This is Berk, A snowy, cold, frozen rock in the middle of nowhere. They called us crazy for trying to settle here, and guess what, they were right. We are Vikings, and our heads are so hard that some of us try to get concussions for fun. But the best thing that happened to us in those three hundred years is that we tamed dragons.
Since we tamed dragons life has become infinitely better, we don't have to rebuild our entire village once a month, we actually have more than three sheep, and, we can fly. Now I have to admit, dragons do have their downsides, they eat like... well... dragons, spontaneous fires are common, and you often wake in the morning to clatter on your roof. But, all in all, it is a vast improvement from when we were trying to kill them.
But the most exiting time is still when good old Trader Johann comes into port, and this time is no exception. I still need some ink, Astrid is looking for another battle-axe, Fishlegs wants more books, and Gobber has his heart set on some new silk. But I almost feel that there is something special going to happen...
"Come on Hiccup, the boat is here!"
"Comming Astrid!" Hiccup said, waking from his writing educed slumber, "Give me a minute to find my leg!" He always took it off when he was writing, but this time it wasn't where he left it. Then he saw it, in the mouth of his big, black, cat with scales he called Toothless.
"Aw come on Bud! I need that!" he said as he hobbled toward the playful NightFury, but the almost feline dragon leapt over his head and straight into the window sill, and sat there, with his head cocked ever so slightly to the side, with a look that made it impossible to be mad with him.
"Alright Bud! You win. We'll go for a quick flight, but only down to the docks for now."
The playful dragon almost instantly dropped the prosthetic leg, and jumped down onto the floor beside his master, eager to feel the clouds beneath his wings.
"We just have to pick someone up along the way, ok?" Hiccup said as he began fastening the twenty-seven or so latches, buckles, and ropes to connect his iron leg to him.
"Hiccup! You didn't fall asleep again did you?" Astrid asked, trying to hide her impatience, and not doing a very good job of it.
Instead of answering, Hiccup suddenly burst through the door on Toothless, picked her up, and went straight into the soft, white, clouds.
"I was planning on walking, but this works too." Astrid said smiling once they had leveled off.
"Toothless! I said straight down to the docks. What part of that didn't you understand?"
The dragon just shot back an almost human grin, almost because his teeth were retracted at the time, and then dove straight down through the misty layer, and pulled up just before hitting the water. He was having a great time, as was Astrid, the wind blowing her golden bangs up along her headband revealing her eye wich she always kept so secretive.
They landed just as Trader Johann was coming into dock, his ship full of crates, barrels, and sacks full of items to be traded. Everything was for sale, except the boat of corse, and he was very welcoming, as always.
"Ah Berk! My favorite island to visit! How have you all been doing since I last saw you?" the pleasant trader asked.
"We've been busy with readjusting to the dragons, what with them being 'round all the time, but we're get'n used to them." The big chief Stoick The Vast proclaimed from the back of his dragon 'Thornado.'
"I can see that. Oh and by the way, I will be willing to buy all sorts of dragon related items. Things like shed scales, eggshells, old broken off claws, or whatever you can find from them."
"You got any silk this time laddie?" Gobber asked inquisitively.
"I do indeed." Said the trader, seeing a deal to be made. "What would you have to trade for it?"
"Since i'm the doctor for these here dragons, I have a large collection of their teeth. Would you be interested in that?"
"Most certainly, my one armed friend! Come aboard and we will make ourselves a deal."
Everyone began to clamber onboard at once, to try to find the best deals. Astrid went straight for the weapons rack, Fishlegs dove into the pile of books, and Gobber jogged around in search of the fabric. Hiccup smiled at his friends, running about like the new chickens in the henhouse, untill he spotted something that caught his eye.
"What's here in this jar?" Hiccup said pointing to a glass jar full of little green balls.
"Those are olives, I got them when I sailed to Rome!" said Johann, "I got a whole bunch of other things while I was there too!"
"Is this one of them?" Fishlegs asked, holding up a book with strange writing on the cover.
"Yes it is." said Johann, "That's a book of all the ancient Roman gods and goddesses, unfortunately it's written in latin, and I can't be bothered to translate it."
"You wouldn't happen to have a latin translation book, would you?" The slightly overweight boy asked.
"I thought you might ask that." He said as he reached down into the stack of books and pulled out a thick, slightly dusty tome that had the words 'from latin' on the cover, and also some words in latin.
"Here you are, son. Now what do you have to trade?"
Hiccup smiled to himself as his friend made his purchase. He knew perfectly well that no one would see Fishlegs for a day or two, and then he wouldn't be able to stop talking about it for at least a month. But he knew how much Fishlegs always enjoyed getting new books, and studying them till he dropped.
As Fishlegs and Johann sealed their deal, Hiccup looked around at his other friends. Astrid had found a short sword that she was swinging around, Gobber had found a strange tunic with only one shoulder, and the twins had found a pair of cast iron frying pans that they were hitting each other over the head with.
"Ah Hiccup! I have your regular order of squid ink for you, and I also have a spare vial of it if you are interested." Johann said after finishing with Fishlegs.
"Oh thanks!" Hiccup said, "That stuff goes so fast around here, you could almost think that people were drinking it."
At that moment Gobber let off a gigantic belch that made everyone laugh.
As soon as he could stop laughing, Hiccup said to Johann. "I think I have something you might be interested in." He then pulled a shield off his back and presented it to Johann.
"Now what would I do with another shield? I already have plenty." Johann told him.
"Not like this one you don't." Hiccup said as he flipped one of the levers on the back, sending a rope flying up to the mast and pulling him up.
"Very impressive!" said the trader as he watched the scrawny inventor lower himself down. "That will easily cover the ink."
"If you want more just let me know, I will have more ready for next time." Hiccup said handing the shield to the satisfied salesman. "A pleasure doing business with you"
"Likewise." the trader said examining the shield for himself.
"Hiccup! Come over here! I have got to show this to you!" Hiccup heard Astrid shout from over by the weapon rack.
"Be right there!" Hiccup shouted back to his best friend, as he walked over. "Where are you?"
"Right here." She said as he got closer to the rack.
"I can't see you." Hiccup said turning slowly around to make sure he didn't pass her.
"Here!" she said as she jumped out from behind a tall, red, shield, and tackled him to the ground.
"Ooof!" was all that he could manage as she pinned him to the ground, and sat on his chest while pinning his hands to the floorboards with one hand.
"Ok, you got me. Now what did you want me to see?" Hiccup asked having a little trouble breathing.
"Look at this sword!" she said after getting off of him, and handing him the short sword that she was looking at earlier.
He expected to feel the cold, slightly rough handle that swords typically have, but instead when he grasped it, it almost felt like... like an extension of his hand... like it was part of him...
"Hiccup?" Astrid said, waking her friend from the hypnotizing sensation. "You've been swinging that sword around for five minutes, and you haven't said a word."
"Wha?... Oh sorry. I was just surprized by how... right it felt in my hand. I never had a real sword feel that way for me." He said as he put the sword back on the rack.
"I know right? I have never seen a sword do that..." she said.
"That," Johann said, "is a gladius. A sword commonly used in the Roman empire."
"Why did they use such short swords? I mean, I can't see why you wouldn't want a longer sword." Astrid asked inquisitively.
"I honestly don't know, but it would be useful for someone small, or just as a spare to keep on yourself instead of a dagger." The crafty trader said, obviously wanting to make a deal.
"Would you take some Nadder spikes for it?" Astrid said without taking her eyes off of it.
"I would indeed take some of those, but how many would you be offering?"Johann said.
At this point Hiccup decided that his presence was no longer required here, so he left the boat, and went to put his purchases in the small saddlebags he had put on Toothless's saddle.
"Hey Bud! How you doin?" He said to his dragon, but since he had his head and his front legs in the water, Hiccup came up behind him and tapped him on the tail.
Instantly the big black beast jumped up, turned around, and gave an innocent little smile as he slurped down the last of a small salmon.
"Toothless! What did I say about in-between-meal snacks?" Hiccup said scolding the reptile. "You know you're getting overweight!"
Toothless looked up at him with such a sorry, repentitive look that Hiccup couldn't help but let him off this time.
"Aright Bud, we'll just fly around for a few more minutes before we turn in tonight, but I don't want this to happen again. Ok?"
Toothless nodded in agreement, while making a growl in his throat as he attempted to mimic Hiccup's "Ok."
"Ok, why don't we see if Astrid needs a ride home?" He said to the almost comical looking dragon, who nodded in agreement.
"It's been a pleasure doing business with you." Hiccup hears Johann say as he and Toothless get closer.
"Likewise." Astrid said as she jumps off the boat carrying her latest acquisition for her weapon collection.
"I'll be here all day, if you want to buy something else." Johann calls out to them as the next round of customers comes down onto the dock.
"Want a ride home?" Hiccup asks, plainly nervous.
"No thanks, i've got my own ride." Astrid says as she turns, and then whistles a high pitch call.
No sooner had she finished then Hiccup could see a faint shape moving toward them at great speed. As it moved closer Hiccup could soon make out the shape of Stormfly flying in their direction.
"How did you... I mean, how..."Hiccup studdered at the sight of a dragon responding from such a long way away.
Astrid began to giggle to herself in a very 'un-warior-like' fation, which she quickly stopped and said, "I found that she responds to higher pitches over longer distances, so I trained her to come to the highest pitch I could make."
As Stormfly alighted on the dock next to her faithful trainer, Astrid said to Hiccup. "So... wanna race to Raven Point?"
"Mind if I drop off my ink at home first? I don't want to loose it." He replied, not feeling like waiting several more months for more ink.
"Alright," she said "I'll meet you in front of the great hall." Giving him a sly wink as she jumped up on Stormfly and flew off towards the village.
Hiccup sighed as he watched Astrid fly away. He loved the way she looked while she was flying. So peaceful, with her golden ponytail flapping in the wind behind her.
"Alright bud," He said to his waiting companion, "Lets get this stuff home before Astrid comes after me with that new sword of hers."