got much more aggressive and, unfortunately, snarkier.
"So, I like flying. It's not like I wanted to be in love with the sky" I said.
"Oh, Koryn better not catch you saying that" she said with a smirk. I send her a mock glare. I miss the old and less teasing Heather. Toothless nudges and gestures towards Daemun's office with his head. I instantly get the message.
"Well, as much as I love catching up with you, I need to be going" I said and headed off to the meeting.
"We should just outright attack this Johann, if he's this dangerous!" Bertha exclaimed. Yeah, she's as temperamental and war-loving as most Viking in the Archipelago, and couple with her great size, she was quite intimidating. Daemun, Justin, Atali, Mala, Bertha, and I were seated at a round table with a mpa of our territory, Viggo's, and the Archipelago. I had brought up Johann and his considerable influence.
"It's not as easy as you make it out to be, Bertha" Justin said with a sigh.
"Yet, wouldn't bringing down Johann prove fruitful to crippling Viggo and Krogan's influence over the Archipelago Tribes?" Mala asked, curious.
"Yes, but Johann has been trading with the tribes for many years, firmly cementing himself as a trusted guest in most of them, including Berk. They'll believe his word over the word of a group of strangers that apparently attacked for no reason, especially if they learn we protect and make peace with dragons" I explained. As a form Berk native, I knew this better than anyone here, and they knew it. So, Bertha didn't argue with me, but she didn't like it.
"This is a grave problem. The only way we'll be able to move on Johann would be to expose his treachery to the Chiefs there, but the only proof we have is the eyewitness account of a self-exiled chief's daughter and Justin's sister" Atali stated, looking very worried.
"And with most of the tribes there being at war with the dragons, it'll make it extra hard to convince them if they learn of our close ties with dragons" Daemun said.
"Then, perhaps we send a team into the Archipelago? Have them gather evidence on Johann's true colors and then present it to them. There is no way they'd be blind enough to not see the truth" Mala suggested.
"That's a good plan, actually. My father may be stubborn beyond belief, but he isn't unreasonable and neither is the rest of Berk. Once they learn of what Johann's doing, they'll cut off all ties with him. Stoick will likely throw everything given to them by Johann into the ocean, as well" I said, that last part jokingly. He really will do that. He doesn't like being made a fool of.
"It'll have to be a small team, four at the most. As to avoid detection while still be able to handle any threats they may encounter" Atali said.
"Agreed. But, who should we send?" Justin asked.
"What about Zippy? Her tracking, scouting, and stealth skills are superb" I suggested with a smile. Zippy's been extremely curious about my home, so sending her there will be a very exciting thing for her.
"Her skin color will make her stand out, but they'll likely not enter the village all that often, so it isn't an issue" Justin mused.
"And might I suggest Hicca's Haddock's sister. I've been told she is a fierce and talented warrior" Mala said. She has a point, though Heather sometimes acts like a Berserker warrior, at times. She's Stoick the Vast's daughter, alright.
"I'm okay with it" I said with a shrug.
"Alright, that's two. Who else?" Daemun asked.
"We'll need a capable commander. These four will be on their own for a long time. I'm needed here, and Hicca's face is too recognizable due to being Stoick's daughter" Justin said. I then had an idea.
"How about Opal? She's proven to be a natural leader with a good head on her shoulders" I said.
"And she's one of our finest fighters, too, so she'll be able to hold her own in case of a fight" Justin added.
"Then, that leaves one slot remaining" Daemun said.
"Perhaps my own daughter, Camicazi, would fit?" Bertha asked, quite proudly.
"You sure of that, Bertha? She is your daughter and heir, after all. I would hate for anything to happen to her" I said, worriedly.
"Oh, don't be so negative. She's both a Bog Burglar and my daughter, after all" Bertha said with a scoff.
"Not mention, she is well-versed in pick pocketing and escape artistry. Those skills will be useful if we're gather evidence of Johann's treachery" Justin stated. I nodded in agreement. He's got a point. As usual.
"Then, it's settled: Heather, Zippy, Camicazi, and Opal should head to the Barbaric Archipelago to expose Johann's treachery to the tribes in the region. They will be under the command of Opal. Any objections to our course of action?" Daemuna sked. No one spoke up.
"Excellent. Now, what else is on the agenda?"
(THIRD PERSON P.O.V.)
Over in the training arena, Heather was busy giving Windershear a much needed wash. Poor girl crash landed in a large muddle, yesterday, and she really needed get her cleaned. Nearby, Opal was reading a book with Rescue next to her, asleep, and Zippy sharpening her daggers. Much like the Haddock sisters, these two were also wearing different outfits.
Zippy's outfit consisted of a sleeveless tunic made of buckskin that bore her midriff with a slight V-neck, black shorts reaching to her thighs, and a brown leather skirt reaching to her feet with a slight all the way to her waist on the left side. She still wore her cape on the right shoulder, but she had added several multi-colored beads as long as the cape to it. She also refused to wear shoes, but she replaced the spats with wrappings around her feet and her legs up to her knees. Her hair was unchanged, but it was somewhat longer than before.
Opal ahd changed out her simple tunic, pants, and boots combo for something more unique. She wore a dark blue knee-length, long-sleeved dress with the right sleeves being bell-sleeved and her left arm having a wide-mouthed glove, black baggy pants, and a pair of steel-toed boots. She wore a Sky Flier cape on her left shoulder. She also had a belt around her waist with a pin shaped similar to Rescue's head from the front. She wore her hair in a low bun so it doesn't get in the way during a fight.
"There you go, girl. Nice and clean" Heather said, having finished cleaning off Windshear. The Razorwhip nuzzled her rider as a thank you, making her giggle.
"Shiny!" a voice called, startling Heather. She turned and spotted the Bog Burglar's heier, Camicazi, entering the arena, her long blonde hair as wild as ever. Heather groaned in was a massive tease, and she was her usual target, for some reason. Camicazi waltzed up to Windshear and began inspecting herself in the dragon's shiny scales, like a mirror. Heather looked annoyed.
"Don't you have anything better to do?" she asked.
"Nope… and missing something?" she asked, holding up Heather's axe. Surprised, she felt her beck and found it was gone. She glared at the Bog Burglar, who just smirked back.
"Camicazi, please don't rile up Heather" Zippy said in exasperation. When Hicca isn't around, she has to watch over these two so they don't try to kill each other.
"Oh, come on, Zips. I'm just having a little fun" Camicazi said, casually.
"But, can you, pelase, keep me out of it?" Heather asked, angrily, snatching her axe back. She just kept smirking, as if this was all just game.
"Enough, you two" Hicca said, entering the arena with Justin.
"Glad to see we didn't need to track you all down" Justin said.
"What's up, sis?" Heather asked, thankfully for Hicca's timely arrival.
"We just got out of the meeting and we have a special mission for the four of you" Hicca replied. Intrigued, the four girls gathered together.
"What is it?" Opal asked.
"Simply put: you four will be heading to the Barbaric Archipelago to expose Johann's villainy to the tribes there" Justin said, greatly shocking the four.
"Really?! Us?!" Zippy asked in shock.
"Yes. Atali, Mala, and Bertha all agreed on this plan. You're all quite good at stealth, which is vital for this mission. While you're in the Archipelago, you'll need to keep a low profile while gathering evidence of Johann's treachery, as well as any possible leads on the Dragon Eye or King of Dragons" Justin explained. Now, they were excited.
"On a related note, it's also been decided that Opal will lead you four in this mission" Hicca said, again shocking them.
"Her?!" Camicazi asked.
"Me?!" Opal asked.
"Yes. You four will be completely on your own out there and you've displayed natural leadership qualities and nearly as level-headed as Justin" Hicca said. Opal was shocked and quite flabbergasted. She's been put in charge of a vital mission, by her good friend and idol, no less.
"I'll do my best" she said, determinedly. Hicca placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I know you will" she said, smiling.
"One more thing. If you encounter any Berk warriors, do not mentioned Hicca's name nor reveal yourselves as dragon riders. Either one will greatly complicate things even further than they already are" Justin said.
"And if we run into Johann while there?" Zippy asked.
"That will be up to you to decide, I'm afraid. As I said, you'll be completely on your own" Hicca replied.
"So, when do we leave?" Camicazi asked, smirking.
"Tomorrow morning. So, use the rest of your day to prepare for the trip and get a good night's sleep. It'll be a long journey" Justin said. The four girls nodded and rushed off to make plans.
"You think they can do it?" Justin asked, once they were out of earshot.
"There will be disobeyed orders and a few bumps along the way, but yes, I do" Hicca replied. She had faith in her star student being a good leader, especially with Heather there to back her up.
"And if they end in Berk?" Justin asked.
"I have hope they'll be alright, but there is one person that might give them some trouble" Hicca said.
"Who?" Justin asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Astrid"
"DRAGONS!"
Night had fallen on Berk and, as always, the Dragon raids began. Countless Dragons flew in from the skies, scooping up the livestock in their talons before flying off. Every able-bodied warrior grabbed the nearest weapon they could find and engaged their ancient enemy, as they do every night. In the streets below, Astrid stared up at the dragons with a calm, yet determined look. However, she was drastically different.
Her hair braid was mch longer than before, draping over her left shoulder instead down her back with an additional side braid running down the length of the main braid. She now wears a red shirt instead of a blue one and had replaced her shoulder pads with ones made of Deadly Nadder scales with a fur hoodie draped over her shoulders. Her biceps were completely covered in wrapings, but she now wore special gauntlets, also made of Nadder scales, that went past her elbows. Her skirt had few spikes and was much longer, coming down to her knees and her boots weren't bulky-looking with fur over said boots.
In her hand was the battle she set out to forge, completed at long last. The axe was somewhat shorter than her with a wooden body reinforced with metal and wrapped completely in leather. The bottom had a large pincer-like prong. The head, itself, was sleek and black in color. Attached the metal reinforcements, the axe was double-headed, like her old one, but the forward facing balde was large larger, with the bottom half reaching to nearly the body's length while the top half was only half the length of the bottom half. The backwards facing blade had no top blade while the bottom blade was a fraction of the front blade's length. Overall, it was fearsome.
Several dragons swooped down towards Astrid and, with a mighty battle cry, charged forward. Due to Gobber's intense blacksmith training, Astrid already impressive strength and combat prowess had increased, allowing her to wield her new axe with ease, taking down the dragons with a series of twirls, stabs, and strikes. A Nadder charged while Astrid leapt into the air and brought down her axe with all her might, cleaving off several of its horns in one strike. Shocked and in pain, the dragons flew off. Astrid watched them go, unaware of the Nightmare sneaking up behind her, so it seems. Without even glancing behind her, she slams the side of her axe into the Nightmare's snout, knocking it clean out.
Looking around, Astrid could spot the Thorsten twins, Snotlout, and Fishlegs all putting out the fires the Dragons were starting. Astrid gave up that job, long ago, to focus on protecting the village. A Nightmare flew towards the farms and, without missing a beat, Astrid went off after it. It went on as normal. The dragons left, carrying whatever food they stole, as the sun rose, leaving a battered, but still standing, Berk in their wake. Astrid entered the town square, exhausted but mostly uninjured. Stoick was also there, speaking with Bucket and Mulch with Spitelout at his side.
"What's the damage?" the chief asked.
"Surprisingly light, this time around. The beasts only made off with ten or so sheep, while none of our yaks have been touched" Mulch replied. Stoick replied with a satisfied nod. He then spotted Astrid.
"Ah, good work out there, Astrid. Most of our livestock has been saved thanks to you" he said.
"It was my duty and honor, chief" Astrid said with a light nod.
"Is anybody not going to bring up that this is the third time they attacked us, this week?" Spitelout asked, outloud.
"Yes, you have a point, Spitelout. The dragon attacks are becoming more frequent. That is worrying" Stoick stated.
"Trader Johann's supposed to arrive in a few days. He might know something about this" Mulch suggested. Astrid perked up, at this. Maybe he'll have knowledge on Hicca's whereabouts.
"It wouldn't hurt to ask. Until then, we better get on with the repairs. The beasts hit us hard, last night" Stoick said. The four adults dispersed, leaving Astrid by herself. With a sigh, she sat on a nearby crate, pulled out a whetstone, and started sharpening her axe. Despite the amazing craftsmanship of the weapon, it needed to be sharpened more often, for some reason. She spotted Fishlegs walking by, his face in a book.
"Hey, what are you doing?" she asked, somewhat startling him.
"Oh, just trying to figure out why the dragons are attacking more often, now. It's just so strange" he replied.
"Stoick's planning on asking Johann on this, when he comes by in a few days" Astrid said.
"I take it you have a few things to ask him, yourself" he said, knowingly. Astrid sighed. Fishlegs was one of the few people she trusted in telling her personal mission to, since he has enough respect of her to keep it to himself.
"Yeah, but after five years, I'm starting to wonder if she's even alive" she said, starting off into the horizon.
"There is a strong possible that happen, but we won't know unless we find her body. So, there's still some hope" Fishlegs said, optimiscially. Astrid smilled, happy he tried to cheer her up.
"Well, I'm off to the forest for my morning training, then I'm heading home. I'm exhausted" she said, walking off towards the forest, leaving the book-lover alone.
Back at Heaven's Peak, Opal, Heather, Zippy, and Camicazi were mounted and ready to go. They each packed a sleeping back, water skin, food pouch, map of the Archipelago-courtesy of Hicca-and several blank sheets of paper to write messages on. Each girl was eager and so were their dragons, with Camicazi's dragon, a Rocket Ripper named Typhoon, being rather fidgety. The allied chiefs and Hicca were there to see them off.
"I wish the four the best of luck and be careful, Johann isn't the only threat in the Archipelago" Hicca stated.
"We'll be careful, Hicca. And we'll let you know if we need help" Heather said, flashing her sister a confident smile. Internally, she was a little nervous about being away from her sister for, what appears to be, a very long time.
"Alright, enough goodbyes! Let's go!" Camicazi exclaimed and took off into the sky. Everyone turned to give Bertha a curious look, which she responded and a shrug. The other three riders took off after their comrade and were all flying together.
"Alright, everyone! This is possibly the most important mission of our lives. Let's make our friends and family proud!" Opal said with an unusual amount of enthusiasm.
"Yes! Into the great beyond!" Camicazi yelled. Everyone just rolled their eyes and flew off into the direction of the Archipelago.
A new adventure has begun.
Didn't expect to hear from me again, so soon, did you? The sequel to Leaving Berk is officially out!
As before, I'm open to all sorts of suggestions, especially from you, Mariah!