This is Berk. It snows nine months of the year and hails the other three. Any food that grows here is tough and tasteless. The people that grow here are even more so. For generations, it was Viking against dragons. The battles were ferocious, then one day everything changed. Hiccup met Toothless and together they showed their people that instead of fighting dragons they could ride them, live with them, even train them.
After that came understanding and eventually peace between the Vikings and dragons. Since then life has been exciting in a way but overall better, with less daily conflict and destruction from the misunderstood beasts. At least that's how it normally is. In the last couple years there have been several skirmishes with other tribes, but nothing the Hooligans couldn't handle, at least until now.
Recently they have been getting attacked on different fronts by an unknown armada. All they have been able to piece together so far is that they have a grudge with Berk and maybe in particular with Stoick the Vast, their chief.
After months of sabotage and mysterious attacks, this enemy finally reared its head, showing to be Ragnar the Radical and the Raiders. The Raiders are a much different enemy than the people of Berk had previously faced. They were more goal oriented and calculating than the usual kill and destroy plots they've dealt with in the past; the Raiders are more like pirates, wanting the recognition and glory, more than wanting to conquer like other clans. The Raiders are infamous Archipelagos for leaving tribes with nothing but the people of Berk never suspected that they would be on the receiving end of such attacks, which may have factored in when the Raider's finally decided to attack their home.
The day it happened, Berk was far from prepared. The Raiders had infiltrated the island, having sent men as not only scouts but to down right hide within the village. When nightfall came during the date of the attack, not even the patrol guards knew what to was happening when building began to be set aflame. People thrashed in search of help and order, waiting for the guidance of their chief. That wasn't even the worst of it, it was just a signal of sorts.
Before the Raider's even managed to dock for their attack, nearly half the village was set ablaze which probably can be determined as their second advantage. As if out of nowhere for the villagers, Ragnar the Radical was leading his charge of attack against them all while the Hooligans were desperately searching for anything they could use to defend themselves.
Even though the fight wasn't in their favor at the moment the people of Berk still had faith. Because beyond their strength, they had one thing no other tribe or armada did, dragons. They were confident that even when ambushed they would ultimately triumph over any adversary. They couldn't have been more wrong.
You see, Berk's dragon riders have become common knowledge in the Archipelagos over the last couple years and for a tactical man like Ragnar, it was the exact advantage he needed to accomplish his goal, destroy and cripple Berk forever.
Normally, even with an ambush the Dragon Rider's of Berk were able to break through and regain the favor of any battle but this time they were faced with something no one in Berk even knew existed, dragon proof shielding. Meaning that the go to blasts they were all getting used to were rendered useless, but they didn't give up. They were still Vikings and nothing was going to make them give in, at least that's what they all believed.
Ragnar had the people exactly where he wanted them, in particular, they had singled out the greatest threats, Stoick the Vast and his son with his Night Fury. He had crippled Berk's strongest flyer by leading him and his dragon into a trap. Hiccup was cornered which made destroying Toothless's tail an easy mark off; the dragon conquer and his Night Fury were grounded. The prize that was going to lead to the victory of the Raiders and give Ragnar exactly what he wanted quickly followed.
The moon had reached its apex when it happened, the takedown of Stoick the Vast. The Raiders weren't here for glory or anything that entailed future gloating, no all they wanted was to see Berk destroyed because it was said to be impossible. They wanted to break down a 400-year-old tribe just to prove how much they should be feared and their leader knew exactly how to do it. He understood that with people like the Hooligans the only way to take them down was to hurt them emotionally. The best way to do that, show their greatest warrior crippled and asking for mercy.
Ragnar the Radical had managed it all and now he had Stoick the Vast at his feet and his people tiptoeing with no direction.
A/N: The first paragraph is totally from the How to Train Your Dragon franchise, couldn't get it to have the same feel without it. Anyways now that the scene has been set, the real story can begin, next chapter. Hope you enjoy; comments and reviews greatly appreciated.