Prologue: Delivery

Minnow woke to the low moaning of a furnace. With eyes still closed, the world was dark. Then she recalled the time of morning, kicked off her blankets, and sat up. Her hazel eyes, now wide with alarm, glanced over to the empty cots of her brother and grandfather. Quickly, Minnow stood from her straw stuffed mattress and searched clumsily through a large chest filled with her clothes. She pulled her wool leggings and long knitted shirt over her sleeping wear. Stepping into her moccasins, Minnow ran a few fingers through her long amber hair in attempts to tame her mane. Uncaring if her efforts were in vain, she headed outside of her room and descended the stairs.

At the base of the staircase, she was met with another door, which led to the small bakery her family owned. Entering the shop, she was greeted by the early morning smell of baking bread. She tucked a guilty strand of hair behind her ear, noticing her grandfather already kneading a layer of dough.

"Good morning, Grandpa," she spoke quietly as she approached him.

"Ah, good morning my little one," he replied, kissing the top of her head pleasantly. "Slept well, I take it?"

"A little too well," Minnow sighed, plucking her work apron from the wall and draping it over her. "Why didn't you wake me up? I see you had no trouble waking my brother."

"You just looked too comfortable for me to wake you," her grandfather chuckled, creasing the wrinkles against his eyes, "And about your brother, his first day of apprenticeship at the carpenters was today. Couldn't let that boy just waltz in with his sleeping gown still on."

"Still, Grandpa. You shouldn't coddle me just because I'm the youngest," Minnow spoke, easing next to her grandfather and taking a bowl of dough. She emptied the bowl onto the floured counter top and began to knead, "I think I should be treated just the same as my brother. Won't you let me make some deliveries tonight?"

"Absolutely not," came her grandfather's stern voice, rustling his thick peppered beard. "Deliveries are strictly meant for your brother, and you know that."

"I know, but all I ask is for one delivery. Just for one night."

"The answer is no," came his voice, strong and unmoved a second time. "I don't want you to ever set foot outside of this house at night. It's far too dangerous. Don't ever ask me again, understand?"

"Yes, Grandpa," Minnow spoke meekly, forced to adhere to her caretakers strict request.

For as long as she could remember, Minnow was never allowed to wonder the island of Berk shortly after the sun had set beyond the oceans horizon. She knew the reasons for this, since dragons made custom visits to the island during the nights. Although she was never in the mess of those evenings, from her window, she would see orange gleams flicker across the village rooftops.

Minnow understood that dragons squandered what they could from Berk's livestock, and mainly resided to setting houses a flame in that area. Rest assured, she had never seen a dragon up close, only able to spot their silhouettes against the moons light. Her curiosity, however, was slowly devouring her wits and urging thoughts of escape.

She frowned. All she ever wanted really was to be more useful.


Day had passed slowly for the young baker, who spent most of her time twiddling her thumbs behind the shop counter. Nightfall had come, and her grandfather set out to drink ale at the Mead Hall with his elderly companions, mostly to reminisce on past battles and harsh winters. And like always, Minnow was instructed to tend the bakery, and wait for her brother to make deliveries before closing.

The young girl could not keep her toes from tapping against the wooden floors. Her brother was exceptionally late from his first day of apprenticeship. She continuously eyed the shop window, stirring whenever she saw a figure pass. She was about to start counting the crumbs on the floor until someone entered the store.

"You're late, Dovan," said Minnow, lips curling at her brother. "You were supposed to be here twenty minutes ago. The bread is barely warm now."

"Hey, it wasn't my fault," Dovan replied bitterly, limping towards the counter. "I had an accident this morning on my foot, and I can barely outrun a snail."

Minnow leaned her body over the counter, witnessing her brother's foot wrapped like a pig in a blanket, "Wow. Keep this up, and you might not even make it to become a great carpenter."

Dovan scuffed at his sisters comment, "Whatever. Just give me the box already so I can deliver it."

An idea formed in the back of Minnow's head.

"I'd be willing to do it for you, Dovan," she spoke casually, as if the idea had just floated to her. Her brother's brow arched and she decided to sell it further, "Since you're hurt and travel no faster than a slug, I could make the delivery for you."

"No way. You know how Grandpa feels about you going outside when it's night out," her brother shook his head. "The last thing I need is for the old man to nag me for even talking about this with you."

"Oh, come on, Dovan. Just this once, please?" Minnow begged, leaning further over the counter.

"No, Minnow. I'm not getting my butt chewed out because of you," he replied swiftly, without even the bat of his lash.

The young Viking puffed her rosy cheeks, "Fine, then I guess you won't mind if Grandpa finds out about your little secret."

Dovan leaned back, his eyes large with caution at his sisters words, "What're you talking about?"

"Oh, you know," she shrugged, playing her act coolly. "How you're sneaking out late at night to see a girl who you have no permission to be with."

"How do you know about that?" Dovan's voice was almost a whisper, his skin suddenly paler than a white stone.

"Grandpa may be a heavy sleeper, but that doesn't mean that I'm one too," she answered him, which brought out a low groan from his parted lips.

"Alright, fine," Dovan mumbled, cursing under his breath. "You better be back before our old man gets home. Or I swear, I'll feed you to the first Doomfang I find."

"Hardly anyone has spotted one of those, Dovan. I'd be almost impossible for you to find one."

"That's not the point, Minnow." Dovan groaned with exasperation, rubbing his temples accordingly. "I'm serious, promise me you'll be back before gramps gets home."

"I promise," Minnow smiled, scurrying around the counter and embracing her brother happily. "Thank you so much, Dovan. I'll definitely pay you back for this one."

"Yeah, yeah. Just hurry already," said Dovan, dismissing her sentiments and prying his sister off his crippled body.

Minnow laughed in delight, gathering the prepared box on the counter and prancing towards the shop door. "I won't be long!" She called, before stepping out.

The crisp night air immediately nipped at her skin. She welcomed the cool feeling and grinned. Winter was approaching, and she could already taste savory glazed poultry and honey drizzled biscuits. But out of all the holiday treats, her favorite was still the hot cakes made by her grandfather. She licked her lips at the images hot in her mind, which kept her warm as she walked across cold patches of stone and earth.

Minnow held the box of baked bread close to her chest, in attempts to salvage any warmth still left. She smiled shyly while passing a few Berk villagers: meaty, strong, and over-all intimidating. Almost all of the inhabitants on the island resembled giants, especially compared to her small and thin frame. Even amongst the rest of Berk's youths, she was deemed the smallest. Hence, her name Minnow, referring to a small fish. The young girl was not too keen on her given name, but she pretended that the name never bothered her.

Minnow stared down at the delivery box, taking the note attached to the side to view the address. She didn't recognize the address or family name, but she was keen on finding it and returning home just as promised. Continuing her stroll, her head wandered towards the darkened heavens. She exhaled a puff of steamed breath, gazing at the stars scattered across the vast celestial blanket. In her view, something bright caught her hazel orbs. Her feet ceased, and her gaze persisted the traveling light descending from the sky. Her mouth widened, watching the glowing ball fall towards Berk. Disappearing behind a few houses, a noise as loud as thunder rumbled her surroundings. All at once, bright orange flames erupted, sending sparks and debris into the night. Clamor emerged all at once as a horn was sounded, calling out almost all of Berk from their houses.

Minnow swallowed a lump of fear distilled in the back of her throat. The young Viking girl was aware of the horns presence and it's warning. Dragons, the thought sent shivers down her spine. Turning to head back to the safety of her home, she was bombarded by a strewn of Vikings citizens howling and rushing past her. Minnow cowered at the scene, crouching on her knees and holding the box of bread over her head protectively.

"Get out of th' way, Lassy!" One burly man with mutton-chop's hollered at her as he passed.

Minnow watched with stupefaction as more Berk citizens maneuvered around her. She gasped, suddenly feeling a firm grip catch her forearm and place her onto her shaking boots, "What do you think you're doing, Las? Stand proud, and take this to put out the flames," a thick Viking women with breasted plates bombarded her, forcing a bucket of swirling well water into her stomach. Minow almost dropped the box of bread as she tried to balance the bucket without losing a drop.

"B-But, I don't-" Minnow began to explain her lack of experience, but the woman paid no heed and rushed out of the one-sided conversation.

Minnow's head was surely spinning. The situation she was now thrown into was getting the better of her senses. Her stiff legs trembled and refused to take her home, her heart pounded like a thousand Viking war drums, and her mind was swimming in sheer panic. Gathering what little motor skills she had left, she picked up one foot and darted in the opposite direction of the chaos. Yet, fate had it made out for her. In the distance, a figure was running clumsily towards her, and what chased close behind him was a creature she had only seen in books.

"Hurry, get out of the way!" A young boy shouted as he rushed into her view, waving his lanky arms around him to ward her off.

Minnow's body did nothing of the sort, going into complete shock instead. As the boy entered arms reach, he pushed Minow out of the way. Her body lurched towards the ground, and she caught herself on her hands. Never mind that now the box of bread lay in shambles, and bucket of water emptied next to her. However, fate continued to test her. The dragon that was once chasing the boy twisted to face Minnow, completely vulnerable on the dirt. Minnow had now become the prey, and she dug her boots into the earth to scramble away.

"You're mine now."

Minnow's breath caught in her throat. A foreign voice echoed inside her, rattling her insides. Whose voice is this? The question barely settled in her mind. The dragon's large form hovered over her own, his head retracting to release a hot flame that would surely end her for good. Minnow could only stare into the dragon's jaws in horror, its hot breath growing hotter with each passing second.

"Hey, leave her alone! I'm the one you want, remember?" She heard the familiar voice shout. Minnow blinked wildly as a rock smacked against the side of the red dragons chaps. It growled and shook its head from the pain, screeching as it turned away from Minnow and released her of its presence.

Minnow's chest rose and sank rapidly, propping herself onto her elbows to watch the scene play out before her. The boy had stumbled behind a sizable wooden pole, just missing the dragon's molten attack. Minnow's chest squeezed, noticing the dragon maneuvering around the pole to snatch the boy by surprise.

He's going to die!

"W-watch out!" Minnow tried to warn the boy as loudly as she could, but to no avail. It seemed the boys destiny was about to be sealed, until Stoic, the Chief leader of the Viking colony, entered just in time.

Relief seemed to welcome her, viewing Stoic wrestle the beast until it made its cowardly escape. Minnow cringed when the wooden pool suddenly collapsed, rolling down a suspended wooden staircase. Disaster subsided after that, and the citizens of Berk sauntered over to surround Stoic and the young boy. Minnow gathered herself onto her feet, shifting to blend in with the gathering crowd. Silence befell the area, and the screeching of dragons filled the air as they escaped into the darkened sky.

"Sorry, dad," came the adolescents voice, low and almost inaudible with shame.

Minnow's lips formed an apparent circle. If the young boy were referring Stoic as his father, then that would only conclude that he was the infamous Hiccup. Since Minnow had always been home schooled and rarely allowed to leave the house, she was only aware of Hiccup and his antics through talk between her grandfather and brother. From countless stories, she had gathered that the boy was quiet clumsy, flighty, and an over-all terrible Viking. And even though that all might have been true, the fact that he saved her from a dragon told her otherwise. A smile caressed her lips, but was short lived as she felt a hand snatch her upper arm and tug her out of the crowd.

"I thought I told you to stay inside," spoke her grandfather hoarsely. He gave no notion of letting her arm go as he continued to drag her behind him, "I don't even understand what possessed you to disobey me in the first place."

"You don't understand, Grandpa," said Minnow weakly, stumbling on her feet to keep up. She winced at the new pain stinging her arm, "Dovan was hurt, so I thought-"

"Thought what, exactly?" Her grandfather stopped in his tracks, releasing her arm. He turned to face her, chest raised and bushy white brows furrowed, wrinkling the folds of skin between his eyes. "So you thought you could just leave the house and almost get yourself killed?"

"But I didn't," said Minnow, almost too exhausted with this redundant conversation to even go on. "Hiccup came along and saved me."

"Hmph! You mean that fish-bone of a Lad?" her grandfather scuffed under his aged beard. "It's a miracle you're still even alive if you encountered him, especially from the disaster he caused tonight."

"Well, he did," she spoke more firmly, annoyed by her grandfathers lack of courtesy when mentioning others. "And honestly, Grandpa. Despite what happened, I don't regret disobeying you."

"Then I have raised a fool of a granddaughter," her grandfathers came quick and harsh, almost springing instant tears from her eyes.

Minnow sucked on her lips, suppressing any fowl words from bubbling up. The way her grandfather now stared down at her weighed heavily on her. The weight resembled wet clothing, clutching onto her skin and slowly bringing her down. Minow couldn't stand the over-whelming self-loathing pressed upon her any longer, and rushed past her grandfather back to the house.

Entering the house, she paid no mind to her brother and his words to intercept her. Rushing up the stairs she entered the only room in the house, placing herself limply on her straw mattress, and burying her burning cheeks into her pillow.

And for the remaining night, Minnow chocked on her own words to calm herself.


AN: Hello! Thanks to anyone who took their time in reading this prologue. Not sure if anyone would be interested in reading further, or having me continue, so please review or leave a small comment if you think I should.

Please and thank you!