Disclaimer: How to Train Your Dragon does not belong to me, as does Star Wars or any other series or franchise. They are the rightful property of their rightful owners.
Warnings: sexual references and themes, language, and mentions of Hags-Fiend activities.
"Normal Speech"/ "Telepathic Speech"/ Thinking/ #Another Language#/ "Both Telepathic and Normal Speech"
Chronicle 1 in the
Chronicles of the Dragoniters:
Dawn of the Dragoniters
Updated:
Edited: 21.03.2018
Chapter 1: The Beginning of Everything
A long time ago in a world far, far away...
War is raging against the Viking Tribes of the Archipelago in the Planet of Athelon by Dragons who steal their food, burn their villages and kill every men, woman and child who dare stand against them.
Four Soul-Mates, along with their Familiars, First Soul-Dragons, a group of Aliens, a motley band of Dragons and their Classmates are the only hope the Village of Berk has of ending the war and ushering in an era of peace and unity for both sides.
Unbeknownst to them, they are a part of a massive destiny and a mysterious, powerful of beings who defend the galaxy from all evil. They are known as the Children of Sunheela.
With the aid of dragons, they must discover why dragons are constantly attacking Berk and bring down their evil Queen and her monstrous Hags-Fiend minions...
It was the year 815 AD in the World of Athelon. In the Viking Archipelago, ruled and inhabited by a multitude of Viking Tribes and over dozens different breeds of dragons, who were at war for 300 years ever since dragons began raiding the Viking Tribes of the Archipelago, stealing food, burning down villages and killing those who fought against them. This led to dragons being considered vicious, mindless, blood-thirsty beasts who had to exterminated if the Viking Tribes were to survive. Other than rival Viking Tribes or human raiders from beyond the borders of the Archipelago such as Romans, the Viking Tribes of the Archipelago shared a common, powerful enemy with the rest of the world, so terrible, so monstrous, so evil and so bloodthirsty and violent that the mere threat of them made even the bravest tremble in fear. They were Hags-Fiends, monsters of the worst sort. Unholy, impure, cruel, sadistic, bloodthirsty, lustful, psychopathic, monstrous, savage and barbaric were only several of the dozens of words used to describe them and even they did not add up to the sheer brutality, lust, blood-thirstiness, intelligence and manipulative skills of the Hags-Fiends. They were absolutely ruthless, heartless and felt no remorse or regret for their actions.
They were spread out all over the world and lived in various, isolated hideouts they converted into Hags-Fiend Cities and even Kingdoms with everything the Hags-Fiends needed and wanted. Unfortunately, they were very hard to find unless people knew where to look. Hags-Fiends had four forms: a Humanoid Form, an Orc-Mammal Form, a Devil-Bird Form and a Hell-Dragon Form. It was easy to know they were a Hags-Fiend no matter form they morphed into, especially with their horrible, ragged, cruel voices, demonic eyes and their unholy interest and excitement for anything that involved violence. Hags-Fiends possessed a form of immortality which resurrected them whenever they were killed or destroyed. The resurrected Hags-Fiend most often retained memories and were as monstrous as before. People were always trying to find the secret to how Hags-Fiends were resurrected so they could be killed permanently and never come back to life. There were times when people were successful but the Hags-Fiends tried their best to keep their discoveries secret usually by killing.
Mottled, cracked skin with ragged patches, batlike, pointed ears with sharp tips, slitted, demonic eyes in colours of blood red, black, sulphuric yellow that glowed whenever the Hags-Fiend was excited for bloodlust, violence or lust, twisted, ragged horns, large, tattered, ragged, batlike wings, sharp, pointed nails and fanglike, jagged, stained teeth, matted, messy, knotted, filthy hair, beaklike noses, chapped lips, gaunt faces with prominent bone structures, harsh, guttural voices, scarred bodies, horrid scents and piercings were all physical traits and characteristics of Hags-Fiends, even the clothes they wore were filthy and horrid and what little armour they preferred to wear was spiked and hardly ever cleaned. Their weapons were designed to shed as much blood, cause as much pain and damage and invoke as much fear as they could, that is if they did not use their natural weapons that were different parts of their bodies.
Hags-Fiends spent nearly all of their time killing, slaughtering, massacring, raping, torturing, destroying and sating their endless needs for blood, flesh, pain, pleasure, chaos, destruction and power on each other and their victims, innocent, defenceless, peaceful or not it did not matter to them but what did matter to them was how much satisfaction they got from making each other and their victims suffer. Unlike any other species in the galaxy, Hags-Fiends were complete, utter masochists and they revelled in suffering, being raped, tortured, killed, humiliated so much so they would willingly throw themselves at other Hags-Fiends, provoke them and let themselves be raped, killed and tortured no matter how long and horrifying it was and how injured they got, in fact those things only made the experience better. They delighted in experiencing any sort of rape, torture or humiliation they could think of and do. They lived for 1000 years no matter how many times or ways they had died and been self-resurrected.
However, if there was one species that could be considered their polar opposites, it was Elf-Faes. They came into being from the union and conceptions of Middle-Earthian/ Alagaesian Elves, Guardian Fairies and other species such as Shape-Shifters and Elementalists who, by a mysterious, powerful act of magic, were teleported to Athelon from their original home worlds or simply migrated to other parts of Athelon from their original homelands. It was very rare for other people from other species from other worlds to be teleported to other worlds from which they did not originate and had no way of reaching, did not know about or did not know where it was and how to find it. Of course, Athelon was only one planet in a galaxy of millions and each planet was either younger and or older than other planets. The same went for civilisations. Older civilisations were so very much further advanced than younger civilisations and had technology, knowledge and science that younger civilisations could not even imagine. But of course, everything happens for a reason no one can claim to know why, how, when or what. Those who were teleported to other worlds by magical means could only trust and believe they were brought to other worlds for reasons they would one day discover. Magic, the Force, technology and other such things such as Gods were among the highest powers in the galaxy, worshipped or wielded by certain individuals.
But of course, everything happens for a reason that is very usually unknown to them. There were times when beings were brought to other worlds that had civilisations that knew nothing about them and because people fear what they do not understand and seek to dominate, to control and to destroy it, they were more often than not feared, hunted and sometimes even killed. To protect the new arrivals from other worlds, they were often sent books, stories and information about those people and that often to led to more positive attitudes and curiosity. Unfortunately, if they were sent to worlds that had Hags-Fiends on them, they were usually hunted, enslaved, tortured, killed or even destroyed by them. Unfortunately, Hags-Fiends relished in the chances of being able to people into Hags-Fiends through use of extensive, unyielding, relentless torture, rape, abuse and brainwashing until there was nothing left of the person they had once been and they had been turned into a Hags-Fiend.
The Elf-Faes were tall, mystical, beautiful, mysterious, wise and powerful humanoids with skin ranging in tones from white to black, pointed, elvish ears, smooth, curved horns that matched the exact colour of their eyes, smooth, clear voices and big, birdlike wings with a sharp, smooth, white, forward-curving claw on both main joints. The feathers were soft and smooth. The top most were black and the bottom most feathers were white with three colours in between and matching the Elf-Fae's hair, skin and or eye colour. An Elf-Fae's horns were formed of hollow bone and gave them a form of passive echolocation and radar sense, allowing Elf-Faes to sense their surrounding environments for the locations, movements, shapes and sizes of objects. Most Elf-Faes were equalists, meaning they believed everything was equal; and everything must have a balance. The clothes they were usually suited for everyday life and allowed maximum movement and practicality. Elf-Fae usually consisted of tunics, trousers, boots, belts, vests and even jewellery and armour of which was known for allowing maximum movement, comfort, practicality and covering the whole body if it was a full-body set of armour.
Unfortunately, most Elf-Faes could not wear armour or even decorations on their wings with very few exceptions as such armour had not been developed yet. Elf-Faes shared a strong, powerful connection with nature, magic and magical beings such as dragons. They had four forms they could morph into at will including their Humanoid Form and an Element or two they could generate, manipulate and control. Their other three Forms were a Dragon Form, meaning they could shape-shift into a dragon of any species with all the abilities they had, their Mammal Form, which meant they could shape-shift into mammals such as wolves, deer, big cats, bears and whatever else. Their Bird Forms allowed them to shape-shift into any species of bird. Most Elf-Faes only had one Humanoid Form, one Dragon Form, one Mammal Form and one Bird Form but there were Elf-Faes who had more than four Forms they could shape-shift into.
Elf-Faes were capable of magic such as Elemental generation and manipulation, telekinesis, metamorphosis, healing, telepathy and even teleportation, although these powers and abilities grained an Elf-Fae's strength and energy and only rest and replenishing could restore them. Despite having powerful magic, Elf-Faes were not reliant on them and they excelled at sword-fighting, archery and martial arts, no matter what Form they were in. Things such as family, friends and the love, happiness, safety, peace, knowledge of all were extremely to Elf-Faes and they were very accepting of many things that did not involve harm or danger. Same sex relationships and polygamy were very accepted and even encouraged by Elf-Faes as long as they did not cause imbalance between genders. An Elf-Fae's life span consisted of one thousand years and they possessed limited resurrectional powers. Elf-Faes possessed super-human powers such as speed, strength, agility, reflexes and senses. They sought to unite Athelon and bring peace, prosperity, justice, kindness, knowledge and friendship to the world but they knew that as long as the Hags-Fiends existed, that dream would be nearly impossible to achieve so they sought to destroy the Hags-Fiends with every human, dragon and Elf-Fae working together.
This is the first story in a long series of stories of a brave group of Humans, Dragons, Aliens and other Magical Beings who no matter the odds, sought to end the threat of the Hags-Fiends and brought peace, unity, justice, knowledge, friendship, joy and prosperity no matter where they went and making the galaxy a better, safer, happier, freer place. They were the Dragoniters and many of them were part of a far larger, more powerful Order known as the Children of Sunheela. This is the story that started it all, the first story of The Chronicles of the Dragoniters. This story is where it all began: Dawn of the Dragoniters.
It was the year 815 AD in the World of Athelon and a single ship was sailing through calm waters on its way to the Island of Berk, home to the Berkian Tribe of Vikings, numbering just over 5000 men, women and children. A young Elf-Fae was leaning on the rail on the side of the ship, staring out into the horizon. Her name was Aniu Namara'sdaughter. She was fifteen years old, born on the 16th of March, slim, athletic, fit, no great beauty but beautiful nonetheless, strong, wise, intelligent, brave, kind, always fought for what she believed was right and always defended those who could not defend themselves, leading to quite a few fights over the years. Despite all of her good qualities, Aniu had a fiery temper and usually approved when someone who had hurt other people or was selfish, greedy, evil, arrogant or cowardly paid for their crimes, whether by being imprisoned or something worse, although she would never cross the line on torture.
Aniu was a very good fighter for someone her age, species and gender. She was an expert at wielding two swords, throwing daggers, archery, fighting with her Elements, hand to hand combat and other types of martial arts like Karate and Tai Chi and she used those skills to defend those who could not defend themselves. In fact, Aniu had always she was...different...from her fellow Elf-Faes and there were some things that set her apart from them. Unfortunately, that made her a target of some bullies despite her best attempts to make them stop. Aniu could beat most bullies in a fight or outwit them somehow but there were those overwhelmed her. Luckily, she was never hurt badly except for a broken bone or two every now and then but those never stopped her. She despised bullies and those who thought they were better, more superior than others and could do whatever they wanted and they often got on her bad side.
There were times when Aniu could get cranky or even downright furious and lash out but she always calmed pretty quickly. She was 5 and a half feet tall at the top of her head, with a pair of emerald green, curving horns that distinctly resembled a picture of a female Togruta's montrals in a book she had read about aliens in a galaxy far, far away. They added to her height, making Aniu six feet tall from her feet to the tips of her horns when she stood up straight. Her wings had a wingspan of eight feet when fully unfurled. Aniu had healthy, soft, supple, pure white skin which was the reason for her name even though her Elements were Fire and Air. Aniu meant 'Snow' in the Inuitian Language. Her face was rather angular with brilliant, bright emerald green eyes the same colour as her horns and a pair of elven ears with sharp points flicking up poking out of her smooth, rather curly, golden-brown hair which cascaded down her back, shoulders and chest. It would reach to her lower back if she was standing up straight and was un-braided, waving freely in the wind that blew in a welcoming breeze around her.
Midnight black, deep brown, golden, blonde and pure white feathers descended down her wings which were draped around her and folded close to her back. Aniu's clothing consisted of a deep green, long-sleeved, tunic that reached down to her mid-thighs and had a collar folded down around her neck, yellow leggings, deep green leather, knee-high boots with deep brown fur liners, a yellow leather, buckled belt with clips, hooks and little brown pouches for storing things like weapons, a deep brown and a sleeveless leather vest reaching down to her lower back. Elf-Faes usually wore colour-coded clothing that matched their eyes and horns colour, hair colour, skin colour and the colours of their wing feathers. Because Aniu's colour were emerald green, golden-brown, white, black, deep brown, golden and blonde, those were the colours she wore. Aniu's Animal Forms were a Summer Dragon, a Dire Wolf and a Barn Owl.
Summer Dragons were members of the Stoker Class of Dragons, a classification of dragons known for their firepower. Adults were around 60 feet long with shoulder heights of 20 feet and wingspans of 120 feet. They were known for their hot, powerful fire and the warm heat radiating off their scales, cooling or heating at will or in response to the dragon's emotions. Their bodies consisted of a classic western shape with a slim, lean, muscular, ovular torso supported by four long, strong, sturdy limbs, each tipped with four dexterous fingers and long, razor sharp claws that are each one of the hottest body parts of the dragon. Their heads were tapered and lizard-like and supported by a medium-length neck. Razor-sharp, smooth, white fangs lined the insides of their mouths and surrounded a thick, long, forked, dragon tongue. Two fangs jutted out of their upper jaws and a single, sharp, white nasal horn grew up above their nostrils.
Each Summer Dragon had a pair of small, pointed ears positioned below a pair of white horns that grew to the back of their heads, went straight and horizontal then flicked up. A line of backward-curving, triangular spinal crests began behind the nasal horn, ran over the head, down the neck, back and ended at the tip of the long, whip-like tail, where it was tipped with a thick, flat spade. Plated scales covered their entire body like a suit of armour. Their wings were simple and membranous with a single sharp, long, outward-curving white claw on the main joints. Their fire was hot enough to melt most rocks and metals although they could control their fire to an extreme extent, able to light anything from a campfire to most of a sea stack, providing they could breathe fire long and hot enough to do so. Summer Dragons were very fast, agile fliers, known for their stamina and ability to perform agile feats and manoeuvres. They preferred to live in warm areas in big packs where heat, family and companionship was aplenty, thus keeping them safe from Hags-Fiends and other threats who could not bear the extreme heat although they were able to thrive in colder areas just as long as there were enough places to light fires safely.
Aniu's scales were not a typical colour scheme of normal Summer Dragons. Instead, they were golden-brown with white claws, teeth and horns and emerald green eyes, spinal crests, insides of ears, under-scales, tail spade and wing membranes. Her Dire Wolf Form was easily as big as a horse and her soft, thick, shaggy fur was golden-brown with pure white paws, underside, fur under her eyes, edges of her cheeks and her wing markings mimicking those of a Barn Owl. Her teeth and claws were elongated, sharpened and pure white, as were the claws on her wings. Even in her Dire Wolf Form, Aniu was a brilliant flier, agile and manoeuvrable both in the sky and on the ground. Her Fire and Air Elements as well as her magic were still wieldable and she was a good fighter. Her Barn Owl Form was as big as a Great Horned Owl and her facial disc was pure white with a deep brown rim, a blonde beak, vibrant emerald green eyes, golden-brown head and upper-side feathers covered partly by a deep, ashy grey veil marked with scattered white and black dust-like spots. She had a similar tail with a few darker bars and with white dots on the tips of the feathers. Aniu's under-side was pure white with a scattering of small, black, drop-shaped spots. Her legs were feathered white nearly to the base of her mostly bare brown toes from which extended and curved sharp black talons.
Aniu's Elements were Fire and Air and her senses, strength, speed, stamina, agility, reflexes, wisdom and intelligence were beyond a human's, as it was for most of her species but each Elf-Fae had a dominate sense that was much more powerful than their other senses and the same went for their psychical, mental and emotional conditions. For Aniu, her dominant sense was her hearing. With it, she could hear someone's heart beat even if they were 20 feet away from her. That had to be one reason for her Forms as Elf-Faes only had Forms that matched and or suited their powers and abilities. As for her conditions, Aniu was very agile, able to perform complicated and difficult acrobatic feats both on land and in the sky and able to do parkour with skill, ease, grace and talent that amazed her teachers. Flexibility and balance also owed to Aniu's psychical abilities. She could bend, stretch, flex and twist her body in ways that even older Elf-Faes, except for those who were also natural at agility found themselves unable to and her balance was extraordinary. Thanks to her Fire Element and Summer Dragon Form, Aniu was well-adapted to hot environments and immune to the effects of all types of fire except for Dragon Fire, Hags-Fiend Fire, Wildfire and magical fire. She did not even have to worry about her clothes burning away, which Aniu was very thankful for as she was not comfortable with showing off her body or even much skin. Aniu's Air Element made her a natural flier and a daughter of the sky as some called her.
Seeing Aniu leaning on the edge of the ship, looking out into the horizon, deep in her thoughts, a young male Elf-Fae joined her. His name was Nava Theodore'sson and he was fifteen years old but younger than her by a month, born on the 20th of April. "Hello, my Soul-Mate." He said, his voice smooth, clear and deeper than hers, hearing it in her mind made Aniu smile and her heart beat faster at the intimate method of communication used by Elf-Faes and dragons. "Hello, my Soul-Mate." She replied. "Soon, I will not be your only Soul-Mate." He said, smiling widely at the thought of the two Soul-Mates they were about to meet as soon as they docked at Berk. "Soon, I will not be the only one who has to deal with your affectionate self." Aniu replied. Nava chuckled. "Well, you have done well so far. Of course, there is our siblings." He said. "And our parents, cousins, family, friends and Familiars but I think you want to lavish some affection on our Soul-Mates." Aniu replied. "Well, lovers are always treated differently from friends and family. They are just not the same." Nava replied. Aniu smiled and wrapped a wing around him, leaning into Nava's side and resting her head on his shoulder where she could hear his heart beat.
He held her closer, wrapped a wing around her and pressed a kiss on her forehead. Aniu shivered at the feeling of his lips on her skin and fondly remembered their child hood. Ever since they were unborn babies in their mother's wombs, Aniu and Nava had always sensed each other's presence and as they grew up, became increasingly inseparable outside of their homes. They always each other's backs, always were each other's wingman, number one best friend, protector and defender. Knowing their children were such close friends, Aniu and Nava's parents let them sleep together in the same bed whenever they had the opportunity as long as Aniu and Nava never did things they were not supposed to do. Aniu and Nava followed the rules their parents set out for them and had only began kissing each other's foreheads and cheeks recently, even then their budding Soul-Mate relationship was innocent and they shared beds much like siblings would do.
Like Aniu, Nava was slim, athletic, fit, beautiful, strong, wise, intelligent, brave, kind and always fought for what he believed was right, including getting into fights with bullies, in fact, thinking of bullies made Aniu grit her teeth and clench her fists in anger at the mere thought of the bullies they had confronted and fought together back on Elf-Fae Island. Even in a civilisation as advanced as the one they were born in had its bullies and law breakers. Families shared very close bonds with their members but even so, kinslaying was a severe crime with a severe punishment. There were thieves, pickpockets, murderers, rapists and other such sort but not enough to cause a severe problem. Any sort of invaders were repelled by a combination of the people of Elf-Fae Island and a magical shield that surrounded the island that was fed and sustained by the energies of its inhabitants. Elf-Faes despised slavery to the point most Elf-Faes killed slavers on sight.
Despite its name, Elf-Fae Island was home to a wide variety of magical and non-magical beings such as Elf-Faes, who the island was named after as they were the first inhabitants, dragons, elves, dwarves, unicorns, Alicorns, Pegasi, Griffins, Hippogriffs and other such folk. In fact, Elf-Faes considered it their sacred duty to defend, protect and unify the people of Athelon with the exceptions of those who would do the world of Athelon and her people harm, especially Hags-Fiends. It was one reason why Aniu, Nava, their Familiars and families were sailing to Berk so they could find out what was causing the war, who was responsible, if Hags-Fiends were responsible, how to end it and how to usher in an era of peace for both sides. Only an alliance between all of the good people of Athelon could end the threat of Hags-Fiends for good and protect the civilisations of Athelon. Never-ending, relentless war would only destroy Athelon and the Elf-Faes were not going to stand idly by.
Nava had clear-cut sapphire blue eyes and horns adding to his height, a round face, a strong jaw-line, smooth skin that was pleasantly cool to the touch and a shade darker than hers and two pointed, elf ears poked out of his soft, silver-blonde hair which flowed over his head and down to his shoulders and forehead with side ponytails framing his face. (Author's note: Much like the hair style in School of Dragons). Nava was known for being very affectionate, protective, kind, wise, intuitive, calm and caring though he could get quite a temper when someone or something pissed him off. Nava's wings were slightly smaller and more fin-like than Aniu's and the claws slightly shorter and blunter to aid in swimming as Nava's Elements were Ice and Water. His dominant sense was the radar sense produced by his horns, allowing Nava to pick up the location, size, shape and movements of different objects in a wide radius of around 20 metres around him. Like all Water Elementalists, Nava could breathe underwater, letting him swim and dive for as long as he wanted, a freedom Nava enjoyed greatly but was saddened Aniu could not enjoy it with him.
Nava had an excellent sense of intuition, allowing him to understand something instinctively such as when and where it was going to rain, a brilliant memory, he could clearly remember his fifth birthday despite it happening over ten years ago and was very intelligence with a great love for books and learning that dwarfed even Aniu's, something. Nava wore a long-sleeved, sapphire blue tunic that reached down to his mid-thighs, silver trousers and blonde boots made out of a thick, strong leather that he wore with his trousers tucked into them. A blonde leather belt was buckled around his hips with little silver pouches on the belt and clips that let him clip things onto it whenever he needed to. Like Aniu, Nava was very skilled with single and dual-sword fighting, dagger throwing, archery, martial arts and Elemental combat but not to the same extent as her. Anything that had to do with knowledge was more Nava's area of expertise. Their mothers, fathers and siblings were wonderful people, always wanting the best for Aniu and Nava and helping them be who they wanted to be.
Nava's Animal Forms were a Winter Dragon, a Dire Wolf and a Golden Eagle. Winter Dragons were members of the Snow Class of Dragons, known for being dragons of ice, cold and snow and much the same size as Summer Dragons and sharing their length of 60 feet, shoulder heights of 20 feet and wingspans of 120 feet. They were most famously known for their Breath Weapon of pure ice cold enough induce frostbite on even other dragons. If a Winter Dragon breathed ice down another dragon's throat, it would kill them by fusing their internal organs together. Fortunately, Winter Dragons could not breathe ice while kissing which was a big relief for lovers. A Winter Dragon's scales were cold to the touch and could get even colder depending on the dragon's emotions. They were excellent at withstanding subzero temperatures and bright light, although their night vision was very weak. Most Winter Dragons lived in the coldest areas of Athelon with other Snow Class dragons in large clans where the cold temperatures and the numbers of their clans would keep them safe although Winter Dragons were known to migrate to warmer areas if food got scarce.
Like Summer Dragons, their close relatives, Winter Dragons had bodies consisting of a classic western shape with a slim, lean, muscular, ovular torso supported by four long, strong, sturdy limbs, each tipped with four dexterous fingers and long, razor sharp, serrated claws that were among the coldest and most dangerous body parts of the dragon because getting clawed by a Winter Dragon was like getting clawed many claws even if it was only one, making them even more dangerous and thick webbing between the toes to act as snow shoes, allowing them to walk on soft, freshly fallen snow without sinking through and their claws enabled them to grip ice as they walked without slipping. Their heads were tapered and lizard-like and supported by a medium-length neck. Razor-sharp, smooth, white fangs lined the insides of their mouths and surrounded a thick, long, forked, dragon tongue. Two sabre fangs jutted out of their upper jaws and grew past their chins. A single, sharp, white, icicle-like nasal horn grew up above their nostrils.
Each Winter Dragon had a pair of small, pointed ears positioned below a pair of cold, white horns that grew from the back of their heads like icicles. A line of backward-curving, cold, icicle-like spinal spikes began behind the nasal horn, ran over the head, down the neck, back and ended at the base of the long, whip-like tail, where it was covered by cold-icicle-like spikes that were often used as weapons by flicking the tail and shooting them at a target. Plated scales covered their entire bodies like a suit of armour. Their wings were simple and membranous with a single sharp, long, outward-curving white claw on the main joints. Winter Dragons were very fast, agile fliers, known for their stamina and ability to perform agile feats and manoeuvres. Known for their intelligence, memories and intuition, Winter Dragons were capable of learning a great many things, remembering events that had happened decades or even centuries ago and sensing incoming threats.
Nava lacked a typical colour scheme of normal Winter Dragons. Instead his scales were silver-blonde just like his hair, his eyes were sapphire blue and his spinal spikes and horns white. In his Dire Wolf Form, Nava was nearly as big as a horse and still retained the ability to wield his magic and fly with his wings. His thick, soft fur, shaggy ruff and wing feathers were silver-blonde, just like his hair and his eyes were sapphire blue. His elongated and sharpened fangs and claws, nose, paws, tail tip, the insides of his ears and the markings and claws on his wings were pure white. Despite Dire Wolves usually being animals who preferred to remain on the ground, were obviously unable to fly and avoided swimming at all costs unless it was absolutely necessary, Nava loved to do all three of these things, especially swim. In fact, the only Form Nava preferred NOT to swim in was his Golden Eagle, for obvious reasons as those birds could not even swim. In his Golden Eagle Form, Nava had silver-blonde plumage with sapphire blue eyes and feathers on his nape as well as a white beak and claws. As was the same in all of his Shape-Shifting Forms, Nava could still wield his magic and Elemental Powers.
When Aniu and Nava had Bonded with each of their Familiars, they had gained their Forms. Familiars were magical animals who formed a special Bond with a Humanoid. Familiars were truly unique among their species, being as intelligent and able to feel emotions as the Humanoid they were Bonded too. Many believed that a Familiar Bond was a Soul-Bond and they were most likely right. They were many forms of Soul-Bonds: Soul-Mates, Soul-Siblings and the Soul-Bonds that formed between Humanoids and Dragons or other Magical Creatures. Familiars and their Bonded were joined together for life, both living as long as the other, able to telepathically communicate and feel each other's emotions and pain over long distances. Depending on who the Familiar Bonded, the Familiar would also gain powers from their Bonded and even wings and horns if they were Bonded to an Elf-Fae.
Speaking of their Familiars, two massive Dire Wolves, one male and one female, a female Barn Owl and a female Golden Eagle walked or flew over to them, either standing at their sides or perching on the railing on the edge of the ship. Two Reindeer, one male and one female, were lying nearby with a male Barn Owl and a male Golden Eagle perched on them. "Hello, Sorina and Merlin." Aniu greeted her Familiars and smiled at Nava's. "Hello, Aniu." Sorina the female Barn Owl and Merlin the male Dire Wolf replied. Sorina was rather big for a female Barn Owl, being nearly the size of a Great Horned Owl. Her facial disc was pure white with a brown rim, a white beak, black eyes, rich orange-brown head and upper-side feathers covered partly by a deep, ashy grey veil marked with scattered white and black dust-like spots. She had a similar tail with a few darker bars and with white dots on the tips of the feathers. Sorina's under-side was pure white with a scattering of small, black, drop-shaped spots. Her legs were feathered white nearly to the base of her mostly bare brown toes from which extended and curved sharp black talons. Like Aniu, she had the abilities to wield the Fire and Air Elements, magic and her hearing, agility, flexibility and balance were enhanced.
Merlin the male Dire Wolf was nearly as big as a horse and his soft, shaggy, thick fur was pure white with golden-brown paws, tail tip, the inside of his ears and the edges of his cheeks, black claws and nose and golden-brown eyes. Unlike other Dire Wolves, Merlin was much more intelligent and had a pair of pure white feathered wings with a sharp claw on both main joints grew from his back, each with golden-brown feather tips and barrings, an extra shaggy ruff, slightly elongated and sharpened fangs and claws and magical powers including flight. The wings, extra shaggy ruff and elongated and sharpened fangs and claws were all changes and adaptations gained when Merlin had Soul-Bonded to Aniu as her Familiar along with her powers of fire, agility, flexibility and balance. Merlin could also shape-shift his wings away whenever he wanted to appear as a normal Dire Wolf which was often. Aniu loved her Familiars and they loved her so they formed close bonds with each other. They often spent hours flying in the sky or running and playing on the ground.
"Hello, Alvis and Edme." Nava greeted his Familiars and smiled at Aniu's. "Hello, Nava." Alvis the male Golden Eagle and Edme the female Dire Wolf replied. Alvis had dark brown plumage with lighter golden-brown feathers on his nape. His eyes were a surprising shade of snow white, much different from normal Golden-Eagle who usually had brown, grey or black eyes as well as silver beak and claws. From his Familiar Soul-Bond with Nava, Alvis was wise, very intelligent with a brilliant memory and sense of intuition and had the ability to wield Ice, Water and magic. Like Merlin, Edme was nearly as big as a horse and had magical powers, increased intelligence, wings, elongated and sharpened fangs and claws and an extra shaggy ruff, all gained from her Familiar Soul-Bond with Nava who she loved dearly. Her fur, claws and wing feathers were midnight black with silver eyes, nose, under-side, paws, tail tip, the inside of her ears, edges of her cheeks, ruff and the markings and claws on her wings that were similar to Merlin's. Like Nava, Edme loved to swim and she could breathe underwater. She did enjoy flying but much preferred to be swimming. Her black fur allowed her to blend into whichever body of water she was in. Whenever she wanted to appear as a normal Dire Wolf, she could shape-shift her wings away. She was kind, intelligent, wise, optimistic, sweet, generous, caring, brave, had a good cheer, was frequently in a good mood, trustworthy and like Nava had a exceptionally keen sense of intuition, a brilliant memory and was very intelligent.
The other four Familiars had not yet Bonded to their Familiars because their Familiars were Aniu and Nava's Soul-Mates who were waiting for them on Berk. The male Barn Owl, Swiftwing, was a beautiful bird and nearly as big as a Great Horned Owl. His facial disk was silvery white with a black rim and midnight black eyes, deep brown covered partly by a black veil marked with silvery white dust-like spots, a similar tail with a few black bars and silvery white spots on the tips of the feathers. His under-side and legs were silvery-white with a scattering of small, midnight black, drop-shaped spots, deep brown feet and black talons. He was very fast and stealthy with excellent reflexes, stamina and eyesight even though Barn Owls were known for their incredible hearing from unequally heightened ear slits. The male Reindeer, Sprinter, was brown with blackish shading on his back and legs, silver underside and neck and black eyes, hooves and antlers. A pair of brown feathered wings grew out of his back with blackish shading and silver under-sides and a single, sharp, silver claw was positioned on the main joint of each wing. Like Hiccup, Sprinter was fast and had enhanced eyesight, reflexes and stamina.
The female Golden Eagle, Zena had golden-brown plumage with golden-blonde feathers on her nape and sapphire blue eyes as well as a silver beak and claws. She could wield the Elements of Light and Energy, use magic and had super strength, sense of smell, durability and endurance. Willow the female Reindeer had blonde fur with orange shading on her back and legs, white underside and neck, hooves, antlers and eyes. A pair of blonde feathered wings with orange shading grew out from her back with a single, sharp white claw on the main joint of each. The four Un-Bonded Familiars were resting together with Swiftwing and Zena perched on a crate and Sprinter and Willow lying on the deck beside them being tended to by Aniu and Nava's siblings. Aniu had one older sister, one older brother, one younger brother and one unborn sibling still in her mother's womb. Nava had two older sisters, one older brother and one younger sister.
Aniu's oldest sister, Anna Namara'sdaughter was a youthful, lively, energetic and cheerful Elf-Fae of only twenty years old, having been an adult ever since her most recent birthday. She bore an astonishing resemble to their mother despite having their father's colouring of chocolate brown hair, forest green eyes and horns and pale skin but her wings were black, chocolate brown, forest green, golden and white. Her Element was Fire and her three other Forms were a Barn Owl, a Grizzly Bear and a Summer Dragon. She wore a green long-sleeved tunic with a loose skirt, leather boots with white liners, leather belt, vambraces, shoulder guards and a metal armour-like necklace with forest green gems set into it, brown leggings and vest. Her Grizzly Bear Form had chocolate brown fur and feathered wings. The markings on her wings were both pure white and forest green.
The underside of Anna's Great Horned Owl Form was white with some chocolate brown horizontal barring. Her upper side and upper wings were a mottled shade of chocolate brown bearing heavy, complex darker markings. She was also darkly barred to some extent along her sides as well. There was a variable sized white patch on her throat which continued as a streak running down the middle of her breast and widening at her belly into a large white area. Her feathers were a chocolate brown overlaid with blackish blotching. The feathers of her legs and feet bore the colouration and markings as her underside and her talons were black, as was her beak. Anna's facial disk was chocolate brown and was demarked by a darker rim culminating in bold, blackish side brackets. Her Summer Dragon had chocolate brown scales, white underside, fangs, claws and horns and forest green eyes, spinal crests and wing membranes.
Between Anna and Aniu in order of birth and age was their brother Acer Fengo'sson, an eighteen year old Elf-Fae who although he greatly resembled their father, had their mother's colouring of golden hair, white skin and emerald green eyes and horns. His wings were black, chocolate brown, emerald green, golden and white. Despite his young age, Acer was already a good fighter and thus wielded a long sword, a dagger, a round-shield and a bow with quivers of arrows all made on Elf-Fae from native trees and metal. He wore simple clothing under his armour: a green elbow and knee length tunic and knee-high leather boots, yellow trousers, leather belts and fingerless gloves. Over his clothes he wore a brown set of torso armour covering his chest, belly, back, sides and the inner halves of his shoulders, leaving the other halves free for pauldrons from which descended arm-enclosing rerebraces, elbow armour, vambraces and magically retractable gauntlets, all of which were decorated with Elf-Faellian runes, patterns and symbols.
His legs were covered by cuisses, poleyns, greaves and sabbatons with a weapons and utility belt around his hips to hold his sword and dagger. An Elf-Faellian bow and a quiver of arrows were fastened to his back by a belt. His Element was Air and his other Forms a Great Horned Owl, a Dire Wolf and a Monstrous Nightmare. The underside of Acer's Great Horned Owl Form was white with some golden horizontal barring. His upper side and upper wings were a mottled shade of gold bearing heavy, complex darker markings. He was also darkly barred to some extent along his sides as well. There was a variable sized white patch on Acer's throat which continued as a streak running down the middle of his breast and widening at his belly into a large white area. Acer's feathers were golden overlaid with blackish blotching. The feathers of his legs and feet bore the same colouration and markings as his underside and Acer's talons were black, as was his beak. Acer's facial disk was golden and was demarked by a darker rim culminating in bold, blackish side brackets.
Acer's Dire Wolf Form had golden fur and wing feathers, pure white under-side and paws and emerald green eyes. His wing markings were both pure white and emerald green. In his Monstrous Nightmare Dragon Form, he was unusually coloured with golden scales, pure white under-side, chocolate brown horns and claws and emerald green eyes and markings. Next up was their 10 years old brother Arin Fengo'sson. He was 10 years younger than Anna, 12 ½ years younger than Acer and 5 years younger than Aniu. He had golden-brown hair, pale skin, forest green eyes and horns and midnight black, chocolate brown, golden-brown, golden and white wing feathers. Arin had only recently gained his wings and Mammal Form as all Elf-Fae children did when they had their tenth birthday. When an Elf-Fae child was born, they lacked wings, horns, pointed ears, magic and the ability to shape-shift into their other Forms.
Because Elf-Faes most often had different Forms from their lovers/ spouses, chances of conception when not in the same or almost the same Form were nearly impossible and Elf-Faes could not conceive if both or all of them, if they were in a polygamous relationship, were not in their Humanoid Forms, Bird Forms, Mammal Forms or their Dragon Forms. Even then, their Forms had to be able to mate without difficulties, size or shape differences and had to be compatible in order to conceive. One thing most people did not know about Elf-Faes was that they were intersexual with both male and female genitalia and sexual organs. They were still classed as male or female, he or she, him or her despite their intersexuality and the differences in their bodies despite the genitalia and sexual organs distinguished them. Both genders could impregnate like a man and be impregnated like a woman and that was usually decided by who ejaculated semen into their partner(s) and whether an egg was fertilised or not, thus resulting in pregnancy and a child or two.
That was one reason why males and females of all species and cultures were equal in the opinions and beliefs of Elf-Faes and their society and even though they knew other species were not intersexual, they believed equality must be achieved between everyone otherwise they could not thrive, flourish, prosper and grow to their fullest extent. Elf-Faes knew that no organization, culture, race and civilisation could prosper without tapping into the full physical, mental and emotional potential of both genders (anything less was both a horrible waste and a recipe for failure). In fact, many cultures and civilisations were reaching a point in development where if they did not demand that everyone contributed to their full potential, then they noticed a massive creative lag in that society. More importantly, as a growing world in which more and more civilisations were seeking equal rights for everyone, largely thanks to the Elf-Faes to be honest and much to the anger of those who wished to cripple or outright destroy Athelon by targeting the people, they understood that no society could truly be free until every citizen had the same rights; to deny even the least of its members carried the potential to deny all of its members freedom and liberty.
Arin wore clothing typical for a young Elf-Fae boy his age but with his own colour scheme: a green long-sleeved tunic, brown trousers, belt and vest and black boots with brown fur liners. His Element was Air and his second Form was a Grizzly Bear which had golden-brown fur and wing feathers with white and forest green tips and wing markings with forest green eyes. He was rather upset that once they docked at Berk, none of them shape-shift into their Dragon Forms until the time was right. The Berkian Vikings might have asked the Elf-Faes for help to end the war but they did not think it would be a good idea to reveal they had Dragon Forms because they were not sure how they would react. Berk may have been home to a tribe of open-minded Vikings but they were sure revealing they had Dragon Forms was the best way to make a first impression. The youngest two of the Fengo and Namara's sons and daughters were yet unborn and had only been conceived 6 ½ months ago. Elf-Fae pregnancies lasted for ten months from conception to birth so the twins only had 3 ½ months to go.
Elf-Fae mothers shared a strong bond with their children from conception to birth which allowed them to sense the needs, emotions, thoughts and health of the baby (ies) as well as the gender and if there was more than one baby in the womb. No matter which parent sired them and which parent birthed them, sons always took the name of their male parent with the suffix 'sson while daughters always took the names of their female parents with the suffix 'sdottir. It was how their mother Namara was able to know she was pregnant with twins, a male and female and they already had names chosen for them: Ajax Fengo'sson and Arya Namara'sdaughter. Anna, Acer, Aniu and Arin's parents, Fengo Hrath'sson and Namara Galana'sdaughter, were both wonderful people who loved each other and their children dearly and only wanted what was best for them while at the same time letting them make their own decisions and guiding them along the right path.
Fengo Hrath'sson was a male Elf-Fae around 40 years of age. He was tall, slim and had chocolate brown hair reaching his lower back and brows. It was brushed and braided together at his nape and his eyes and horns wee forest green with black, dark brown, deep brown, light brown and white wing feathers. Fengo was kind and affectionate and loved his wife and family dearly. He wore a deep brown, long-sleeved, knee-length tunic, white trousers and a leather belt, green leather knee-high boots, jerkin and steel vambraces. Two brown belts crossed over his upper back and chest in an x, going over his shoulders and around his sides. Resting over his sternum was a brown, metal wreath with a green egg-shaped gem in the middle, very similar to an egg in a nest and a similar circlet with another green, egg-shaped gem around his brow. Both accessories were given to him by Namara on their betrothal and wedding days at the very moments they were betrothed and married. Steel pauldrons and greaves armoured his shoulders and calves.
Fengo's Element was Fire and his other Forms were a Great Horned Owl, a Grizzly Bear and a Monstrous Nightmare. The underside of Fengo's Great Horned Owl Form was white with some chocolate brown horizontal barring. His upper side and upper wings were a mottled shade of chocolate brown bearing heavy, complex darker markings. He was also darkly barred to some extent along his sides as well. There was a variable sized white patch on Fengo's throat which continued as a streak running down the middle of his breast and widening at his belly into a large white area. Fengo's feathers were chocolate brown overlaid with blackish blotching. The feathers of his legs and feet bore the same colouration and markings as his underside and Fengo's talons were black, as was his beak. Fengo's facial disk was chocolate brown and was demarked by a darker rim culminating in bold, blackish side brackets and forest green Grizzly Bear Form had chocolate brown fur and wings with forest green eyes and wing markings. As for his Monstrous Nightmare Form, Fengo had chocolate brown scales with black claws and horns, forest green eyes and markings and a pale underside.
His wife Namara Galana'sdaughter was a beautiful female Elf-Fae around the same age as her husband. She was tall, slim, cheerful, lively and rather mischievous with soft, smooth and supple pure white skin, vibrant emerald green eyes and horns and long golden hair flowing down her back, shoulders and chest. Her wings were midnight black, golden, yellow, blonde and pure white. Namara's belly was swollen by 6 ½ out of 10 months of pregnancy with unborn twins and she glowed with a motherly light, cheer and love that Fengo simply could not get enough off as he spent nearly every waking moment around her, never far from his wife's side and tending to her every want and need. Her Element was Air and her other Forms a Barn Owl, Dire Wolf and Summer Dragon just like her daughter Aniu. Fengo, Anna, Acer, Aniu and Arin were sincerely hoping the war would be over before the twins were born as they did not want them welcomed into the world while it raged. They wanted them to be born in a time of celebration, peace and joy where there was no more war. Nava, thanks to his intuition, had sensed the war would end in only a matter of a couple of months at least.
Namara wore a green tunic like dress tailored for her pregnancy and growing belly with long sleeves and the skirt reaching mid-way down her calves which were wrapped protectively in golden leather boots. The rest of her legs were clad in white leggings and a second pair of sleeves, this time reaching only to her elbows, added a second layer of clothing to her upper arms. A gold-chained necklace with emerald gems framed in gold draped around her shoulders and collar bones and a circlet of white woven and braided gold crowned her head with an emerald in the centre of her forehead, both of them also from her betrothal and wedding days when she and Fengo had been betrothed and the circlet from when she and Fengo had been pronounced husband and wife. For armour, Namara wore golden vambraces, gauntlets, torso enclosing armour and a skirt-like fauld. The armour had been specifically tailored to add protection to her pregnant, swollen and sensitive body and Namara always had a dagger or two on her person in case she needed to defend herself. In fact, Namara still insisted on sparring with anyone who agreed to spar with her in order to keep her skills up. "I may be pregnant but I still have to prevent my fighting skills from rusting." She would say when anyone told her she should be sparring in her state.
In her Barn Owl Form, Namara's facial disc was pure white with a golden rim and beak, emerald green eyes, golden head and upper-side feathers covered partly by a white veil marked with scattered golden and black dust-like spots. She had a similar tail with a few darker bars and with white dots on the tips of the feathers. Namara's under-side was pure white with a scattering of small, black, drop-shaped spots. Her legs were feathered white nearly to the base of her mostly bare golden toes from which extended and curved sharp white talons. Namara's Dire Wolf Form had golden fur and wing feathers, a pure white underside and paws and emerald green eyes. Her wing markings were both emerald green and pure white. As for her Summer Dragon Form, Namara had golden scales, pure white claws, horns and emerald green eyes, spinal crests, inside of ears, tail spade and wing membranes.
Theodore Grank'sson was a male Elf-Fae around 50 years of age, halfway through his first century of life. He was the husband of Nala Sara'sdaughter and the father of Mirandel Nala'sdaughter, Niam Theodore'sson, Nyra Nala'sdaughter, Nava Theodore'sson and Mira Nala'sdaughter. He had long, straight and silver hair, sapphire blue eyes and horns, pure white skin and black, deep gray, sapphire blue, silver and white wing feathers. His Element was Ice and his other Forms a Snowy Owl, Dire Wolf and a Winter Dragon. He wore a deep blue, long-sleeved tunic reaching down to his mid-thighs and leather boots reaching up to his knees, white trousers, a silver-chained betrothal necklace with sapphire pendants and a silver wedding circlet around his head and resting on his brow with sapphires imbedded in the metal. His armour consisted of silver torso armour, vambraces, rerebraces, thigh guards and greaves. Theodore was an expert at archery and wielding a retractable battle staff tipped with sharp points like a double-ended spear.
His Snowy Owl Form had silver feathers, sapphire blue eyes, beak, claws and bars. Theodore's Dire Wolf Form had silver fur and wing feathers, pure white underside and sapphire blue eyes. His wing markings were both pure white and sapphire blue. In his Winter Dragon Form, Theodore had silver scales, pure white horns, spinal spikes and claws and sapphire blue eyes. Much to his and Nala's joy, their eldest daughter Mirandel had married another Elf-Fae named Steven Jacob'sson and blessed them with two twin granddaughters and two twin grandsons: Melinda and Alinda Mirandel'sdaughters and Trevor and Irwing Steven'ssons. Their eldest son Niam was betrothed and soon to be married to Fengo and Namara's eldest child and daughter Anna Namara'sdaughter, uniting their two families in marriage twice once Aniu and Nava married and their other two Soul-Mates united their own families with them. Niam and Anna had not yet decided on the date of their wedding day but they said they did not want to get married until the war was over.
Nala Sara'sdaughter was a female Elf-Fae around 45 years of age. She was the wife of Theodore Grank'sson and the mother of their children regardless of whether or not she had birthed them or Theodore had birthed them. She had long, blonde hair with two braids over her chest and the rest of her hair flowing unbraided down her back, sky blue eyes and horns, pale skin, a slim, delicate build and black, sky blue, yellow, blonde and white wings. Her Element was Water and her other Forms a Seagull, a Polar Bear and a Scauldron. Nala was kind, gentle, motherly, considerate, very intelligent and wise with a brilliant memory and sense of intuition. She wore a sky blue, long-sleeved, ankle-length dress. The sleeves were long and loose, flowing down from her forearms whenever she lifted them. Under it her leggings were white and her leather boots were blue.
Nala also wore a white cloth belt around her abdomen, a silver nest-like wreath with a sky blue gem in the middle on her chest and a similar silver circlet with another sky blue gem around her brow. Her Seagull Form had sky blue feathers on her back and blonde feathers everywhere else as well as sky blue eyes, beak and legs. In her Polar Bear Form, Nala simply had blonde fur and wing feathers tipped with sky blue and sky blue eyes. Nala's Scauldron Form had blonde scales with sky blue eyes and markings. She was also very talented in healing with both her magic and non-magical skills as were most Water Elements and like them and her youngest son Nava, Nala loved swimming and she could stay underwater for as long as she wanted without needing to swim back to the surface for air. Her diet mostly consisted of seafood and when she got emotional, it would often rain. Water and Ice Elementalist marriages were very common as both elements were closely related, ice being frozen water after all but marriages with other elements were also quite common such as fire and ice.
Mirandel Nala'sdaughter was a 25 year old female Elf-Fae a quarter of the way through her first century of life and happily married to a male Elf-Fae with two pairs of twin children: the first pair both girls and the second pair both boys. Her Element was Ice and her other Forms a Snowy Owl, a Polar Bear and a Winter Dragon. She had curly, long silver hair, white skin, sky blue eyes and horns and black, blonde, sky blue, silver and white wings. Mirandel wore a sky blue shirt with long sleeves that loosened on the forearms, blue leggings, silver leather boots, a silver belt made out of out silver discs around her hips, a patterned skirt like wrap, a short vest and pauldrons with spike-like lines on them, all coloured silver and sky blue. Her Snowy Owl Form had silver feathers and sky blue eyes, beak, claws and bars. In her Polar Bear Form, she had silver fur and wing feathers tipped with sky blue and sky blue eyes. Mirandel's Winter Dragon Form had silver scales, white horns and spinal spikes and sky blue eyes and claws.
Her husband and the father of her children Steven Jacon'sson was 28 years old and a male Elf-Fae. He had deep brown hair and skin, bright red eyes and horns and black, deep gray, deep brown, bright red and white wings. His Element was Earth and his other Forms a Burrowing Owl, a Badger and a Grapple Grounder. He wore a red sleeveless tunic, black trousers and leather belt, red leather boots, and armwraps around his forearms. His Burrowing Owl Form had deep brown feathers on his head and wings white bright red spotting and chest and abdomen were bright red with variable brown spotting or barring and bright red eyes. Steven's Badger Form had a deep brown face with distinctive red markings and bright red eyes, deep brown body with a bright red stripe from head to tail. His wings were deep brown with bright red badger markings. In his Grapple Grounder Dragon Form, he had deep brown scales, bright red eyes, underside, spinal spikes, tail spade, horns, claws and saddle markings.
Melinda Mirandel'sdaughter was a 4 year old female Elf-Fae and the twin sister of Alinda Mirandel'sdaughter. She had deep brown hair, sky blue eyes and white skin. Her ears were already tapering into points and her hair was lovingly and neatly plaited in braids around her head. She wore a sky blue, long-sleeved, ankle length dress with deep brown leggings, cloth belt and elbow length wool gloves and pure white rabbit fur boots and vest. Because Melinda was 4 years away from discovering what her Element was, she was warmly dressed for the cold weather. She preferred to spend most of her time in her cabin where she, her twin sister and their twin brothers slept, playing with her dolls or a game or reading books written for children her age. Melinda was very excited about living on Berk even she cried when they left Elf-Fae Island. She hoped to make many friends besides her siblings and Mira Nala'sdaughter when they arrived.
An Elf-Fae child's growth and development was as such: 4 years old: their ears began to taper into points. 5 years old: they began to grow horns and gained passive echolocation. 8 years old: their magic began to awaken, their senses, physical, mental and emotional conditions grew stronger and their dominant senses and conditions became more powerful and enhanced. They also gained their Elemental powers. 10 years old: their wings magically appeared on their 10 birthday but they were weak, small and underdeveloped. The Elf-Fae child gained the ability to wield his or her powers and began to learn how to control them. They also gained their Mammal Form. 11 years old: the Elf-Fae child's wings grew stronger, bigger and more developed, enabling them to learn how to glide. They also gained their Bird Form. 12 years old: the Elf-Fae child's wings were finally strong, big, developed and powerful enough for them to learn how to fly, a process that may take weeks. They also gained their Dragon Form. As the Elf-Fae child grew older and more powerful, their magic and powers got more powerful and they began to develop and learn new abilities.
Alinda Mirandel'sdaughter was very similar to her twin sister Melinda, same age, same gender, same parents, same siblings and very similar likes, dislikes and clothing. She had curly silver hair, bright red eyes and deep brown skin. Like Melinda, her ears were already tapering into points and her hair was lovingly and neatly plaited in braids around her head. Alinda wore a bright red, long-sleeved, ankle length dress with silver woollen leggings, cloth belt and elbow length wool gloves and deep brown rabbit fur boots and vest. Similar to her twin sister, Alinda was warmly dressed for the cold weather and was 4 years away from discovering what her Element was, whether it be Ice like her mother or Earth like her father. She preferred to spend most of her time with her family, reading books, playing games or with the dolls she and her sister shared and talking about what life on Berk could be like. Alinda admitted that she was nervous and scared but excited about living on Berk even if she was sad about leaving Elf-Fae Island.
Trevor and Irwing's Steven'ssons were also twins just like their two older sisters and both of them were male Elf-Faes, only two years old and barely more than babies in their first year of toddlerhood. Their parents Mirandel and Steven were tending to them in their cabin and both twin toddlers were dressed for the cold weather. Trevor had silver hair, bright red eyes and pure white skin. Irwing had deep brown hair, sky blue eyes and deep brown skin. Unable to walk, stand or talk, they were very reliant on their parents or other people to care for them. Mirandel and Steven feared for their safety and security, warmth and comfort of their twin sons as Berk was a war zone under continuous attack by dragons and sometimes by other humans but they knew they had their families to help them. When they arrived at Berk and settled in, Fengo, Namara, Acer, Aniu, Arin, Arya, Ajax and Aniu's Familiars Sorina and Merlin would be living in one house unless there was somewhere Aniu, her Familiars, Soul-Mates and their Familiars would live. Anna and Niam would live in their families houses until they were married and settled into a house of their own. Theodore, Nala, Nyra, Nava and Mira would live in another house and so would Mirandel, Steven, Melinda, Alinda, Trevor and Irwing.
Niam Theodore'sson was a 20 year old male Elf-Fae and the betrothed of Anna Namara'sdaughter. He had blonde hair, sky blue eyes and horns, pure white skin, pointed ears, black, blonde, sky blue, silver and white wings. His Element was Water and his other Forms a Dire Wolf, Seagull and Scauldron. Niam wore a sky blue, form-fitting, long-sleeved shirt, yellow trousers that hugged his legs, body-hugging vest, arm wraps around his forearms, sky blue tight leather boots and a white leather belt. His Dire Wolf Form had blonde fur and wing feathers, pure white underside and paws, cheeks and tail tip and sky blue eyes. The markings on his wings were both sky blue and white wave lines. In his Seagull Form he had blonde feathers on his back, white feathers on his front and sky blue eyes, beak and claws. Niam's Scauldron Form had blonde scales, sky blue eyes and sky blue and white markings. He and Anna were deeply in love and they had been in an intimate relationship for the past few months. Niam was also mischievous and loved to prank and tease his friends and family.
Nyra Nala'sdaughter was an 18 year old female Elf-Fae and she was known for being quite ferocious, intelligent, loving, affectionate and cunning in equal measures. She had long, blonde hair, sapphire blue eyes and horns, pale skin, pointed ears, black, silver, sapphire blue, blonde and white wings. Her Element was Water like Nala and Niam and her other Forms a Polar Bear, Snowy Owl and Scauldron. In her Polar Bear Form, she had blonde fur and wing feathers, sapphire blue tips, eyes, nose and claws. Nyra's Snowy Owl Form had blonde feathers, sapphire blue eyes, beak, claws and bars. Her Scauldron Form had blonde scales, sapphire blue eyes, spinal crests, horns and markings. Nyra had no lover yet and she was hoping to find one on Berk. If she did and fell in love with a human, she would not be the first in her family to do so. For clothing Nyra preferred outfits that were form-fitting, granted her maximum movement and were clothes she could swim in at all times.
She wore a sapphire blue, body-covering swimsuit that left only her head, face, wings and hands bare and over it, yellow thigh-high boots with water-drop shaped cut-outs at the tops, sea-shell like knee pads, a yellow short skirt, gloves and a metal necklace with sapphire gemstones imbedded in it. As for her and Nava's younger sister, Mira Nala'sdaughter was 5 years old and much beloved by her family. She lacked wings but her ears had already begun to taper into points and her sky blue horns had already begun to grow. Silver-blonde hair covered her head, swishing in curly waves over her shoulders. Her eyes were sky blue and her skin pale. Mira was similarly dressed to her twin nieces Melinda and Alinda and wore a sky blue, long-sleeved, ankle length dress with yellow woollen leggings, cloth belt and elbow length wool gloves and silver rabbit fur boots and vest which Nala had insisted her youngest daughter wear due to the cold weather.
All of them were scattered throughout the ship busy with one task or another whether it be resting, which Namara was doing with Fengo, or some other task. Aniu, Nava, Sorina, Merlin, Alvis and Edme were currently relaxing on deck, watching for any signs of an Island and hoping it would be Berk which, according to their calculations, was only mere hours away. With every minute that passed, Aniu and Nava's excitement only grew and they and their Familiars were growing restless and impatient, Aniu and her Familiars more so than Nava and his Familiars. There were times when Aniu envied Nava for his patience but she knew it balanced out her own impatience. They had spent many a night, day, week and month dreaming about meeting their other two Soul-Mates for the first time face to face in person instead of communicating with them through telepathy from afar. Nava and Aniu had studied and researched all they could about Soul-Mate Bonds and thus they knew a little of what to expect.
Soul-Mates were very rare and two was the most common number of Soul-Mates in a Soul-Mate Bond, three were rarer but four, even more so. Aniu and Nava had known they were Soul-Mates ever since they were young children. They had discovered they had two more Soul-Mates when they dreamed of two young Vikings from the dragon-war torn Village of Berk, Hiccup Haddock and Astrid Hofferson. In their dreams, they could see each other, speak to each other and share memories and information of each other's lives. They told their families, then their friends but unfortunately some of their bullies found out and because most of them were among the Elf-Faes who believed Humans, especially Vikings, were inferior to them, Aniu and Nava were bullied even more until they had enough and stood up for themselves, fighting back in defence when necessary. Even in Elf-Fae society, there were those who believed their race was superior to other species such as Humans even though other Elf-Faes who believed in equality tried to dissuade their beliefs.
Even if they had not yet met Hiccup and Astrid in person, Aniu and Nava felt like they had known them for years, which was actually months if dream-visits had anything to do with it. They knew Hiccup was a very smart, fast, inventive, compassionate and sneaky person with a dry, sarcastic sense of humour and good reflexes, he was also clumsy and a village outcast, which was surprising considering he was the only child, son and heir of Stoick Haddock, Chief of the Village of Berk but that was because he was not like the other Vikings, they did not understand him and he was born premature which left him a runt. Astrid, on the other hand, was strong, confident, beautiful, fierce, ferocious and already was a brilliant fighter despite her young age. She had all the makings of a Viking Shield-Maiden warrior and she was also kind, caring and thoughtful. Hiccup and Astrid already knew that they, Aniu and Nava were Soul-Mates and they both had two Familiars each waiting to Bond with them.
The realization that they were Soul-Mates did not really surprise Hiccup and Astrid as they been the best and closest of friends ever since they were very young just like Aniu and Nava. Sure, they had other friends but Hiccup and Astrid were closer to each other than they were to them. When Hiccup, Astrid, Nava and Aniu discovered the Soul-Mate Bond and connection they shared, their told their families, knowing the Vikings of the Hooligan Tribe of Berk and the Elf-Faes of Elf-Fae Island shared a good friendship, trust, respect and an unofficial alliance and trade partnership. Needless to say, their parents saw their children's Soul-Mate Bond as a way to forge an official alliance through marriage. Fortunately, polygamous marriages between multiple men and women were allowed on both Elf-Fae Island and Berk even though there was a limit to how many people could be in the same polygamous marriage. Even then, it was quite common for even married spouses to take other lovers into their relationship even if they did not want to or could not marry them.
The other reason Aniu, Nava, their Families and their Families were moving to Berk was because of the war against dragons that plagued them. The Hooligan Viking Tribe of Berk numbered only 10 000 when it once it was much more populated. 300 years of never-ending war between the Vikings of Berk and dragons had thinned their numbers so much the Berkians were growing desperate and if the war did not end soon, the Hooligan Tribe of Berk would soon be rendered extinct. Hiccup and Astrid had told Aniu and Nava there were many Vikings, including them, who knew that trying to exterminate the dragons would only result in their extinction. Unfortunately, some Vikings were determined to die down fighting to every last man, woman and child until every last dragon was dead. Fortunately however, there were some Vikings who were determined to seek a more peaceful end to the war even if that meant making peace with their feared and hated foe.
Hiccup and Astrid had been trying to find out who wanted a peaceful end to the war and if they could persuade them to accept their beliefs and ideas on how to end it...peacefully but it was not going to be easy as nearly everyone had lost someone or something dear, beloved and precious to them, including themselves as Hiccup had lost his mother and twin sister to a dragon attack when he was a baby, leaving his father grief-stricken, wife-less and daughter-less and Hiccup himself motherless and sister-less. Astrid had lost quite a few members of her family and friends to dragons including her Uncle Fearless Finn Hofferson to a Flightmare when she was six years old. Despite that, Hiccup and Astrid had wanted to find out why dragons were attacking humans, if Hags-Fiends were behind it, how to stop them, end the war, make peace with the dragons and perhaps even befriend them and coexist with them after Aniu and Nava had told them about the dragons who lived on Elf-Fae Island, sharing the land with them and never once attacking or raiding their neighbours.
The fact that Aniu and Nava shared a Soul-Mate Bond with Hiccup and Astrid and the other fact that Berk desperately needed aid and allies to help them end the war were two of the biggest reasons that the 20 Elf-Faes and 8 Familiars were travelling aboard a ship to Berk where they would live. Another reasons was because dragons usually never attacked human settlements unless provoked or out of evil and malevolent intentions. Just like Humans, there were good dragons, bad dragons and neutral dragons. Dragons who were good of heart usually sought to befriend, defend and protect Humans, allowing them to ride them, form bonds with them and trust them with their lives. Neutral dragons usually stayed away from Humans and only attacked if provoked or to defend themselves, only preferring the company of other dragons. Evil dragons usually attacked, killed and destroyed Humans, their settlements and even other dragons out of a lot of reasons, including the same ones as to why some Humans attacked, killed and or destroyed other Humans.
It was quite possible that the dragons who were attacking Berk had no choice in their actions and instead were being forced to by something or someone, most likely a very powerful dragon with the ability to enslave other dragons or even more likely Hags-Fiends, as Hiccup and Astrid reported that stealing food or basically anything that could be eaten seemed to be the dragons who attacked Berk's first priority, attempting to destroy their village their second priority and killing off Berk's men, women and children their third priority. Nava theorised that the Dragon or Hags-Fiends were controlling the Dragons as they did not seem to be in control of their actions and they wanted to cripple and eventually destroy the Hooligan Tribe by following that pattern of priorities. So killing or just defeating the ones responsible seemed to be the only way of truly ending the war and that was what they were going to do, no matter how long or what it took.
When Aniu, Nava, their families and Familiars found out that Berk and the surrounding Viking Tribes were locked in an un-wielding war against dragons who raided their villages, stole their food, burned their houses and killed everyone in their way, they swore they would help end the war and find out why so many dragons were attacking Berk and had been doing so for so long as most dragons never attacked Viking Villages without reason and because their behaviour was quite strang. But then again, there were many dragons who hated humans and it was likely one such dragon was forcing other dragons to do it for them. If the latter was true, then that dragon must have been very powerful and influential.
There were several types of Soul-Bonds and it was quite possible to have multiples of each Soul-Bond if that being was a Child of Sunheela, a member of ancient order of powerful, multi-powered beings who protected and defended the galaxy and every system, planet and civilisation in it, including the beings who called the galaxy even if it meant protecting them from internal threats such as Hags-Fiends and other people who wanted to destroy the galaxy or a planet, conquer and or enslave the galaxy, a planet or a civilisation and what not. There were Children of Sunheela on every inhabited planet and they were originally created to defend and protect the galaxy from Hags-Fiends, the number one threat to all life. They were named after and led by a deity named Sunheela, a goddess of life, health, freedom, safety, love, happiness, unity, peace and friendship. Contrary to popular belief, she did not choose who out of trillions of sentient beings in the galaxy would be her Children of Sunheela.
Instead, no one knew who chose them or if they were a good candidate and developed powers, traits, characteristics and personalities befitting a Child of Sunheela. They came from all sorts of backgrounds and lives, from the lowest and most oppressed of slaves, to people who lived normal lives and to the highest, richest and most powerful of beings only if they possessed and exhibited what it meant to be a Child of Sunheela, good and pure and kind and compassionate with a desire to make the galaxy a better, safer, happier place for all who lived in it. There were millions and perhaps even trillions of Children of Sunheela and all of them were sorted into groups of Soul-Bonds and they usually formed their groups and recruited non-Children of Sunheela to help them in their duties. Doing all that alongside doing what normal people did, raising families and so on, was a full-time job and it was best to start small by protecting and defending their homelands and building their way up by protecting and defending their home-worlds and then the rest of the galaxy.
Of course, being a Child of Sunheela was extremely dangerous and nearly every evil power-hungry being with the desire to conquer, enslave and destroy would simply lust and do anything for the chance to have Children of Sunheela as their weapons and slaves so they could wield and use their powers as their own. The number one danger for all Children of Sunheela was Hags-Fiends and nary a Child of Sunheela had gone more than mere decades without being captured, tortured, brainwashed and corrupted by Hags-Fiends in attempts to turn them into Hags-Fiends, minds, bodies and souls with all of the immoral, corrupt and evil depravities of Hags-Fiends. Fortunately, they were very nearly always rescued in time by their fellow Children of Sunheela before the Hags-Fiends could succeed and Sunheela used her divine powers to put safety barriers in place to make it very difficult for them but that did not stop the Hags-Fiends from trying and succeeding, albeit rarely.
Another signature power and ability of Children of Sunheela was self-resurrection, meaning that no matter when or how they died and what they were killed with, if their bodies were utterly destroyed, mutilated, maimed, beheaded or anything like that, they would always rematerialise, heal and come back to life. It was said only death by old age when they reached a Child of Sunheela's natural lifespan of 1000 years could kill them permanently and very few other methods of permanent death existed. Soul-Bonds were another thing Children of Sunheela were well known for. Soul-Mates, Familiars, Soul-Dragons, Soul-Siblings and Soul-Phoenixes were just five of them and not every Child of Sunheela had all of them. It was said the more Soul-Bonds a Child of Sunheela had, the more powerful they were, especially when all of them worked together. Soul-Bonds were nigh unbreakable and even when they strained to their limits, they always mended themselves.
Hiccup, Astrid, Nava and Aniu sensed they would have more Soul-Bonds and even though they had heard stories and tales of Children of Sunheela, they did not believe or know whether or not if they were Children of Sunheela themselves as Children of Sunheela did not learn of their destiny, who and what they were until the time was right, even if they were born to Children of Sunheela because even when they had children of their own, not all of them were going to follow in their parents' footsteps and wing-beats. Thanks to the mental connection between them that had grown no matter the distance, Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava knew each other well enough to have already began to form a romance and strong friendship even they had not even seen each other in person face to face and had not even physically seen each other, heard each other, smelled each other, touched each other and otherwise sensed each other or not met each other's families but that would all change when they arrived on Berk.
A Soul-Mate Bond was not the only type of Soul-Bond to exist. There were others too and while they may not be the same as a Soul-Mate Bond, the people's souls were Bonded together nonetheless. A Familiar Bond was one formed between a Humanoid and sentient animals with the abilities to think and feel emotions and have the same intelligence as their Bonded. A Soul-Sibling Bond was between sentients beings and very similar to the bonds between siblings if the beings involved chose it to be that way or they could choose to further it beyond a bond between siblings and even have sexual relations without it actually being incest because they were not blood-kin. A Soul-Dragon/ Rider Bond was between a sentient Humanoid and one or two or more dragons. Even if the Humanoid was a Dragon Rider, the Bond he or she shared with his or her dragon(s) was different from any other Dragon/ Rider Bond because not only were their minds were blended and combined on a basic, primal level but their souls were to and the Rider gained the ability to shape-shift into the Forms of their Dragon(s) and wield their abilities and powers. The Dragon(s) also gained the ability to shape-shift into the Form of his/ her/ their Rider. Most of the Soul-Bonds granted the beings involved to shape-shift into the Forms of the ones they were Soul-Bonded to except for the Soul-Mate Bond which for example, if two of the Soul-Mates were Humans and the other two were Elf-Faes, the Humans would become Human/ Elf-Fae Hybrids upon consummation of the Soul-Bond.
Sorina, Merlin, Alvis and Edme perched or sat down at their Familiar's side. Aniu and Nava reached out to pet their Bird Familiars' head with their hands and stretched out their wings to stroke their Mammal Familiars. The female Barn Owl, both Dire Wolves and the male Golden Eagle leaned into their Familiar's touches. Swiftwing, Zena, Sprinter and Willow perched or sat down a short distance away where they could watch and listen to the already Bonded Familiar's conversation. "Lovely day today, is it not? Just as we were hoping it would be when we reach Berk." Nava inquired. "Indeed, the weather is wonderful. I am very tempted to spread my wings and fly into the sky." Aniu replied. "So am I, my dearest Familiar. The sky calls to me." Sorina agreed. "Remember, we cannot fly out of sight of the ship otherwise we will get lost." Merlin said. "I wonder, should we fly to Berk or just wait for the ship to reach the docks?" Edme asked. "I do believe your Families will want us to arrive on Berk together and watch both of you meet your other two Soul-Mates for the first time." Alvis told Aniu and Nava.
"I suppose you are right but it does not make us feel any better, though." Aniu said miserably, wings slumping. "Look on the bright side, at least we will be there in a few hours." Nava replied optimistically. That was when Swiftwing, Sprinter, Zena and Willow joined their conversation. The male Barn Owl, two Reindeer and the female Golden Eagle moved closer to them. "We left Elf-Fae Island a week ago and since then, no ships have attacked us." Swiftwing said. "The war against dragons must be preventing lowering the number of ships sailing throughout the archipelago." Sprinter replied. "Only trade ships and small fleets are drawing little enough attention to themselves so no dragons are attacking them." Zena said. "It is a good thing we are only travelling on one ship and the dragons consider lone ships to be not enough of a threat to attack." Willow replied. "Thank Sunheela there has been no signs or sightings of Hags-Fiends on our travel route." Aniu said. "I guess they do not want to draw attention to themselves and uncover any evidence they are behind this war." Nava replied.
"Maybe dragons are keeping Hags-Fiends and other ships away from us." Sorina said. "Perhaps they sense the end of the war is near and want to help us end it. The Vikings they attacking are not the only ones suffering from it." Merlin said. "They must really want us to get to Berk safely. I bet Sunheela is responsible for our lack of trouble." Alvis replied. "Not every Dragon or Viking will be happy about making peace with their old enemies." Edme sighed. "Indeed. We will have Dragons and Vikings against us even on Berk." Swiftwing said. "Hopefully, those with us will far outnumber those against us." Sprinter replied. "I shudder to think what will happen if any Hags-Fiends catch wind of what we are going to be doing." Zena said. "If they do, fire and blood will rain on Berk and every surrounding land. Dragons, Vikings and Elf-Faes alike will be slaughtered, tortured, raped and pillaged by the hundreds and thousands." Willow shuddered at the mere thoughts.
Aniu and Nava smiled and stared off into the distance where a large island with tall cliffs had appeared on the horizon, getting more and more visible with each minute that passed. Both Soul-Mates glanced at each other and smiled, eyes gleaming at the knowledge they would soon meet their other two Soul-Mates and find new homes on Berk. They could not wait. Remembering their parents had told them to sound the horns to alert them when Berk came into view, Aniu and Nava ran over to where both horns were kept and picked them up. Taking deep breaths, Aniu and Nava turned to stare at each other. "This is it." Aniu breathed. "This is it." Nava agreed. Reaching out to hold hands with the ones that were not holding the horns, Aniu and Nava raised the horns to their lips and blew. The baritone bellows brought everyone else onto the deck and putting down the horns, Aniu and Nava spread their wings and flew up into the sky to get a better look at their new home. Sorina, Merlin, Alvis and Edme followed them.
On the Island of Berk, a group of Vikings waited on the docks for the first Elf-Fae additions to the Village of Berk. However, two of them were also waiting for their Elf-Fae Soul-Mates and their Familiars they had never seen in person but only knew them by the mental, emotional, physical and spiritual connection they shared. Hiccup Haddock and Astrid Hofferson had been dreaming of the time they would meet Aniu Namara'sdaughter and Nava Theodore'sson for months. Just thinking of it made their souls nearly explode with excitement, impatience and joy. They both knew what Aniu and Nava looked like, sounded like, acted like and so many other things about them, either learned from their telepathic links, dream-visits or just instinctual knowledge. Hiccup and Astrid both knew why Aniu and Nava could not come sooner, it was just too dangerous with all the dragon attacks, Hags-Fiends, hostile Viking Tribes or other such enemies. Their families and friends knew Hiccup and Astrid were Soul-Mates and two of the Elf-Faes on board the ship were also their Soul-Mates as well.
Luckily, they accepted and welcomed this, even congratulated Hiccup and Astrid, wishing them good fortune and blessing the two-men-two-woman Soul-Mate Bond as polygamous unions, marriages and relationships were not very rare in their part of the world. When their friends learned of it, they were quite surprised but happy. Unfortunately, not everyone would be as accepting and when they made their opinions and beliefs known, they would react with the appropriate reactions. Not everyone were thrilled to have Elf-Faes joining the Hooligan Tribe of Berk. There were those who believed Berk should bring back the old ways of conquering, pillaging and raiding outsiders and other Viking Tribes, taking those they captured as slaves and killing the rest. The Old Ways were abandoned a long time ago by the more civilised tribes thanks to the Elf-Faes and realizing their ways would only lead to their ruin and destruction. Berk was one such tribe who accepted the New Ways and they prospered from it until the War Against Dragons came to be but even through it all, they had never resorted to the Old Ways.
Hiccup and Astrid were both fifteen years old and Hiccup had been born on the 28th of February 800 AD while Astrid had been born on the 8th of March 800 AD. Both were slim, fit, athletic and intelligent, very much so. According to Stoick, Hiccup and his twin sister Hannah had come early into the world from their mother's womb. As babies, they had been such wee things, so frail, so fragile, so delicate and so small. Valka, Hiccup and Hannah's mother, had feared they would not live long but Stoick had never doubted Hiccup and Hannah would grow up to become strong, powerful, confident, smart, adaptable and great leaders. Hiccup was indeed smart and adaptable. It was partially thanks to Astrid and his skills at inventing, forging and blacksmithing that Hiccup had become more confident than he ever used to be. Valka had been a gentle, kind, compassionate and caring woman and Hiccup was quite like her in many ways. Stoick even said that Hiccup was more his mother's son than his own.
Indeed, Hiccup's similarities to Valka often brought tears to Stoick's eyes as he was reminded constantly of his dead wife and daughter who he had loved so much. One night, during a vicious raid, Valka and Hannah had been taken by a dragon while Hiccup, who had barely any memory of his mother, as was to be expected because he was only a baby sleeping in his cradle at the time, was left behind which Stoick thankful for because he doubted he could have beared losing his wife and both of their children. Hiccup's premature birth had led to a rather scrawny, short, wiry and thin build but even so, he was fast and had brilliant stamina, reflexes, eyesight, intelligence and skills at wielding dual swords, daggers, bows and arrows, Battle Sticks and bolas but only if they were custom made for himself. Traditional Viking weapons and Hiccup did not go well together at all. Indeed, Hiccup's skills as a fighter had impressed many a Viking but he preferred to negotiate and seek peaceful solutions.
Hiccup had beautiful, deep emerald green eyes, tan skin with reddish-brown freckles covering his body and slightly shaggy reddish-brown hair reaching to his neck and eyebrows. A small, white scar on his chin served as a reminder of the horrible night when he lost his mother and twin sister. As for his clothing, Hiccup wore a simple, deep green, long sleeved tunic with the hem reaching half way down to his mid thigh, black trousers and deep green leather boots with reddish-brown fur liners, a reddish-brown, sleeveless, open vest that reached down to a black, sash like belt around his hips. Hiccup loved to run and he dreamed of flying up so high. His skills as a mechanic and an inventor often led him to building inventions that made life better for the Vikings of Berk, spyglasses, winches, fire-control systems and Dragon Breath-Weapon Proof weapons and armours, you name it, he built it but he never made inventions that could be used to hurt and kill dragons, only offer protection from them no matter how many times people requested he do it.
Astrid was a bit taller than him and her body was slim, lean, strong, durable and athletic with olive skin. Her eyes were a beautiful and bright shade of sapphire blue and her soft, smooth, straight and shiny golden-blonde hair was braided, reaching the area between her upper and lower back. Two locks framed her round face and her fringe covered half of her forehead, secured by a thin, leather headband wrapped around her head. Astrid wore a sleeveless, deep blue shirt, silver leggings, deep blue, leather boots, deep blue cloth bracers around her lower arms and an armoured, Viking woman skirt consisting of flat strips of deep blue leather with little metal bolts attached. She also wore metal, layered shoulder pads with little studs on every layer, providing sufficient protection to her shoulders. Astrid was strong, very strong for a woman of her size, weight and age. People often said she had been blessed by Magni, the God of Strength and perhaps they were right. She also had the same weapons preferences as Hiccup.
"I cannot wait until they are here." Hiccup said softly. "I cannot either. At least we can see the ship now." Astrid replied. "What do you think will happen when we come face to face with them?" Hiccup asked. "I do not know but it will be well worth the wait." Astrid said. They looped their arms around each other's shoulders and the minutes passed in silence as the ship sailed closer and closer and they could around 6 winged figures flying over the ship. Instantly, they knew who and what they were. Time passed by slowly until the ship reached the docks and anchors were thrown overboard. The flying figures landed on the docks and the two Humanoid figures walked forward to them with two winged Dire Wolves following behind and a Barn Owl and a Golden Eagle on their backs. By instinct, Hiccup and Astrid walked forward to meet them as the ship lowered a ramp and the passengers began to disembark, two Reindeer at the lead with another Golden Eagle and Barn Owl on their backs.
Each step brought the four Soul-Mates closer until they were only one foot apart each and Hiccup Haddock, Astrid Hofferson, Nava Theodore'sson and Aniu Namara'sdaughter beheld each other for the first time in person. At first, all they could do was stare at each other breathlessly and then they slowly reached their hands out to touch each other for the first time. In that very moment of that very second, Hiccup held hands with Astrid who held hands with Nava who held hands with Aniu who held hands with Hiccup. As soon as they touched, their Soul-Mate Bond awakened, binding their souls together forever. A bright flash of emerald green, sapphire blue, silver and gold glowed around them and their hearts, souls and minds sang in love and joy as magic surged throughout every atom of their beings. So entranced and caught up in their moment were they that Hiccup, Astrid, Naava and Aniu were unaware of everyone watching in awe and the rush of magic as they were teleported away from the docks into a very special place where they would live for the rest of their lives. All they knew was peace, relief, love and joy at finally being together.
The sensation lasted for what felt like forever when really it lasted for only 4 hours. As the four Soul-Mates' Soul-Bond settled, Hiccup, Astrid, Nava and Aniu regained mental consciousness but their bodies were still deeply asleep or in a coma. The first things they were aware of were the mental and emotional presences in their minds, souls and very beings. The more they awoke, the more they could sense the presences of their Soul-Mates. It grew and grew until links formed between their minds and opened, filling their own minds and emotions with the thoughts, feelings and emotions of their Soul-Mates. "Hiccup?"/ "Astrid?" / "Nava?"/ "Aniu?" they each heard their Soul-Mates ask in their minds and in the names of everything that was good did it bring them such joy to hear each other finally speak so intimately. The voices and minds of their Soul-Mates were the most beautiful things they had ever sensed.
That was when they regained full consciousness and realized their bodies were cuddled together in the most wonderful cuddle they could ever remember or imagine, even if it was from their families. While others would have been mortified and very embarrassed at finding themselves in such a position Hiccup, Astrid, Nava and Aniu did not feel such things, if they did, they were not really aware. Somehow, each and every of them were somehow touching and holding each other. And that was when their eyes opened: emerald green into sapphire blue, sapphire blue into emerald green, sapphire blue into sapphire blue, emerald green into emerald green. "We are finally together!" Was the first thought in their minds and jubilant laughs escaped their mouths as Hiccup, Astrid, Nava and Aniu embraced in one big first hug. It was so wonderful they never wanted to let go of each other. They were more content than anything to just simply lay there in each other's arms, legs and wings, feel the bodies of their Soul-Mates press against theirs and never separate and never get up from the bed they were laying in.
Wait, what? They looked around and saw they were lying on a very comfortable, big and square enough for all of them but simplistic four-poster bed consisting of an ironwood frame with a head board, foot board and a canopy. The bedding consisted of one soft, thick, fluffy mattress, silken top and bottom sheets, one soft, fluffy, woollen, comfortable pillow long enough for all four of them to rest their heads on comfortably, which they were doing then and one equally soft, thick, comfortable, woollen blanket, big enough to cover them and the bed all. IT was easily the best, most comfortable and durable bed each of them had ever slept on, not even Elf-Fae beds were that good. The bed they were laying in already proved it was already perfectly suited for giving them a good night's sleep every night and for other uses such as...sex which they were most definitely ready for. Hiccup, Astrid, Nava and Aniu already knew that this was one bed they already wanted to spend the rest of their lives sleeping in.
The four Soul-Mates looked around the room they were in and what they saw impressed and awed them. The entire room was big enough to fit ten Summer and Winter Dragons in it. The walls, ceiling and floor were carved out of marble with a gold and silver chandelier gemmed with emeralds and sapphires dangling from and anchored to the ceiling with eight roots. Windows along one wall showed the Village of Berk under a clear, blue, sunlight day and brightened the room without need of torches and the chandelier. There were unlit half-braziers built into the walls around the wall for night time use when there was no sunlight. An ironwood door was built into another wall away from their bed, providing them with access tho the rest of...wherever they were. Aside from the bed, the other furniture consisted of ironwood shelves, cupboards, drawers and one long desk with chairs positioned along one wall. Not all of them were meant for books, scrolls, armour and clothing. They were also meant for weapons, decorations and other sorts of things.
Carpets made out of rugs and pelts from different animals covered most of the marble floor and there was a large pile of them close by, obviously meant for Nava and Aniu's Dire Wolf Forms as well as Hiccup and Astrid's Mammal Forms. A massive, stone slab was set along one wall, obviously meant for their Dragon Forms and Hiccup and Astrid remembered how shocked they were when Aniu and Nava told them during a dream-visit they could turn into Dragons with all of their memories and sentience remaining. "No need to worry about us forgetting anything from our other Forms." Nava had told them. "We maintain our conscience and sentient when we turn into our Animal Forms, including our Dragon Forms." Aniu added. One thing they had learned about Soul-Mate Bonds was there were two consummations necessary for them: the consummation of their Soul-Mate Bond and the consummation of their marriage.
Both of them would bind and unite them together forever and their Soul-Mate Bond would require frequent consummations to strengthen, stabilize and empower it and them. Not only that but Hiccup and Astrid would most likely become Human/ Elf-Fae Hybrids when they had consummated their Soul-Mate Bond with Nava and Aniu because nearly all recorded Soul-Mate Bonds between members of different species said members of the weaker species were hybridised with the species of their Soul-Mates when they consummated their Soul-Bond. All other Soul-Bonds included the members gaining the abilities to shape-shift into the species of their Bonded. However, the Familiar Bond was only one way as only the Humanoids gained the abilities to shape-shift into the species of their Familiars. Even when that happened, Hiccup, Astrid, Nava and Aniu did not know if Hiccup and Astrid gained all of the abilities of Elf-Faes including Elemental, Magical, Shape-Shifting, Mental, Physical and Emotional Powers, abilities, characteristics and traits such as wings, horns and pointed ears, personalities and senses although Hiccup and Astrid were already showing signs.
Hiccup was already very fast for his age, weight, species and size with brilliant eyesight, night vision, long and short distance vision, stealth, stamina and reflexes and he already showed a natural affinity with Elements such as Lightning and Darkness. Astrid, on the other hand, was known for her incredible physical, mental and emotional strength, endurance and durability. Her sense of smell was the strongest of her senses and she showed a natural affinity with Light and Energy. Nava and Aniu already knew what Hiccup and Astrid's Bird and Mammal Forms would be as Swiftwing and Sprinter already knew their Familiar was Hiccup and Zena and Willow knew that Astrid was theirs and because Swiftwing was a Barn Owl, Sprinter and Willow Reindeer and Zena a Golden Eagle, Hiccup's Bird Form would be a Barn Owl and his Mammal Form a Reindeer while Astrid's Bird Form would be a Golden Eagle and her Mammal Form a Reindeer too.
Bedding was already there for their Bird and Mammal Forms. A large bird nest woven out of branches, twigs and leaves with pelts from the animals Barn Owls and Golden Eagles usually ate, moss and down feathers. The stone slabs, bird nest and pile of pelts along with the bed and furniture meant that the room they were in was quite big and it had a big empty space and walkway to the door and another door most likely leading to the bathroom. The size of the room, the door and everything in the room made them know that they could turn into their Animal Forms without having to worry about space. The four of them began to wonder when Hiccup and Astrid would become Human/ Elf-Fae Hybrids. Their powers had already to take root and grow inside them but they would require Hiccup and Astrid consummating their Soul-Mate Bond with Nava and Aniu, activating their Soul-Bonds with their other Soul-Bonds and gaining more Forms from them.
"This room is beautiful and so big." Aniu marvelled. "It feels like it is meant just for us." Nava replied. "Where are we? And how did we get here?" Astrid inquired. "It must have been our Soul-Mate Bond that brought us here." Hiccup guessed. "You are quite right, Hiccup Haddock." A voice said and four ghosts materialised out of thin air at the foot of their bed. All four of them were Elf-Faes although one of the men and one of the women looked more like Humans than the other two full-blooded Elf-Faes. "Who and what are you four?" Nava asked. "And what are you doing here?" Astrid inquired ferociously. "I am Minki Hollaf."/"My name is Stryka Henderlas."/ "You shall know me as Torian Sven'sson."/"Evelyn Spiria'sdaughter, at your service." The four ghosts introduced themselves. The four ghosts were all a ghostly white and blue colour so they could only tell them apart by their faces. All four of them were wearing a suit of armour that fully covered and enclosed their bodies including their wings up to their necks.
Both Miniki and Stryka resembled Human/ Elf-Fae Hybrids while Torian and Evelyn were both full-blooded Elf-Faes. All four of them had big, feathered wings with a claw on each main joint, pointed ears, a pair of curving horns and long, curly, wavy, straight or bushy hair. Miniki had the curly hair, Stryka had the straight hair, Torian the wavy hair and Evelyn the bushy hair. Their bodies were slim, beautiful and athletic. "We were Children of Sunheela before our physical forms died when we were a thousand years old." Evelyn said. "We are also Soul-Mates like you four. Then, now and forever." Torian said. "We are to guide you and teach you about being Soul-Mates and your destiny." Miniki said. "We have watched over you four for your entire lives." Stryka added. Hiccup, Astrid, Aniu and Nava stared at them as they processed the information. "What are the Children of Sunheela?" Hiccup asked. "The Children of Sunheela are a galaxy-wide army of sentient beings that guard the galaxy against threats and Hags-Fiends." Miniki explained. "Each troop is formed of Soul-Bonded Children of Sunheela." Stryka said.
"Hiccup, Astrid, Nava and Aniu, you four must find end this war against Dragons before it is too late." Torian said. "The Hags-Fiends are coming and only Children of Sunheela can lead the war against them." Evelyn added. Hiccup, Astrid, Nava and Aniu caught on to what they were going to say next. Their eyes widened and they gasped. "Are you saying we are...?" They asked. "Yes, Hiccup, Astrid, Nava and Aniu, you four are Children of Sunheela and so are your Soul-Bonds." Miniki, Stryka, Torian and Evelyn said together. Unfortunately for them, the revelation along with everything else that had happened was too much for Hiccup, Astrid, Nava and Aniu and simply said...they fainted. "Whoops, I think that was too much of a bomb shell for them." Miniki quipped. "You think, my love. Why else would they faint?" Stryka muttered, rolling her eyes affectionately. "They need the rest anyway. Let us leave them to it." Torian said. "For now, we must plan how we are going to break Toothless, Stormfly, their siblings and their friends out of Evregina's nest." Evelyn said.
Author's Note: Well, as you lot can see, I am going on a road no HTTYD writer has gone on before, or I think no one has. This story will most likely be rated T or M because of fantasy violence, sexual references, mild language, mild blood, gore, injuries, that sort of thing. I just hope I do not completely mess up and all of you are able to understand what I am writing. If not, just send me an email through Private Messaging. I have to warn you, though, Chronicles of the Dragoniters will be far different than you would expect of a typical HtTYD story series. After rewriting my first story and not making it a separate story from the first version proved to be a mess-up, I am rewriting Dawn of the Dragoniters as a separate story and I will be watching the entire franchise of How to Train Your Dragon just in case you are wondering why I am updating slowly. If not that, then it is real life getting in the damn, stinking way. I sincerely hope this is the last time I rewrite and edit Dawn of the Dragoniters. There are just so many new ideas I want to include and mistakes to edit.