Chapter 1
This is Berk. It's twelve days north of hopeless and a few degrees south of freezing to death. It's located solidly on the meridian of misery. The village, in a word sturdy. It's been around for eleven generations and the builds are old and worn. We have fishing, hunting and a charming view of the sunsets. But the real upsides are the pets. While other places have ponies or parrots, we have…
"Dragons!" I yelled as I raced through the village carrying a basket of fish with a herd of Nadders hot on my tail. "Somebody help me!"
All at once the Nadders stopped and I turned around to see why. The chief's Nightmare, Firewyrm had stopped them in their tracks.
"Good job girl." The chief, Ragnar the Fierce, said rubbing Firwyrm's head. "Forgot to buy an eel again Agnes?" he said turning smiling at me.
"Yeah, I just keep forgetting how much the dragons love fish." I said picking up the fish I had dropped and handed one to Firewyrm. "Thanks for saving me again girl." I said stroking her head.
"You really are good with dragons." Ragnar said putting his hand on my shoulder.
"No, just with Firewyrm, and that's probably because I've been helping my Mom take care of her babies." I said said shrugging.
"Well, that doesn't mean that you're not good with them. You do have your dragon test tomorrow don't you?"
"Yeah, but this is the last chance I get before I'm told I have to find my own dragon somewhere else." I said with a feeling of dread.
"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get it." Ragnar said putting his hand on her shoulder.
"Thanks chief, I'm sure if your wife were still here, she'd be very happy with how well you have been taking care of the village since the Hunters attacked."
"I don't doubt it." Ragnar said looking a bit sad remembering his beloved wife. "She would've wanted this you know, to see the village at peace once again."
"I know, she was such a kind lady, the village really misses her." I said looking down. "Oh no, I've gotta go, Mildrith is waiting for me. Thanks for the help again chief, see you tomorrow." I said racing away.
As I was making her way down the path to her house, I tripped and fell just outside the blacksmith's shop, dropping my basket and spilling the contents all around.
"Agnes, you alright?" Olaf, the apprentice to the village blacksmith Gunnar and a very close friend of mine, said helping me up.
"I'm fine, I just have to watch where I'm going is all." I said dusting myself off. "Well at least I didn't lose any…Hey, get out of there!" I shouted shooing some Terrors away. "Ugh, they ate almost all the fish I bought, all but one." I said holding it up only to have it snatched away by another Terror.
"Now, they've eaten all the fish." Olaf laughed.
"Not helping." I said feeling annoyed.
"Hey, don't worry. I can help you fix this."
"Oh yeah, how?"
"Come with me, I want you to meet my dragon, Ripclaw. You'll love him, he is very sweet, once he gets to know you." Olaf said leading me to the woods.
'Thank you Thor.' I thought to myself.
Once we got to the woods, Olaf used his Nightmare call and no sooner had it echoed back than a Nightmare with scarlet scales and dark marks came flying out of the trees.
"Hey boy, you remember Agnes, don't you?" Olaf said as he guided my hand to his snout. "We're gonna be helping her today. Can you do that?" Ripclaw nodded. "Good, Agnes you climb on, I'll get the net ready."
"Okay, but how do I… whoa!" I said as I tried to climb on but lost my grip. Thankfully, Olaf caught me. "Thanks Olaf, don't know what I'd do without you."
"Uh, no, no problem." Olaf replied turning a slight shade of red. "Ripclaw, why didn't you help her up?" he asked his dragon as he helped me up onto Ripclaw's back. "Okay, hang on. We like to go fast." Olaf warned as I held on.
"Olaf, we're getting pretty far from the island, do you even know where we're going?" I asked seeing the island getting smaller and smaller behind us.
"Oh, yeah. It's just the best fish are found out here. Patient, Gunnar always tells me all good things to those who wait."
"Yeah, that's my Dad for ya', patient as a rock." I said thinking about my dragon test the next day.
"Hey, look don't worry, you're gonna do great. I'm sure that once you have your dragon you'll be even better than Chief Hiccup and his Night Fury Toothless were."
"Thanks but how will that work when every time I get near them they freak out and I almost get killed each time?"
"You just haven't found yours yet, once you do, there'll be no denying it. I've seen how well you handle the baby dragons with your Mom, you'll be great."
"Thanks." I said hugging Olaf. "You know of all the guys around the village, I think you're the best. I'm really glad we're friends."
"Yeah, me too." Olaf said. "Um, we're here." Olaf said looking at the waters below. "Okay Ripclaw, you know what to do."
Presently, Ripclaw dove into the water with Olaf and me gripping on tighter as the net dragged behind us in the water. When we came up again, we were soaked but the nets were full.
"Don't worry about drying off, we'll be dry by the time we reach the village." Olaf said as I wrung my long, brown hair out.
"Thanks for doing this for me. And thank you Ripclaw, you really are an amazing dragon." I said rubbing his neck. Ripclaw purred at my touch. 'I guess I'm only good with Monstrous Nightmares, maybe that's the dragon I should go for tomorrow.' I thought to myself.
When we finally reached the village, I got all the fish into a basket, gave a few to Ripclaw and started for home. "Thanks again Olaf. You're a real good friend." I said hugging him before I left.
"No problem." Olaf said sounding a little dazed.
I ran home as fast as my feet could carry me and burst through the front door. "Sorry I'm late Mom. I had a little trouble with the fish earlier but I was able to…"
"That's alright sweetheart. Now, let's get this fish cooking and then I need you to take the rest down to the rookery, and feed the hatchlings." Mom said taking the basket.
"Yes Mom." I answered following my mother. 'Hopefully I'll have enough strength left to study for my dragon test tomorrow.' I thought to myself.
I dragged my feet back to my room after wrestling with the hatchlings in the rookery to make sure each of them was fed.
"Now I know why I said I would never baby-sit for anyone." I grumbled shutting my door. "I'm so tired, but I have to study for my dragon test tomorrow. Just an hour, I'll study for one hour, get some sleep and then wake up early and study for another hour before the test." I said walking to my desk and opening my copy of the Book of Dragons. "Chief Hiccup really made it possible for all of us to learn about dragons, rewriting the Book of Dragons so that everyone could have their own book, he really brought everyone together, dragons and people. I wish I could've been there to see it all. It must have been amazing." I said as I looked at the familiar pages of my book and stroked some dragons I really admired, especially the Night Fury. "And I imagine his Night Fury Toothless was just so incredible, to become the Alpha and beat back a Bewilderbeast, oh what I wouldn't give to have seen it. I wish I had a Night Fury." I sighed rubbing the Night Fury page. "But they're all gone, Hiccup's Night Fury was the last, so no chance, but it doesn't hurt to dream I guess."
I began to yawn and doze. I couldn't stop myself from falling asleep on my desk with my head next to the book. The next day by the Dragon Training Academy, my heart was pounding as the kids before me finished their tests and were able to choose their dragons. I walked into the arena slowly and looked at the dragons I had to choose from. A Nadder, a Zippleback, a Gronckle, and a Monstrous Nightmare. I could feel sweat starting to bead on my forehead. But I was careful, the Nightmare was already taken, so I chose the Nadder. I approached him slowly and very carefully started making my around back toward his tail.
"It's okay, I'm a friend. I'm not here to hurt you." I spoke softly trying to remember what I had to do to earn any dragons trust. Speak softly, move slowly, and do not present yourself as a threat.
It really seemed to work, he stayed calm and didn't look like he was edgy or uncomfortable. I slowly reached for his tail, but just as I was about to touch it to smooth his tail spikes down, he started going nuts. He turned on me and started chasing me around the arena, breathing fire and clawing at me like he wanted to kill me.
All at once, everyone was scrambling to get the Nadder under control and me out of there. Firewyrm jumped into the arena between me and the Nadder. Three men calmed the Nadder down and I felt the chief grab my arm and drag me out of the arena.
"Are you alright?" he asked looking concerned.
"I'm fine, just a little shaken." I said trying to calm down. "I can't believe it, I failed again. Now what do I do?" I said try to fight back the tears that were welling up in my eyes.
"Listen to me, maybe your dragon can't be found here but I know you'll find one someday." Chief Ragnar said as my Dad came running up to me.
"Agnes, are you okay?" he asked out of breathe.
"I'm alright, I just need to go home." I said trying hard not to cry. "I just need to be alone." I said walking out of the stands toward the village.
I kept going past the village and into the forest. I walked until I made it to the cove where Chief Hiccup and Toothless first met. I would always come here when I needed to be alone or just to find time to think. Sometimes when I came here I could still feel the power of the friendship they shared. I wondered how strong their friendship must have really been when they were still here. I wish I could've met them.
I sat down by the water and began to cry. I cried until I could feel my tears soak through my clothes.
"Why is it so difficult for me to find and train my own dragon? Why do the dragons hate me so much? What have I done to deserve this?" I asked myself as the tears started to dry up.
After I finally had no more tears left, I got up and started back toward the village. I could feel that my face was still hot and puffy from the tears but I didn't care. All I could think about was how I still didn't have a dragon and this was my last chance to find one here at home. Now I was going to have to wait until I was 18 to leave the island to search for my dragon somewhere else. I decided to go visit Dad at work and maybe he could help me feel a little better. I was about to go inside when I heard him talking with the chief.
"You really let this one get out of control this time Ragnar. Had it gotten any closer it could've killed her." I heard my Dad say.
"I didn't plan on it going so well, but at least now she's safe."
"For now, but you know that once she turns 18, she's going to go search for her own dragon."
"All I need is enough time to make sure that she won't be found by the Hunters."
"She's never going to give up Ragnar, sooner or later you're gonna have to tell her."
"No, it's better that she never finds out and if you really care about her, you won't tell her either." Chief Ragnar said defensively.
"Do you really think that I'm just going to blurt out that she's really your daughter and that the only reason she can't pass the dragon test is because you slip a bit of dragon root into her clothes before each test? I'm not stupid."
I felt my heart sink and my mind start to spin. But most of all, I felt hurt and betrayed. All of these things were spinning through my mind and I almost passed out where I was standing. I ran for home and up to my room and shut the door. I don't know how long I was in there, but the next time I heard anyone talk, it was Mildrith calling me down for dinner.
"Come on Honey, the chief is eating with us tonight."
"Coming." I called back.
I went down stairs feeling heavier than I had ever felt before. I sat down and smiled as best I could, but even I could feel how forced it was.
"Oh, honey I know your upset about the test today, but hey now you have all the time in the world to study up for when you can go searching on your own." Mildrith said rubbing my back.
"Yeah." I said drily.
Dinner passed with not much else to talk about, at least from me. Everyone else was talking about stuff going on in the village or about stories I had heard ever since I was little. But all I could think about was what I had heard from the man whom I had called Dad for so long and my not so truthful father. I just couldn't wrap my head around it. But then again, I guess it would explain a lot about how he was always there for me like any father would when I needed him, but I still couldn't get over all the pain and betrayal I felt knowing that he was the reason I had no dragon.
After all the food was gone, I helped Mildrith clean up and she went to feed the hatchlings with Gunnar. I sat by the window looking out over the ocean. I heard the chief sit beside me.
"Hey, I know you're upset about not being able to pass the test today. But I'll tell you what, once you turn 18, we can go look for your dragon together. We could go to Dragon Island and look there. You know, that's where I found Firewyrm. I couldn't pass the test here on the island either, but I never gave up on trying to find my dragon, and I know you won't either." He said putting his hand on my shoulder.
"Thanks." I said not really feeling anything but anger and irritation right now.
Mildrith and Gunnar finally came back as Ragnar was beginning to tell me stories of Chief Hiccup and Toothless that he had been told by his father.
"Look I appreciate what you're trying to do but I'm just not in the mood." I said brushing him away.
"Honey, is something wrong?" Mildrith asked.
"She's probably feeling really upset about her test because this was the last chance she had to find her dragon here on the island." Ragnar answered.
"That's not entirely it, but that is a big part of it." I answered back.
"Then what has been bothering you?" he asked turning to me.
I got up and stood by the table trying to find the words to say, but in truth there really was no nicer way to put it.
"When did you plan on telling me that I was your daughter?" I said turning to face them. "Or that I have been failing my dragon tests because you have been putting dragon root in my clothes before the test?"
They all looked at me in shock. "How did you…"
"It doesn't matter how I know, the point is, from the very beginning you've all been lying to me." I said feeling the tears coming back.
"Look Agnes, everything we have done, all of it has been to protect you." Gunnar said trying to put his hand on my shoulder but I brushed him away.
"Agnes, please just listen to us…" Mildrith said stepping closer to me.
"And you," I said turning to Ragnar. ",you knew how much I wanted to be a rider, why would you do this, why would you keep the truth from me?"
"Look Agnes if there was one thing in my life that I could do over…"
"Too late!" I shouted running out the door and out of the house.
"Agnes!" I heard all of them call after me.
I just kept running deeper and deeper into the forest until I ended up at Thor's Beach. I sat down and allowed myself to cry again for the second time that day. I cried until I started to hear the wolves howl. I then started back toward the village. I didn't know what to do, I still didn't want to see them, but I didn't have anywhere else to go. I climbed up to the window of my room and jumped in. I gathered some food, medicine, bandages and a small tuft of dragon nip in my bag. I then grabbed my hooded cloak and jumped out the window and made my way to the docks.
I found the smallest ship I could and got ready to shove off. Just as I was about to cut the line and shove off, I heard Olaf walk by the boat.
"Agnes, are you okay? What are you doing?" He asked seeing me on one of the ships.
"I don't want to talk about it right now, but what I will tell you is that I'm going to find my dragon."
"What!" he asked in shock. "You know we're not allowed to go until we are 18."
"I know, but we are also told to tell the truth, but I found out tonight that everyone I know has been lying to me my entire life." I said undoing the rope. "I know I can be a great rider, and if no one's going to teach me, I'm going to figure it out myself." I said shoving off.
"Agnes, wait, you don't know what you're doing!" I heard Olaf call after me.
"I'll be back, just take care of my Mom for me while I'm gone." I called stirring the ship on course for Dragon Island.
Once I was in open ocean, I locked the tiller into place and went to check my map. 'With this wind, I'll reach Dragon Island within a day and a half.' I thought to myself.
I took a good look at the sky and saw no signs of foul weather. I went below deck to get some sleep and hoped I would be able to find my dragon before anyone could find me.
I don't know how long I was asleep, but the next thing I knew, I heard a loud rumble outside above deck. I ran out and saw a storm was heading my way. I began to panic, I couldn't stir around the storm and I didn't have a crew to help keep my ship secure. All I could do was pray to Thor and Odin that I would be able to reach Dragon Island in one piece. When the storm finally surrounded me, the wind howled and the rain was falling so fast it felt like needles where my skin wasn't covered by clothing or my cloak. I couldn't see where I was going and I couldn't go below deck to check my map because I had to hold the tiller or the ship would capsize. I could feel my hands start to blister as I held on to the tiller with what little strength I could spare while trying not to be knocked over board into the water.
The wind kept blowing harder and harder, until my ties holding my cloak ripped and my cloak was lost to the wind. But I was too scared of being lost at sea to care. I was losing strength and was I getting very tired. I could no longer feel my arms from holding the tiller against the current for so long. But I kept holding on because I didn't want to be thrown into the water. If I went in, there was no guarantee that I would survive.
But then suddenly, the main mast snapped in two and the sail with it sank into the ocean. Now I was without a sail and my ship was on the verge of collapse. Then, the worst happened, the tiller broke and the ship capsized throwing me into the ocean. I was exhausted and barely had any strength left to keep my head above water. But I kept fighting to stay on the surface. I was not going to die out here. There was too much I hadn't done yet that I wanted and felt I had to do. I began praying to Thor that he would stop this storm and let me live.
'Please, if you have any mercy in you at all, please Thor let me live.' I pleaded as I began to feel my body start to give out. My throat was starting to feel sore from all the salt water and my eyes began to feel heavy and irritated. I had no more strength left, I began to lose consciousness and blacked out in the roaring waters and towering waves. I was going to die out here at sea.