Dragons had always been mere fairytales. Large scaly beasts only talked about in stories, movies and tv shows. No logical person believes dragons are real. Scratch that, no person lacking an imagination believes these creatures are real. Luckily, I'm not that kind of person. I've always been fascinated by dragons and always believed that they were real. The dragons from Game of Thrones are very impressive and dragons shown in anime are good on the eyes. The media has done well to speculate what dragons look like and has fed the imagination of curious people. But I would like to see if I could find evidence of real dragons. Now I'm sure you are curious about me. Who am I? Well let me introduce myself.
My name is Daisy Olsen. Just your average teenage girl from Scotland. I've got auburn red hair with pale green eyes and freckles all over my face, one of the rarest pairs of hair and eye color out there. I got my hair from my mum and the green eyes from my mum's dad or my granddad. The only thing I inherited from my dad is his sense of humor. I make puns. And most of them are really bad. But that's what makes them funny ya know?
I've got two siblings, an older brother and a little sister. Erik and Rose. Erik is a blonde with blue eyes; he's twenty five years old. Rose is a red head with curly hair and blue eyes; she's ten years old. Mum's name is Astrid Anderson and dad's name is Peter Olsen. Mum has red hair with brown eyes and dad has dirty blonde hair with blue eyes. Enough talk, let's get to the good stuff.
xXx
On this day, my granddad was visiting our family. Rose was talking a mile a minute with granddad about something stupid that happened at school. Dad was helping mum cook in the kitchen and Erik was asleep on the couch. Don't worry, he didn't live with us anymore. He has a job, an apartment and a fiance. A pretty American girl named Alexandra Bloom. Erik just sometimes comes over just to get free food and some motherly love. He's a mummy's boy.
"And then I climbed on top of the monkey bars!" Rose grinned and threw her arms up in the air. Granddad laughed and ruffled up her curls. I rolled my eyes and buried my nose back into my book. A book about the legend of dragons. A gift from my late grandma who was just fascinated with the creatures as I am.
"Rosie, why don't ya go help your parents with lunch?" Granddad chuckled. Rose giggled, "Okay." She pecked his cheek and shimmied off his lap, darting into the kitchen. I continued to ignore them until granddad suddenly appeared next to me.
"O-oh hey granddad. What's up?" I stammered. Granddad glanced at the book, "Just enjoying my visit. I see you're reading your grandma's favorite book. Again." He smirked.
I stuck a bookmark into the book and closed it, resting the book on my lap. "Yeah. It's my favorite too. Dragons sound like amazing creatures. I wish I could prove they were real. I know they're real." I muttered.
"I don't know if it will help but I brought some family heirlooms. Just for you to see. Why don't we sneak away to your room and check it out?" Granddad winked as he gestured to a brown wooden chest. It was a big one. So that's what my dad helped him bring in. I love learning about my family's origins as much as dragons so I was excited and I think my granddad could sense it.
"Let's go!" I nodded vigorously and helped him up from the couch. Then I picked up the chest with both arms and headed to my room. I waited from granddad to catch up with me before I closed the door.
The old man pulled out a brass key and clicked open the lock on the chest, pulling off the lock. I carefully pushed open the lid. I coughed and fanned away some dust. There was so much stuff in the chest, I didn't know where to start. I started with something furry. I pulled out what looked like a brown furry cloak. On two ends of it were two round medals. They looked to have a carving of an animal into them.
"This looks like something from the Viking era." I blinked as I touched one of the medals.
"Well my side of the family is mostly Scandinavin. So it is to be expected. I think there's a weapon buried in there too." Granddad smiled. I gasped and shifted through more of the items. This was literal treasure for me. I found some more clothes and a weird contraption in there too. I looked like it could be a weapon but I wasn't too sure.
As my granddad had foretold, there was a weapon in it. It was a battle axe. Granddad told me to watch myself as it was still sharp, which I found impressive. I tried lifting the axe out of the chest but failed miserably. The thing was too heavy. Vikings were real beasts. I searched around some more before picking up a brown leather journal.
"I wonder what's inside this. Can I open it?" I looked over the journal and then at my granddad who gave me a nod of approval. I undid the string holding it together and opened it up. I flipped through the pages. I couldn't read much of it since this person had written in Norse runes. I stopped on two pages. On them was something I could make out. It looked like . . .
"A dragon! Granddad look! This person drew a dragon." I gasped and held the book up to my granddad. He took the journal and stared at it for a couple moments. "Oh my goodness. This is amazing. One of our ancestors drew a creature with wings. This must be a dragon. Someone wouldn't just dream this up. This is some proof that dragons are real." Granddad was in shock but he seemed happy at the same time.
We sat down on my bed and flipped through the journal for a little while. Then we came across an awkward folded part of the journal. We looked at each other and began to carefully unfold it. We ended up getting off my bed and spread out what appeared to be a map onto the covers.
"What a minute. I recognize some of the places here. This is on the coast of Norway. In a fjord by the North Sea. By an abandoned viking village. You can hike to the village." Granddad blinked and pointed to different spots on the map.
"We should go on a trip to Norway! A family trip." I gasped as I started to get excited at the thought of exploring a viking village and possibly find more traces of dragons. Granddad laughed and patted my head, "Sweettart. You need money to travel, especially to another country. You need to talk to your parents."
I puffed out my cheeks but nodded in defeat. My mum called from the other side of my door, telling us that lunch was ready. I looked down on the map and then pulled out my phone, clicking a picture before granddad and I headed out of my room. I made sure to close the door so Rose wouldn't get into my room. She knows better than to set foot into my room.
My family gathered at the table and said a quick prayer before digging into some salad and sandwiches. There was some idle chatter for a little bit before I proposed my idea. You never want to start a conversation with a request. Handy tip from me.
"So, I would like to propose something." I folded my hands and sat up straight. My dad looked over at me, "What is it dear? It's not like you to be so formal asking for something." He raised an eyebrow. He'd be correct. The only manners I had were table manners.
"Well spit it out Didi. What's your crazy idea?" Erik smirked. Only my brother appreciated my crazy and over the top ideas. Good brother material right there.
I grinned, "Well if you must know, granddad brought along a large chest. I investigated it and it held a lot of goodies. Like family heirlooms. Stuff from the viking era. It was so cool! It even contained a battle axe."
Mum glared at Granddad, "Father. You know better. I find our viking roots interesting but I don't want you bringing any weapons into my home." She huffed.
"Astrid, sweetie. Believe me, I would've taken out the axe if I could lift it. It's some heavy metal." Granddad shrugged nonchalantly, "But you also need to lighten up. It's something exciting for the kids." He chuckled.
"But it's a weapon!" Mum countered. Dad put a hand on her shoulder to calm her down and nodded towards me to continue talking.
"You know what else I found in there? A journal. And it wasn't like a diary or something. It was more like a catalog. I couldn't read it because it was written in Norse runes but the things kept inside were more cataloging what the person saw. One of the things in it was a sketch of a dragon! A dragon that had appeared to have lost its tail and the person created a prosthetic replacement." I smiled as I started to become more giddy with excitement, "Flip a few more pages and then I found a giant map folded up inside it! Granddad recognized it and said that this ancestor of ours had lived in Norway along some fjords."
"Oh here we go again." Mum muttered. Dad interjected, "Daisy we are not traveling to Norway just because of some things you found. Dragons are not real. They're mere fairytales. There is no reason to go to Norway. Besides, I doubt the place where this person lived probably is there anymore. It would be a waste of money and a waste of a trip." He sighed as he shook his head.
"That drawing you found in that journal was probably just a figment of the person's imagination." Mum countered. "No it's not. It can't be. It was so detailed. It had large wings with four legs like a mammal and some kind of prosthetic tail. That can't just be something someone's imagination cooked up! That is too much detail for it to not be real. It has to be real." I shook my head as I argued my claim.
"You heard me young lady. We are not going to Norway to find something that doesn't exist." Dad snapped and glared me down. I shoved my plate away and stood up, stomping off to my room and slamming my door. This is when I wish my grandma was still around. Her and my granddad always believed me. Grandma always believed in dragons and wished to find one. Or at least traces of one.
xXx
I stayed locked up in my room for an hour in complete silence. My granddad and Rose tried to coax me out but I wouldn't budge. I sat on my bed and gazed upon the old map instead. A few minutes later, I got another knock on my door.
"Who is it now? If it's mum or dad, just go away." I huffed.
"It's Erik. Can I come in? I have some good news." My brother's voice came from the other side of the door. I paused to think about it before I shouted an okay for him to enter. Erik came inside and closed the door behind him. He looked around at the stuff I had pulled out from the chest.
"Oh my god. This stuff is so cool. They're like little pieces of history." Erik gasped.
"Yeah, they are. From the clothes to a couple weapons to a journal." I mumbled. Erik sighed and walked over to my bed, "I know mum and dad were pretty harsh. I believe they could've dialed it down and not stomp all over your dreams. You've been entranced by dragons ever since you were little. They should respect that." He placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Rik, you told me you had good news. What is it?" I looked up at him. He blinked before nodding, "Oh yeah! The good news. The good news is in your email." He smiled. I raised an eyebrow but went along with it, pulling out my phone. I pulled up my email. I had a ton of unread emails but I was ignoring them for my latest email. I tapped it and immediately I froze up. It was a . . . It couldn't be . . .
"Is this a plane ticket?" I spoke softly.
"Yup. Granddad and I talked down our parents. Then I called up Allie and she managed to get us a great deal on some last minute tickets to Norway. You, me and Allie will be going to Norway to follow your dream!" Erik winked, "We also have an extra ticket if you would like to invite a friend."
Was I dreaming? I must be. I fell asleep and this is all a dream. I pinched myself and felt pain. Oh my blue hell this is real! My brother and granddad coaxed my parents. Then my brother's fiance got us plane tickets to Norway. Thank you Alexandra for being rich!
"This is awesome. Thank you so much Erik!" I cheered and pulled Erik down into a tight hug, "Remind me to thank Allie when we see her. Oh my god this is so amazing! We're going to Norway." I cooed happily. Erik laughed and patted my back as he returned the hug, "Okay. I know you're excited but you need to let me go. Our flight is early tomorrow morning and we both need to pack."
I nodded and gently pushed him away, "Right, right. Of course! I need to pack. Thank god it's summer time so I'll only need light jackets in Norway." I got off my bed and pulled out my suitcase from underneath my bed. I started mumbling to myself as I darted back and forth between my closet, dresser and suitcase. At some point, Erik left me to pack in peace.
xXx
By the next day, I was in Norway. In case you were wondering, I did thank Alexandra. I tackled her in a hug when we met up with her at the airport. How did my brother land such an amazing girl as his fiance. My brother is a total dork. He's a writer and plays video games in his free time. And Alexandra? She helps run her family's business. They help supply various restaurants with food, silverware, equipment, etc. Basic everything that you find in a restaurant, her family makes sure they have it. It's really cool. Oh! Did I mention Alexandra is gorgeous? She's got long black, wavy hair with fair skin and brown eyes. And she has the best taste in fashion. She is my role model. I love her.
I should also probably introduce the 'plus one' friend I brought with me. Their name is Nikki Kelly. They're non-binary but do go by they/them pronouns and he/him pronouns. They prefer they/them though. However, their family (aside from their mum and siblings) are still having a hard time accepting them as non-binary. Hence the use of he/him pronouns. I use the proper pronouns and they really appreciate it.
Anyhow, Nikki has dark brown hair with heterochromia eyes. Their left eye is blue and the other is a hazel-brown color. Their hair is cut with an undercut and the top of their hair is mostly dyed purple. They love graphic tees featuring various anime characters or video game characters. Not much different from my wardrobe. I wear jackets and they prefer flannels. That is the only difference. Oh bollocks, I rambled again. Back on track now!
xXx
"Oh my god. It's colder than I thought. I need to put on a sweatshirt." Nikki shivered as we collected our luggage. "You can put one on once we make our way out of the chaos." Erik sighed and helped Alexandra with her suitcase.
"Oh! I can solve that problem." Alexandra gasped and walked up to an employee. After a few minutes, she walked back over to us.
"What did you do?" Erik raised an eyebrow. Alexandra giggled, "That nice man says he can simply stamp our passports and we can leave immediately. No going through customs." She winked.
"Holy shit." Nikki blinked. Alexandra patted their head, "It's called carisma dearie." She cooed. As she said, we got our passports stamped and we were able to leave the terminal without any extra hassle. See why I love this woman?
After Nikki slipped on a sweatshirt, Alexandra got us a taxi and we headed off to where we were going to stay. My mum's brother and her aunt (my great aunt) ran a cute little inn near the mountains. Conveniently a little over two kilometers away from the old viking village. It was about a thirty minute hike. Not as bad as I was expecting so that gave me hope.
Erik and Alexandra fell asleep in the taxi. Nikki put on their headphones to space out and listen to music. So I was left alone to gaze at the scenery that zoomed passed us. I was still in some shock that I was here. In Norway. I was going to find out about this map and maybe even dragons. I brought the journal with me just in case.
It was another forty minutes before we reached the inn. The lovely couple woke when we got there. Alexandra paid the taxi driver and then we got out, collecting our luggage from the trunk. We headed off towards the inn. A tall brunet man with pale green eyes and an older woman with graying brown hair and blue eyes waited for us at the front doors of the building.
The man is my uncle Royd and my mum's younger brother. He had two daughters and a wife that lived there at the inn with him. And the old woman, my great aunt, is Valka. I really like her. She loves dragons just as much as her sister, my grandma Mista.
"Erik, Daisy. It's a pleasure to have you here! We have two rooms ready for you." Uncle Royd smiled and pulled the two of us in for a hug, "Family stays free."
Auntie Valka walked up to Alexandra and took her hands, "And is this the lovely Alexandra we've heard so much about? Oh my stars she is so beautiful! She must've been blessed my goddess Frejya herself." She cooed.
"Auntie . . ." Erik mumbled, utterly embarrassed.
Alexandra laughed as her cheeks turned red, "Aww you're too kind. It's an honor to meet more of Erik's family. You're not bad looking yourself miss Anderson." She smiled.
"Oh please dear. Call me auntie. We're practically family." Auntie Valka chuckled. Uncle Royd looked down at Nikki who immediately became nervous and tried to hide behind me, which is comical since we're basically the same height. They are just a couple centimeters shorter than me.
"Who is your friend Didi?" Uncle Royd asked. I gently grabbed their arm and pulled them next to me, "Uncle, Auntie. This is Nikki Kelly. They're non-binary and would like it if you use the proper pronouns." I introduced them. Uncle Royd and Auntie gazed at Nikki for a few moments before holding out both their hands for them to shake.
"It's nice to meet you Nikki. We hope you like your stay here." Uncle Royd smiled. Nikki nodded and shook his hand, then auntie's.
"Are they your little significant other Didi?" Auntie giggled. Nikki and I blushed pure red, Nikki more than me.
I shook my head vigorously, "N-no. We don't have that kind of relationship. We're just friends. Good friends." I clarified.
"They've known each other since primary school." Erik added, "They're just good friends."
Auntie smirked, "Sure, sure. Just good friends." She chuckled softly. Nikki's face only got redder. So red that their ears turned red too. They pulled on the hoodie of their sweatshirt.
"Auntie let's head inside. These guys just got off a plane and rode an extra forty minutes in a taxi to get here. They're probably hungry." Uncle Royd walked up to her. "Of course. Let's serve them breakfast!" Auntie nodded, "Here's your room keys. Drop off your things and then head down to the family dining room." She smiled and handed each of us a room key.
"Hey Nikki. You and I are sharing a room." I patted them on the back. Nikki perked up and looked at me, "That sounds great." They smiled.
"You two are so cute together!" Alexandra giggled. Cue Nikki and I blushing profusely all over again. Erik laughed and urged us to head inside so we could eat sooner. I shook off the blush and dragged a still blushing Nikki inside with everyone else. Breakfast in Norway. With my family and my best friend? That sounded amazing.
Oh my god, it is good to be back! Hey guys, Churro is back with a new fanfic that is sure to knock your socks off. I got this idea after watching the third How to Train your Dragon movie. I love the movies so much and I hope my story honors their legacy well.
Basic story is basic. Daisy believes in dragons and will more than likely discover them again. It's her dream come true. I hope you like it because I am having a blast writing this. This chapter is so long and it's only the first chapter. There is plenty more where this came from. I hope to have the next chapter up by father's day.
Also excuse me if I can't get my metric system right. I am American so I don't know the metric system as well as I should. I apologize in advance. I will try my best to be accurate.
Until next time, my fellow readers, hasta luego! That means see you later. ~Mistress Churro