The loud thunders.
The sound of the waves hiting the shores and the docks unfaithfully.
The powerful wind blowing without mercy.
The dragons roaring ferociously.
Vikings shouting what sounded like battle cries.
The storm started.
I was in a tent. Afraid of the powerful storm... I was crying and I was so scared of the storm and the beasts.
Suddenly I heard someone enter in the tent and saw a figure grabbing me and running out of the place where I was hidden. He was holding me like a baby, close to his warm chest. He tried to cover me at least a bit more with the cloth that I was wrapped in while he kept on running.
I tried to talk but it was all mumbled and I couldn't even pronounce the words...
There was another big thunder and I kept on crying. The man seemed not to stop and he kept on running while holding me the same way... close to his warm chest and I felt protected.
I started to calm down and slowly stopped crying.
Now I was just trying to hide my face from the cold waterdrops that were falling from the dark clouds.
„Johann! Wait!"
He suddenly stopped running and I started to hear better the waves that were crushing into the docks.
I heard him and another voice talk but I didn't understand what they were saying, it was all covered up by my sobs and small cries that came back as a loud thunder echoed through the expanse, the wind started to blow harder and the roars of the dragons grew louder.
Suddenly I didn't feel the warmth anymore. I cracked my eyes slowly and saw a man that was looking at me with gentle eyes. I couldn't make out his face. It was all so blurry... I just remember those eyes... Brown, sever, cold yet carrying and so... sweet.
I glanced a bit around and saw almost all the ships destroyed, on all the vessels there was this weird insignia but I saw it just for glimpse because I shifted my eyes back to the man as I felt someone else grab me.
I started to cry. I raised my hands towards the brown-eyed man like wanting to stay with him. But he just stroked my cheek with a thumb.
"You're gonna be okay little angel... We'll meet again someday" his voice was gentle and held a pang of sadness.
He kissed my forehead softly and his eyes turned glassy, they looked almost like he was smiling. A sad smile. Then he started to step back. Putting distance between us. I was crying so hard, sobbing uncontrollably.
The roars of the beasts came closer and closer like the thunder that grew louder and louder.
It felt like we moved, the one that was holding me, and myself. I looked once again back towards the man, just to see him fighting with a dragon. I wanted to reach for him and help him but we were distancing.
I didn't feel the warmth anymore... I felt cold and empty...
Like someone just ripped a part of me away.
The cold raindrops were falling on my face and on the cloth that I was wrapped in.
There was another powerful thunder and a heartbreaking, blood-curling scream along with it...
„NO!" I shouted as I sat up straight. My body was coated in a layer of sweat and I was gasping for air.
A loud thunder echoed outside, the wind was blowing powerfully and the raindrops were hiting almost violently the hatch of the window. It was dark outside and in the house.
I didn't even know what hour it was. It could be not even past midnight for all I knew.
I got sit on the edge of the bed and lighted up fast the candle sitting on a small chair. It gave a bit of light to the gloomy room and I felt more at ease. Being still shaken up from the nightmare and the thunderstorm really wasn't helping, but I tried to calm down.
I held my head in my hands and started down at the floor with an empty look.
Inhale... Exhale... Inhale... Exhale...
It was just a nightmare. Even though I had it for so many times. When I got it for the first time I was so little. I literally cried the whole night, silently, and I was scared to get out of bed. Plus I was afraid to tell my parents about it since I thought it would come true. It was a stupid belief, but at that time I was ready to belive in almost anything.
It was the same thing every time. The thunderstorm, the dragons, the brown-eyed man, the insignia, the heartbreaking scream. It always ended with that scream, and it always broke my heart to pieces.
I was about to drift off into my own thoughts when I heard some footsteps coming upstairs and the door creaking as it was slightly opened.
I raised my head and my eyes shot towards the door. There was a woman silhouette walking slowly towards me.
„Sweetheart, are you alright?" she asked as she walked to me and got sit next to me.
„I am fine mom..." I replied sotfly, a bit ashamed though since this was repeating every other night. I was starting to feel already like a burden to my parents.
Her gaze was on me „Again nightmares?..." she questioned with a bit of a worried voice but still there was a small hint of tiredness.
„Y-yeah..." I replied slowly as the nightmare flashed in front of my eyes.
It was awful and it wasn't awful in the same time. But for sure it was heartbreaking.
I always believed that it was my father in it because of his brown-yellowish eyes, like the honey. I was keen to believe it, but there was a no. I didn't feel like it was my dad. If that even made any sense.
Actually, I shouldn't even be caring if it was him or not. It was just a nightmare. Nothing important.
I got a bit lost in my thoughts, then felt something warm wrap around me and realized it was my mom hugging me.
„Shhh... It's okay darling... We all have nightmares sometimes. They reflect the things that we're afraid of or the memories that certainly shocked us... It's alright" she said as she stroked my hair softly with one of her hands.
I hugged her back tightly „Yeah... It's not big deal... Just an incubus"
She pulled away slowly after a couple of minutes and cupped one of my cheeks in her palm "We're always here for you. Okay?" she asked as I nodded slowly and gave her a small smile. I was so happy that I at least had them, they would always help me.
She smiled back as she got away her hand. I looked in her blue, carrying eyes. Same as mine, just mine were a bit more blue-gray while hers were deep blue like the ocean.
„Now go back to sleep, alright?" she proded gently as she got up slowly.
„But..." I replied with half voice as I laid back in the bed and rested my head on the pillow.
„No buts. You have to rest" she stated firmly as she covered me with the blanket that I was sleeping under.
She bowed down to me and kissed my forehead „Think about something good and you won't get nightmares anymore" she said as she straightened up and walked towards the door „I'll let the candle and we're downstairs if you need anything" she looked over her shoulder „Good night"
„Good night, mom"
I pretended to sleep, while I waited for her to go back downstairs. When I heard the little creak sound as the door got slowly shut, I shifted a bit in my bed and pulled the cover off slowly as I heard the soft footsteps distancing while she descended.
When I didn't hear them no more, I got sit carefully on the edge of the bed without making lots of noise.
I wouldn't go back to sleep. Especially during a thunderstorm. I wouldn't even be able to fall asleep, so what's the point.
A loud thunder echoed through the night air and I swear my heart skipped a beat. The sound was so close and shook me up. I pulled the blanket around me and stared at the cracked window hatch.
I think I would never stop being afraid of thunderstorms. Same would have applied to dragons if it wasn't for Phantom and the bond that we shared. Bond that was pretty strong since I could understand him.
Yes, a Dragon Whisperer, how original.
Anyway. I haven't told anyone about it though. It's just, I really don't want people to treat me like I am different or like I am insane, and maybe even outcast me because of this. Because of what I am.
I had heard and read stories about Dragon Whisperers. They all ended badly, fatally I would better say. People hated them because they were against dragon killing, because they could ‚manipulate' dragons, make the beasts attack others, about their bloody red eyes and how they turned against humans and stood by the dragons.
Half of that had to be bullshit. I'd rather say that I was pretty much always bickering around with Phantom and I certainly couldn't get dragons to do what I wanted. Not even my own sometimes.
Another reason why I didn't tell anyone was because I didn't want to get separated from my parents. The only persons I trusted. Even though I haven't told them. But I loved them and I didn't want to make them sad or disappoint them.
I just didn't know how they would feel about this, because I had no idea how I felt about it.
I shook off the thoughts and got up slowly. Walked to the crate that was right in front of my bed and opened it as carefully as I could. But the damn thing creaked and I muttered some curses under my breath. I couldn't let my parents hear me.
I stilled a bit after I opened entirely the lid and listened, just to make sure no one was coming upstairs. There was a mortal silence. Good.
After I grabbed a pair of black tight pants, a white long-sleeved shirt, a dark grey corset, a black vest with a hood and a pair of long black boots, I got dressed and then tip-toed towards the place where Phantom was sleeping near my bed.
„Psst Phantom! Wake up!" I said and started to nudge his side. He wasn't such a big dragon, smaller than a Night Fury. His head was flatter and more pointed-like, his skin looked rougher and imitated sand, but was really soft at touch. His eye color was much like mine, blue-gray, but lighter, almost like ice.
„Hmmm... Marianne let me sleep..." he replied sleepily as he rolled on the other side, pushing me away with one of his wings.
„Phantom! Wake up! C'mon! You wanted a night flight yesterday when I couldn't get out of the house. Now I can. So get up and let's go!" I yelled quietly as I tried to push him off his flat stone.
„Urgh fine. Fine" he groaned as he got up lazily and stretched like a cat to awake himself.
I grabbed a stachel and stuffed some sheets from my desk, a journal and a charcoal pencil in it fast along with a map.
Someone nudged me from behind and when I turned around I saw it was my lazy ass friend. He made a step back and looked at me „So we're going or not? Because I can go back to sleep in any moment" he stated as he started to walk back to his stone.
I trotted to him, grabbed the saddle and secured it on his back. Then I hopped on it and petted his head.
I leaned closer to his ear and whispered „Let's get out as always and we're going to search for Trader Johann, alright?"
He nodded and opened with the tail a wooden hatch that was above my wooden desk and we flew out of the house right through it.
The storm stopped but it was still raining slightly. I pulled the hood on my head and looked forward at the dark sea.
As we glided above the water, it seemed pretty quiet and peacefull.
We didn't talk at all. I was still a bit lost in my thoughts.
Then after a while Phantom broke the silence and asked „Marianne, maybe it's not a really good thing to keep disappearing like this.. You know that your parents are worried about you. And why searching for Johann? What you dreamed this time?"
I glanced down at him „I know, but I can't keep staying in the house, doing literally nothing, and I can't really get sleep. You know why" I let out a breathe and then continued „As about Johann. I thought that maybe, maybe I could talk to him about it? About all of it. I know it's going to be dawn soon, but I really need to talk with someone about it. Besides you" I scratched my head a bit „And I think that maybe, just maybe, he could help. I've got this weird feeling about it. I don't know how to explain"
He glanced up at me with the corner of the eye „How about Stoick? He forbid you from leaving the island and you know that"
I let out a tired breath and shifted my eyes back on the horizon.
"I'll deal with that after. I want to trust this feeling and I am pretty sure that Johann will keep the secret. He's a good man"
Phantom sighed and shook his head in dissaproval.
Then we both fell in silence.
„You know, maybe you should better talk to your mother. Johann is Johann, your mother is your mother. There's a pretty big difference. And I know that you think that maybe Johann might help you, but that's not likely and anyway, it's just a nightmare, Anne. It's not real. Maybe it's just what you're afraid of? Thunderstorms duh"
It all felt too surreal to be just a nightmare. And in a twisted way I knew that it might have been true. I had no clue how to explain it but this man had to be somewhere.
In the last few days I had gotten the brilliant idea that maybe, if I told Johann about it, and it was true, then he would remember what happened and who was the man.
"Yes, but why I would be afraid of dragons. Okay, I am afraid of the storm, but the dragons? Makes no sense. And whatever you say, we still go to search for Johann and that's all" I stated firmly and heard Phantom sigh a bit disappointed, and if he could I was sure he'd make a facepalm, or paw. Facepaw. Whatever.
We glided above the blue ocean for an hour or two already. The sun was already up since half hour I guess and I was so happy we made it this far without anyone noticing and no one to turn us back to Berk.
But my happiness was short lived. There was a dragon flying towards us.
Great... Just great... I thought to myself while furrowing my eyebrows.
As we got closer to the dragon it turned out to be a silver Razorwhip. Ingrid. Great. That's the only thing that I was missing right now. Someone to get me back to Stoick and the worst was that it would be a bit hard to sneak away from her since her dragon was way older than Phantom, who, by the way, was only like two years old.
We both stopped flying. Couldn't it be anyone else. She's one of the best at dagger throwing, also at swimming and of course she trained a Razorwhip, which all were in awe from. The reasons why I mostly hate her.
Like I couldn't train a Razorwhip. I've never actually trained a dragon due to the fact that all the dragons are just simply became my friends after they realized who I was. Well, not all of them, but you get the point.
„Hey! Where in Hel are you going now?!" she exclaimed a bit angrily.
"It's none of your concern where I go or what I do!" I bit back coldly as I kept my gaze glued to her dark hazel one.
„I told you last month that we didn't have to go to that island, where waters were full of Scauldrons, but of course you didn't listen to me" the sand wraith said as he looked up at me.
I leaned close to his ear and whispered „We'll talk about that later"
I straightened back up and glanced at Ingrid who was staring at me „Why are you always whispering something to him? Looks odd"
I stared at her coldly "It's my deal what and when I do. Do you have a problem with it?"
She kept that look of disgust plastered on her face and then replied with a devious smile „No. Not at all. But I know someone who's going to be very 'happy' to see you"
She said the last part in a sarcastic way and I got that she was talking about Stoick, or maybe Hiccup, but he was mostly at the Edge so the chief it was. Not like I have gotten in enough trouble with Stoick till now.
„Let's go!" she shouted as she petted her Razorwhip and flew back towards Berk.
„Let's go boy..." I said softly and scratched gently the scales from the top of his head.
He purred in satisfaction, then turned around and flew back to the island we came from.
We didn't actually have much of a choice then to follow. We could try to sneak away the next day.
We arrived at the Great Hall in like twenty minutes or so because someone, Ingrid, wanted to get there as soon as possible. It was a bit weird from her, but I didn't mind it. The faster I was done with this, the faster I could go to search for Johann again. After we landed at the entrance of the Great Hall I hoped off my dragon just to get shoved inside of the Hall by the Razorwhip's rider.
I gave her a long look and then started to walk through the long chamber aligned with long oval tables with a line of fire in their center. There were torches on the walls and big wooden carved columns that had two meanings: a decorative one and to hold the stone ceiling if something happened, because the whole Hall was carved in the so said mountain from the island.
As I walked closer to the platform where Stoick was standing I started to feel kind of pity and my mind was racing searching for a good excuse as to why I left this time.
I stopped a few good feet away from him and saw the girl with brown hair stopping a bit in front of me „Chief, Marianne was about to leave the surroundings of Berk even if you did forbid her to do so"
I suppressed a groan and the urge to roll my eyes and just looked at the man in front of me. He turned towards us and glanced at me for a moment before he looked at Ingrid „I have it from here, you can go"
She inclined a bit her head and walked fast to the big doors of the Great Hall and not even in half a minute she was out.
After I heard the doors close, I saw the chief break his gaze from the door and he looked at me „What happened this time?" he asked as he rubbed a bit his face. The age was starting to show up bit by bit on his face and especially on his beard that had a white bit of hair.
I sighed while I looked down at my feet.
„Well, I... It was beautiful outside and I wanted to go on a flight around the island"
He raised a brow „Oh really? A thunderstorm is beautiful for you, aye?"
I mentally slapped myself in that moment. Why couldn't I come up with something else? No, I had to ‚enjoy' the nature.
I scratched a bit my nape, then shook my head softly and looked back up at Stoick in defeat „I wanted to go to search for Johann"
He raised a brow „Why? He would be back here in a week or so"
I bit the inside of my cheek a bit while trying to find something fast to say „I needed some ink and some charcoal" I trailed off and then glanced back at Stoick's eyes that seemed to soften.
„Marianne, I know how close you are to Johann and that he cares about you a lot, but may I remind you what happened last time when you left Berk?"
I looked down slightly ashamed but mostly to hide the fact that I was annoyed by him reminding me again about what happened months ago.
„Not really..." I took in a deep breath and glanced up at his green faded eyes „But it's been months already... Maybe I could g—"
„No. That's the last time I tell you, stay on the island. One more time you try to go away to fall in some danger and I am going to forbid you to even fly with your dragon. Understood?"
Okay now that got me angry and the worst was that he was serious and had that stone like mask back on his face.
I clenched my jaw slightly „Yes" I replied shortly through gritted teeth and then stormed out of the big chamber as fast as I could.
Who did he think he was? I didn't care if he was the chief. I was a viking and I could do whatever I wanted. And I would, do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, wherever I wanted and with whoever I wanted.
I didn't even notice Phantom trotting beside me as I was heading towards my parents' house through the village. I had to walk a bit because our house was placed near the docks since my dad was a fisherman.
It was a simple viking wooden two story house like the others. Even though my dad decided to get off the dragon head since we made peace with the dragons. I walked in and shut the door behind me after the sandy dragon walked in.
After I got into the kitchen to grab something to eat I noticed that my mom was gone so as my dad.
Damn great.
I had enough time to pack some stuff for tonight when I would leave to search for Johann and then, maybe, go to the Edge? I was still not sure but if not, I would probably search for an island where I could live. I didn't want to stay more on Berk.
Maybe it was a bit because of the restrictions I had, maybe it was because I was still infuriated and I was thinking like this, but in that moment I didn't really care.
After I finished I went upstairs to my room and saw Phantom laid on a side, his chest rising and falling slowly while. Guess he noticed I was soaked up in my thoughts and decided to take a nap.
So I grabbed a two leather bags that I hid under my bed and started to pack my stuff, folding the clothes and placing them in one of the bags. Then I placed it back under my bed so my mother wouldn't notice it and ask what I was doing.
I went to my desk and grabbed all my journals and maps that I had, I even kept some different dragon scales and teeth that I found, in a wooden carved box that my mom thought was a box where I kept crystals since I liked those as well.
After like an hour I was done packing and I decided to write some stuff on some papers and spread them across my table so it won't look like I just wiped all clean from it.
While writing and sketching some nonsense, the idea of leaving a letter for my parents popped up in my mind. So I began writing. I just wanted to assure them that it was the best for me and that they didn't have for what to worry.
The day dozed off pretty fast, mostly because I fell asleep eventually and woke up just in the evening. It was a good thing though, I would be rested and it won't be hard for me to stay awake through our search.
During the dinner I was pretty much quiet while I was watching my parents talking and joking around. I couldn't even really bring myself to laugh. And for sure I wasn't hungry.
I was more anxious than anything. So many thoughts were eating away at my mind and I was about to let them take over when I felt someone's eyes on me. I shot up straight in my chair from the laid back position I was some seconds ago in, and glanced at my dad and then at my mom „Sorry, but what were you saying?"
My dad shook his head slowly and then locked his gaze with mine „Are you alright Marianne?"
I nodded my head once and plastered a smile on my face as real as I could in that moment „Yeah... Just. Tired..." I trailed off while yawning and stretching my arms a bit above my head „I'll go get some sleep" with that said I got up and went to hug my parents and wished them good night before I trotted back to my room.
All was ready and I just had to wait till my parents would fall asleep so I could sneak out of the house. After shutting the light from the candle I laid on my bed and stared at the ceiling for what seemed like hours till I heard the soft snors of my dad.
I got up without making any noise and woke up Phantom, then grabbed the bags from under my bed and secured them on both sides of his saddle, they weren't big so he would do pretty much fine.
I looked once more around my room not wanting to forget anything and after I made sure I grabbed everything I needed I hopped on the dragon's back, pulled my hood on and we took off as the last night, into the dark sky above us. Hoping that no one would spot me and we could actually leave already.
Leaving...
It made me cry that I had to leave my family.
But it was for the better.
