All recognised characters belong to their beloved creators.
This is my first How To Train Your Dragon fic so here's hoping it all goes smoothly. Fingers crossed!
Niya - Nee-Ya
Eilidh - Eh-Lee
CHAPTER ONE
A dragon's wrath and a dragon's innocence
SONG - Where No One Goes - John Powell & Jonsi
When I was ten, my village was raided and destroyed. Beasts of legend and myth, they soared across the sky in the darkest of nights and took everything. We did not know of the existence of these creatures nor why they attacked, but it happened and remains the most significant event in my life to this day.
I can remember the night as clearly as if it were every other. It was the last one I spent with my parents too. Bildsfell, home to a small clan of Vikings, had recently been taken up as our own. I was only a toddler when Father and his ship had taken the land as his own. It had been shaped and grew as time wore on and Bildsfell soon became ours. Father would disappear for days on end with his ship though, neglecting his duty as chief of our clan. Every time he left, duty fell to my Uncle Crom. Sometimes Father would come home riddled with scars and laden with tough skin of animals he'd defeated, yet he and his warriors never uttered a word of what they encountered. Not even to mother.
That night I was cooking while mother rested. The Hunn-Lege had ordered her to rest for copious amounts of time during the day, not that mother could help it. Her belly was swollen with pregnancy and she struggled with even the smallest of tasks. She hated it though, she was a warrior used to being hands-on. But carrying more than one babe and not due for weeks, she knew she had to stay put.
Father was on the island, but he was not home. He had come back from his last trip, laden with a new animal coat and his gaunt eyes. He'd been protecting the boarder of Bildsfell for days now, expecting something. He had a crazed look in his eyes at times and at times I would grow worried, who was he preparing for?
An animalistic cry echoed through the night and I stopped my actions. I looked over to mother and she sat up amongst the fur rugs. Soon other cries filled the night and a glow could be seen from the windows.
"Niya, ready yourself," mother said. I stood up hastily and grasped my battle-axe of the wall, grabbing mother's hunting bow and bringing it over to her.
"What is that?" I asked her. She didn't answer, only grasped my shoulder tightly. A shriek went over our roof and I moved forward. Mother rubbed her stomach in worry.
"Dragons," she muttered. At that point, I was confused. Dragons? They didn't exist, only in folklore.
The door to our house burst down as Uncle Crom hobbled in on his wooden leg, longsword held high.
"Brietta, Niya," he greeted gruffly. "Come quickly, I'll get you two to the Great Hall with the others."
I helped mother off the couch and he led us out. I looked about in horror as flames licked the sides of homes. Men and women streamed by laden with weapons and shields, elderly and children who were too young to fight were being taken to the Great Hall.
"Duck!" I cried, looking up. Uncle Crom pulled mother to the side as I slammed myself to the ground, a white blur flying over our heads and shooting a blue flame down at the ground.
Mother grabbed my arm and the three of us hurriedly made our way to the large stone building. Everything was chaos. I was frightened and shaking, holding the battle-axe close to my chest. It was large, its base on the ground it reached my shoulders. It was my tenth name day present from Father. It was engraved with the words of our clan, 'Be Strong, Fight Long'.
I looked back over my shoulder at the men and women fighting. I looked back at mother and she caught the light in my eye.
"Niya, no!" But it was too late, I ran from her and my uncle, racing back down the dirt and fire stricken road, passing dragons and people alike on all sides. I was looking for my Father and I would make him proud, I would fight.
I ducked and rolled at one point, jarring my shoulder as a two-head dragon smashed through the one of the houses, the wood blazing with orange and red. I scrambled to my feet before dashing forward again. Up ahead I saw the familiar black mane of my Father, messily hacking off the head of a large, boulder-like dragon. I stopped in my track at the sight of the blood and I knew then that I should have stayed with Mother and the others.
"Niya!" Father looked at me. He nodded at me proudly and I remember then why I had come. I lifted the battle-axe in my arms and moved to stand back to back with him. Be Strong, Fight Long.
I swiped in the air with my weapon, too short to scratch even the feet of passing dragons. Father stood behind me, bellowing with rage as he took down dragons left and right.
To my right, I spied a dragon creeping around the edges of a house, moving towards the livestock that were kept in pens. They're taking the food, I thought. It was hard enough to go through the winters with small rations and these beasts were stealing all we had.
I braced myself and ran forward, yelling with as horrifying a battle cry a ten-year-old girl could muster. The dragon faced me quickly and flinched back, eyes darting to the side. I skidded to a stop, battle-axe above my head and stared at the beast. It's back pressed to the side of the pen and eyes held emotion, actual emotion. It stayed frozen before it realized I was not going to attack it, darting ahead and snatching up a bleating sheep.
"Niya what are you doing?" my Father cried. I lowered my axe and turned to him. "Raise your weapon child! Fight!"
He took down another passing dragon, grabbing the goat from its clutches and pushing it aside. There was a whistling sound from above and my Father faced the cliffs before grinning wildly like a mad man.
"Night Fury," he roared, swinging his spear wildly above him. "Fight me!"
A blue flame shot the ground beside him and he rolled to the side, narrowly escaping the blaze. I ran up beside him and he took the axe out of my arms harshly, knocking me to the side.
"Take my spear," he growled. "Fight child."
I grasped at the wood and picked it up, disconcerted with its weight. My battle-axe was heavy, but it was much smaller in size. The spear towered over my head and I aimed it up, searching the skies. The white blur darted around us, its wings whistling in the wind. Father pushed me to the side and I rolled across the scorched grass as it shot another ball of flame.
I stood up hastily and raised my weapon once more. The Night Fury, as Father had called it, was towering over my father and snapping its jaws. Its scales were white, speckled with black across its face and wings. One leg itself was purely black and it was pushing down against my Father's chest and roaring in his face. Father roared back and I darted forward.
"Father!" I cried. I threw the spear towards him and he caught it, slashing it across the dragon's face. It flinched back and roared in pain, blood pouring from its left eye. I barely had time to grab my battle-axe as it raced toward me. I raised my weapon and cried out as it took off the ground, grabbing my raised arms in its grasp.
I screamed out horror as I watched the ground disappear from beneath my feet, my arms held tightly between the claws of the pale dragon's legs. I held on tightly to my battle-axe and struggled in its grasp, pulling on my arms forcefully. I stopped at once when I felt my shoulder pop, pain racing up my neck and down my back.
I hung limply as I watched my village burn beneath me, dragons flying away with our food and livestock. I hung my head in shame as I resigned myself to my fate, the flaming village slowly becoming a speck in the distance as the dragon flew across the dark abyss that was the sea.
"Beast," I muttered, clenching my fist around my axe. The dragon seemed to grumble to itself, looking down to see me dangled between its claws. I mustered as harsh a glare I could, spitting at it. Its eyes were slits as it growled low before looking up, swooping past rock structures.
I felt my stomach clench as it climbed altitude. My legs and arms were stiff and locked with the crisp air and could barely feel my body as it climbed up past the clouds. My feet skimmed the tops of clouds and if it had been a better circumstance, I would have admired what was happening. As it was, I was being kidnapped by a dragon for a midnight snack at least that was what I had presumed at the time.
I clenched my eyes shut and listened to the wind and cries of dragons. I thought of the possibilities of escape, but all ended with me either being torn to bits or torn to bits. I was doomed and the smug bastard carrying was only too happy to carry me to that designated destination. The dragon called low and I opened my eyes just in time to feel my stomach drop as we quickly dived down and lost altitude. I pushed down the bile that rose in my throat and instead focused on the great, ice and stone mountain that rose from beneath the sea. I couldn't help the small noise of appreciation at the structure.
"Odin's beard," I muttered in wonder and horror. The wind rushed in all my senses as the dragon swooped down, gliding through the ice and stone and mingling with dragons of all shapes, sizes and colours. I was scared and amazed as I watched them all carry their food to different assortments of crevices.
I cried out as it dropped me onto a stone ledge. The axe fell out of my grasp and I rolled, putting out my arms and catching myself. I scrambled to my feet quickly and clutched my shoulder, my right arm dangling limply. I cursed to the Gods and clenched my teeth as I pushed it as softly as I could. I sobbed at the pain and kicked my axe across the stone.
I whirled around at a very human 'oh', facing a woman wearing layers of leather and wool. I stared at her and she tilted her head to the side, standing straight and leaning her spear against the stone.
"Hello lass," she said warmly. Of course, I did the one thing any child would do after being kidnapped, hurt and discarded in a dragon lair. I burst into tears and she moved forwards, laying a hand softly against my back and leading me inside the crevice that she'd emerged from. I relaxed slightly as she sat me down on a crudely made cot covered in furs, sniffling to myself as I watched her gather an assortment of things from a chest in the corner.
"I'm so sorry dear," she said warmly. "It's been many years since I've talked to humans and a child no less. Bite on this dear."
She handed me a leather strap and I put it between my teeth, clenching my body as I awaited the quick the pain that I anticipated. She grasped my arm firmly and pushed it up, popping it back in its socket. She took the leather strap back and motioned for me to take off my shirt.
"Have to bind it so it doesn't come out any time soon," she explained. I looked away as she strapped my shoulder, watching the cave entrance instead. A large gold and red dragon peered inside and chirped softly, shaking its head side to side. The woman smiled and clicked her tongue. The dragon seemed happy with this and nodded, coming into the cave and staying by the entrance. It eyed me suspiciously and I looked down.
"There you go," she said. I pulled my shirt back on, noticing then I did not have a good amount of layers for the ice that surrounded us. The woman seemed to have the same idea as she grabbed a large long-sleeved shirt and a fur rug to go over my shoulders. She handed them to me and said;
"That should do you, they may be big but you'll be warmer of course."
I pulled them on and brought my legs up, holding them tightly.
"Valka," she greeted, holding out her hand. I shook it firmly and nodded.
"Niya," I replied. She tilted her head to the side and stared at me before smiling widely.
"And just how old are you, Niya?" she asked.
"Just turned ten," I looked back out of the cave entrance and found my battle-axe still lying on the ground. "Father gave me that for my birthday."
Valka noticed my axe and retrieved it, handing it to me carefully.
"My son would be turning eleven soon," she stated. "I haven't seen him since he was a babe."
"My mother is pregnant," I said in comfort. "Hopefully I can see the babies after they're born."
The woman looked at me with pity before approaching the dragon that still sat silently in its corner.
"This is Cloudjumper," she changed the subject. "He's a stormcutter dragon, brought me here ten years ago."
"A stormcutter dragon?" I asked. "What are the other dragons?"
She smiled at my question and motioned me up. I put aside my axe and followed her out to the edge. She pointed at a two headed dragon, not unlike one that had destroyed my village.
"That one is called a hideous zippleback," she said. "Gruesome name for such beautiful creatures, Vikings titled them all."
She pointed out numerous amounts of dragons, all different types. Rumblehorns, deadly nadders, monstrous nightmares, gronckles, hotburples, the list was endless, all different types and different colours. The creatures that I had feared not even hours ago emerged before my eyes in beauty and wonder as the rising sun glistened through the ice and lit up the water and grass.
"As with all the dragon, there is the alpha," she declared. "The bewilderbeast are the greatest of all dragons, this one here created this haven for the dragons."
Valka took my hand and settled me onto the back of her dragon. I moved to protest but she climbed up behind me, clicking as Cloudjumper soared over the water and through the dragons that were in the air. I laughed as I watched the large, white face of what I presumed to be the Bewilderbeast rise from the water, blue eyes glistening as it breathed out heavily from its mouth and blew a soft sheet of ice over everything.
Valka laughed and patted Cloudjumper's neck as he flew back down to settle on the ledge. I slid of his back and grinned.
"Who knew dragons were so gentle," I said excitedly. "But how could they so viciously attack my village?"
Valka grew confused. "They wouldn't dare to unless provoked; they attacked my home only because we Vikings attacked first."
"But they came through the night, they'd never been before and then suddenly they were there and burning everything," I said. Valka tilted her head to the side and moved quickly towards me. She reached out and touched my hair, the dark strands slipping through her fingers.
"What's wrong with my hair?" I asked her. She looked me back in my eyes and shook her head. She looked over my shoulder and I flinched at the cold wind that blew from behind me.
The pale dragon, the night fury, landed behind me and cocked its head to the side.
"Oh it's you," I grumbled. Valka gasped from behind me and went over to it, brushing a hand under its bloody eye.
"How did this happen," Valka muttered to herself. I felt immensely guilty as the dragon peered over her shoulder at me, its tongue rolling out of its mouth as if its eye did not bother it.
Valka looked at me from over her shoulder and smiled. "She likes you."
I shrugged and walked over to them, laying a hand on the dragon's cheek. A cloudiness had settled over its left eye, around the red scar across its eye and I knew it was fully blind in its eye.
"I'm sorry about that," I said, rubbing its cheek. It snorted and I smiled. "My Father can be very violent at times, of course he is a Viking."
I heard Valka laugh and I realised she had left at some point, coming back with some cloth and water.
"Wash the blood off and stop any clotting," she said, handing me the cloth. I looked at her incredulously but she only nodded towards the dragon. "She likes you, not me."
I sighed and turned back around, the dragon already settling onto the ground so I could reach its eye. I wiped across her face, the black and white scales glistening with the water.
"Why does she have black in random bits on her?" I asked. "Every other dragon has patterns, but her…"
I trailed off as I looked at her fully black leg.
"Her natural colour is black," Valka answered. "However, she's an albino. The effects of the north unfortunately and as seen here, can affect dragons as well as humans."
I nodded and resumed wiping off the blood. She closed her other eye and breathed heavily out of her nose contentedly.
"She's truly like a beacon of light in the night sky," Valka continued, "she's very docile, quite young too. Push her too far and she'll snap. Still don't understand how she is categorized as one of the most dangerous of dragons."
I dropped the cloth into the bowl and sat back, her eyes opening to lock with mine.
"Beacon of light," I whispered, "I hope you don't mind Valka, if I call her Eilidh."
Valka smiled down at me warmly. "I do not mind at all."
I stood up and brushed off my pants. "Do you think she'll be able to fly me back to my village?"
Valka stopped and shook her head. "You won't want to go back to your village, not now."
I frowned. My mother and my father, my uncle were all in Bildsfell and I had no idea if they lived or not.
"When can I go back?" I asked her.
"When it's safe for them," she replied.
Well there's the first part of it all. I don't think it will be a very long story. It will be taking place in the sequel obviously and I'm thinking of writing into post-movie as well. But for now, please review, favourite etc etc.