!NOTE! As of June 15th 2018,
If this fan fiction seems as if it is missing something, that's because it is. I've separated the 'La Coordination' into a different fic. You can read it under the same name: 'La Coordination'. No worries, I just thought it might be less confusing for those who have no yet watched the series; because as the story progresses back into movie canon, 'La Coordination' will not be completely necessary to read in order to progress with this story. So, if you haven't watched the series or aren't interested, skip it if you so please.
AND
Before you decide to read ahead at the stories I have posted, a warning: I am a very self-indulgent, self-insert author. In fact, 99.9% of my fics include my self-insert and I'm proud of it. So, if you feel like you can endure it, please proceed!
But please remember: this and every other story that I have written was produced out of pure boredom/fun/crack or just because I felt like it. Therefore, it is NOT perfect. I am not a professional. I cannot guarantee that the grammar is spot on or that you'll enjoy it. But if you decide to stick around for the ride? I appreciate it. But I am, (repeat I am) an amateur writer.
I do hope however; I can entertain you for a couple of hours and maybe get a laugh or two outta ya? I really appreciate all the support you all have given me over the years and I'll continue to try and update when I can.
So, thanks! Thanks a bundle!
ALSO
I do not own any part of the HTTYD series, only the characters: Hea, Rye and Bug.
Much Love.
"The reason why the flowers smell sweet, the reason why the birds sing, the reason why the wind shines, the reason why the moon revolves, the reason why I convey my love to you like this. It's all so you can love someone, someday."- Born to be a Lady (translated), SNSD.
Unnecessary Culture Shock
Rye was far more familiar with Berk than ever before. After all, she had lived on the damn island long enough! Years spent living on what seemed to be a primitive isle seemed to fly by much faster than she expected. It seemed like just yesterday she and her younger sister, Hea, had come to Berk sailing upon a small cargo ship. Sure they weren't exactly passengers but what the heck, why not? After all both girls yearned for so much more than a single city in the middle of nowhere. They needed, craved some kind of journey! Berk in one simple sense was just that, an endless and often unexpected journey.
Ugh, how many had it been exactly? Five at the very least anyway.
The woman, who half a decade ago came to this island, moved about her small house with ease. Ah, just the way she liked it, simple. There wasn't any need for extravagant things all she needed was the bare minimum. After all this was a Viking island! What did they need other than fresh water and food? The glasses she wore on her face were fancy enough.
Rye moved away from her lone bed and waltzed across the small cottage until she found herself in front of her front door. Before she moved her arm outward to pop open the door, she moved both arms up over her head and stretched. Muscles clenched then relaxed within seconds of the movement and afterward she released a long sigh. Sure, things were different now but she could tolerate that.
Everything had changed after that strange boy decided to change the world by befriending a dragon. Who would have thought that one kid could make such a difference in a world that once rejected him? Hiccup wasn't always popular, even if everyone knew his name. In fact, he was popular for the very fact that he was 'useless'. And now? Things were very, very different.
Who knew that all those centuries of fighting the flying beasts would lead to this? Ugh hell, just one week before the dragons became the newest pets on Berk, the Vikings had held their own against a raid. Then that strange kid came along and found himself his first and most loyal friend, a Night Fury. Geez, talk about weird!
Rye wasn't one to embrace change but this, this was different; having pet dragons around wasn't so bad after all. Things changed, sure but for the better. Besides, how could she reject those large green eyes that the Night Fury, Toothless, presented her with? The way he gummed down his food and whined when he needed attention, it was almost too much to bear! Did it take time for her to adjust? Most definitely but it was well worth the stress of change. Berk buzzed with more life than ever before and she was just fine with that.
Although there was a single draw back to the newfound pets of Berk, she was kinda out of a job! Up until six months ago, Rye was very busy with her career of healing fallen Vikings but now? Ugh, not so much as a scratch anyone let alone someone like Stoick. Then again, there was the occasional flu bug that spread throughout the small isle. It wasn't that she enjoyed seeing/healing sick/injured people but it did kinda make her feel…well, important. Ah well, why should she complain? Things were good.
Things were only going to get better, if they weren't good all ready. After all, Hea was to return from her long voyage from across the ocean! Her younger sis had left the small island a year and a half ago in search of better cooking and baking techniques, since the pickin's on Berk were pretty slim. All in all she was what Hiccup liked to call a 'bread-making Viking'. Ah! But it had been too long! The two girls had never been separated this long, a reunion was long overdue.
Shaking her memories and thoughts over sibling out of her head, Rye returned to her daily routines and placed her hand on the doorknob. With a single twist, the door popped open and she stepped into the light of the day. Of course it was a rare occurrence, having such sunny weather but she wasn't one to complain.
She stepped further into the sunlight, embracing the warmth that she knew would only come once in a blue moon. Days like these, she would have to appreciate them. With whatever luck she had, she would have to wish that Hea would arrive on a day as stunning as this.
But! It was time to snap back to reality. Even with all of her wishes and prayers, the rain and snow would no doubt return. With a small groan she walked toward the small pile of firewood. Ugh, such a small pile, that meant she was going to have to go back to the forest and get some more. With the arrival of her sister, the house was going to have some kind of heat. Ah, might as well bring in what she had, for the time being anyway. Rye bent down and prepared herself to pluck a few decent sized slabs of lumber but before her delicate fingers could touch the wood, a large shadow darkened her work area.
"Ah, Rye."
She knew that voice well. The face of Stoick the Vast appeared in her head before she could stand up straight and whirl around to face him. A smirk crawled across her cheeks as she stood. There had to be something the village leader needed, after all it wasn't every day that he appeared at her doorstep. The fact that she wasn't a 'true Viking' had something to do with it, she was sure. She turned to face the older male with a grin; it was in her best interest to keep the peace.
"Hey Stoick," She said in an uppity tone. "What's new?"
"Ah," He released a long sigh before crossing his arms over his massive chest. "Same old, same old."
"How's your baby chick?" Rye asked with a single brow lifted, her smirk remaining on her face.
"Hiccup? He's managing. That leg of his isn't slowing him down any, if that's what you're wondering." A small smile cracked across his features.
Hm, so the papa duck was finally realizing his baby chick's potential? Hm, it was about time someone did. After all it was hard to force a baby chicken into the water when that wasn't his nature. Stoick had always been rough on his only son but it was to be expected, wasn't it? They were Vikings! Then there was the fact that the entire village followed after their leader and dubbed Hiccup useless. Hell, if she wasn't always so busy with her own work maybe she would had a sit down with the boy? Then again, that could have hindered him more than helped, right? Ugh, it was best she kept out of the limelight in any event.
"Still defying your law, is he?" She moved her fisted hand to her hip.
"Without a doubt." He nodded as the smirk grew into a full-blown smile.
Ah and there it was, the smile that Stoick the Vast would never allow Hiccup to see. The smile that meant that he was proud of his only son. It was a sight rarely seen but in the past few months had become more common. She couldn't deny the father that right, not after what Hiccup achieved. He brought down the great war between Vikings and dragons that had lasted centuries. It went further than amazing; it was biblical in a sense.
"So that sister of yours is on her way home, isn't she?"
Rye was snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of Stoick's deep voice. She focused her attention on his face to see that his smile had gone. "Yeah," She said with a nod. "She should be here by tomorrow."
"Ah," He removed his arms from his chest and cupped his chin. "So I take it you're busy preparing the house?"
"Yes." She lifted a brow.
What was that about? Did that mean he wanted her to do something for him? Ugh, there had to be a reason he came down to her house, the large man never did anything without a motive. Was it more than common knowledge that the 'Viking doctor' had nothing better to do?
"Was there something you needed?" She finally asked, all while chewing on the inside of her cheek.
Stoick shifted his stance; perhaps he was caught off guard? He moved both hands to his hips and grunted. "Some of our old texts need some 'updating'." He said in a frank tone. "I wanted to fill in the gaps about dragon training and behavior."
Ah so that was it. But why her out of everyone? Shit, it had to be that she was the best person to know about dragon-inflicted wounds. Where they strike and how to protect oneself against rouge dragons that had yet to be trained.
"Ah," Her brows arched to the top of her forehead. "I see."
"Gobber wanted to work with you." And there was his excuse.
Leave it to Stoick to give a crafty excuse when it came to his true intentions. Perhaps it was the fact that she wasn't a true Viking that he wasn't so trusting around her. But all that fell to the way side when it came to Gobber. The Viking with the strangest views and sense of humor had to be her closest comrade on the Berk. The two got along on subjects that no one else understood and when Stoick saw that coming from a female foreigner it had to rub him the wrong way.
"I think I can do that." Rye said with a single nod of her head.
"Hiccup will be helping as well."
"Of course." Rye moved her hand to her face and adjusted her glasses. "Couldn't work on something like that without your chick."
"So you're going to help?" He asked with a single brow lifted.
"Sure." She gave a quick shrug of her shoulders. "Just give me time to set up everything for Hea and I'll be ready."
"Good."
And without so much as a good bye, Stoick turned on his heel and stepped away from her property. So much for gratitude! Ugh, perhaps things would change once he saw how much help she could be! He was impressed when Hiccup turned around, right? Not like she could ever match his achievements. Ah well, it was something to do. And if there was something she was going to set her mind on doing, she was going to do it well.
There was no doubt about that.
XoXoX
Dragging a pile of firewood back to her place sucked, seeing as she was alone. No man around to help with the lifting and carrying? Ugh, it was a bummer but at least Hea would be back in a few hours, then she could help with all the heavy lifting! But there was always that one spot in her heart that her younger sister could not fill. The thought of having a life partner, it was more than just a fluffy dream it was a goal. Well, at least sometime in her life it would be a goal, she was still young, right? She was nineteen for Odin's sake! She had the rest of her life to settle down and have kids!
But why did the days alone feel so much longer than days spent alongside her best friend?
Ah, in any event nothing could be done about it at this instant, might as well roll with what she had! She had to make the best of whatever life threw at her, no matter how tough or hard things got! That's what living amongst Vikings had taught her, one of the only things she found thankful for Berk for. The people living here had given her the gift of a tougher skin, with all their sly comments about her not being 'a real Viking'; it had come back in a positive way.
And since living here for the number of years that she had, the people around her seemed to grow accustom to her being around. The fact that she was the village doctor seemed to help, after all why would anyone bite the hand that fed them? At least they would smile and wave to her now.
There was only one person on this blasted island who appreciated her from the moment she and her sis stepped foot on the sandy shores. Ah, what would she do without Gobber around? He was the only person that actually greeted her with a smile and offer of Berk's freshest ale. He was someone she could hang around without having to worry about how her hair looked or watch over every word she said. Hell, if there were ever a 'runner up' for Gobber's best friend, she would have to be it!
But, there was one other person that didn't feel negatively about her living on the island. In fact he didn't seem to feel much of anything. That damn kid, Hiccup. The once loner and outcast had never once thrown her a glare of curled his lip at her appearance. She would look his way, he would look hers, and they'd continue their business. They had never had much of a reason to talk to one another, but that was about to change. Obviously.
The work on these new books was something that Rye had never thought she'd be a part of. Shit, who would have ever imagined that dragons would become a part of the Viking's everyday life?! And now here she was, helping that strange kid and Gobber write new books with new information. What the hell was she supposed to help with anyway; it wasn't like she had ever come into that close contact with dragons, outside the injury aspect, so what was with Gobber's sudden request?
But she might as well. What else did she have to do anyway? It wasn't like there were any future raids to worry about now. Until the next epidemic came around, her schedule was pretty empty. Maybe this was a small blessing in disguise?
She knew where Hiccup resided, hell didn't everyone? He was the son of the village leader, one day to become the next man in charge! That all being said/thought assuming the said boy did hop on his dragon and fly off into the sunset. Berk promised so much less than what he obviously needed. Then again things had begun to change!
Boy, was Hea in for the shock of her life in twenty-four hours!
She had to press her thoughts into the back of her mind, for the time being, as she stepped up to the house that shielded the young dragon trainer from the elements. She squinted her eyes, allowing them to focus on the silhouette that stood outside the front door. The dark shadow's size gave away the identity of the blurred image. No one could mistake that small, skinny boy!
"Hiccup!" Rye extended her arm out into the air just before she broke into a dash. "Hey!"
His image became clearer with each step until she saw the smaller boy with a number of strange foreign objects in his hands. A leather saddle of some sort hung out of his right hand while some kind of wing device dropped to the ground after he was alerted by the call of his name.
Were those things for Toothless? Rye had never seen the rare black Night Fury up close; it wasn't like she needed to or anything. Of course she had seen him the day Hiccup was to slay his first dragon and the one time after when the fever-ridden boy woke from his long sleep but never after that. She had heard stories from Gobber that Hiccup had made some kind of prosthetic wing for the dragon who had lost its natural limb after that night of the 'accident'.
Hm, maybe he was making an improvement to the old design?
"Rye?" The younger boy stood up right and gazed at her with a single brow lifted.
He appeared confused, but why? Then again it wasn't like the two talked all that much. He knew her name but that was about it. On the other hand, she knew all about the boy's difficulties with socializing and less than wonderful past with his father. Even if she knew about what other's thought about him, she had to admit, she didn't know much about him either…other than the fact that he had quite the mouth when needed.
She came to a stop just a few feet away from the fifteen-year-old boy and presented him with a wide smile. "Hey, what's going on?"
His eyes moved from her and shifted to the right, then to the left. "Nothing special, do you need something?" He asked, his eyes returning to her.
Ah, so he was suspicious all ready, huh? Ha! Perhaps he and his old man weren't that different after all! "How about asking how I am?" She asked as the smirk on her face grew. "That's how you socialize."
"It's not like I'm used to it," Hiccup replied with a small sigh. "How are you?" He asked with a less then enthused tone.
"Good," She nodded a single time. "How is Toothless?"
The look on his face brightened by the mere mention of the reptile. His brows lifted as well as his chin. "Not bad, I was just about to go see him."
Rye jerked out of her standing position and leaned to the right, her eyes moving toward the small pieces of leather and metal he had combined together. "Trying out some new equipment?"
"Yeah."
"Nice," The Viking nurse shifted the weight back into its previous position and locked eyes with the boy once again.
"So, is there something you wanted?"
Ah, this baby chick was persistent! She thought by this time she'd grow used to the fact that Vikings were more than a little paranoid! She shook her head back and forth for a moment, composing herself and looked back to Hiccup with a single brow arched. She moved her hands to her hips and locked her left knee.
"I'm sure your dad mentioned that project he wanted you and Gobber to work on?" She said in a simple tone.
"Yeah, he did."
She felt her brow twitch for a moment. "He did tell you Gobber wanted me to help, right?"
Hiccup released a small sigh, "He mentioned something like that."
So he knew and the little brat didn't say anything?! Ugh! Resisting the urge to vent her frustrations, she pulled in her bottom lip and began to suck on it. She then released from her stance and allowed her arms to hit her sides. Whatever, if he was going to be that way, so be it.
"Now that's out, how do you want to do this?" She asked, her brow twitched along the way. "I mean, do you want to start with Toothless and Stormfly?"
"That sounds fine." He nodded once to agree.
Well, by the sound of excitement in his voice, it would appear that this should go more than smoothly! None of that awkward silence he was so known for! Geez, this kid needed some social education. Then again, could she judge him? After all, she had her moments too. She was more of a mole then she would like to admit. She should be giving him credit for coming this far. If it were her, she would have buried herself in a hole a long time ago!
"Good," She spoke, allowing her facial features to soften.
This wasn't more pressure that his father was putting on him, was it? It wasn't enough that Stoick the Vast had disowned him then reclaimed him six months ago, now the older man wanted his son to write down everything he knew about dragons? Was that the reason for his indifferent responses?
Or was it about something else?
"You don't mind working with me, do you?" Rye asked with a small giggle. It was just for quick measure, to make sure that it wasn't actually her that was putting him off so much. Surely, it wasn't that! …Right?
"Do I have a choice?"
She froze. Did her ears hear right? No, there was no way she just heard what she thought she heard. She refocused her attention on the shorter male and allowed her jaw to drop a few inches. She looked to see that Hiccup had a small smirk on his face, was he joking?
Her brows furrowed within an instant and her jaw clenched back shut. She proceeded to give the boy her best pout before crossing her arms over her bust. "Thanks."
Instead of giving her a verbal response, the small smile on his face spread, transforming into a smirk. Eh, was it worth staying mad at him when he managed to smile at her like that? Geez, she couldn't even think of a time six months ago when the boy actually smiled. Something had to have changed! Like it needed restating. This little chick had come a long way, further than she ever thought he'd come. Ugh, she'd let him get away with his smart remark, just this once.
"I'm free to help you sometime after tomorrow," She allowed her face to relax, managing change her pout to a small smirk. "Hea should be all settled in after that."
His body movements came to a halt, his muscles stiffening while his eyebrows touched the top of his forehead. "Hea?" He asked, his voice lifting in pitch. "Hea's coming back?"
"Yep," She released her arms from her chest. "It seems her quest to discover new cooking methods has finally come to an end. She should be back sometime around lunch tomorrow."
"Ah," Hiccup nodded a single time, his muscles finally regaining some motion.
"All right then!" Rye lifted her chin and grinned. "We'll make some kind of arrangement later. Sounds like a plan!"
The young trainer bent down, clenching his jaw along the way and plucked his gear off the floor. "Right, I'll see you then."
Tomorrow was sounding better than ever. First her best friend was coming home after such a long time away and soon it would feel like she never left in the first place. The long nights having to fall asleep in silence would disappear and every day would feel like a party. Not to mention she had an actual job to do after that? She would be making herself useful again!
The next few days were going to be memorable.
Act End.
