Viking for Hire
Serenity the dragon healer and her dragon Draco, were watching Berk's six young dragon riders in the arena that had been turned into a dragon academy. The lead rider, Hiccup, was giving his fellow riders a trivia game. Behind the riders were their dragons, who were dozing. Hiccup's dragon, Toothless, was sitting by Serenity and Draco, so Serenity could give him his monthly check-up.
"You know what this academy reminds me of?" said Draco.
"What?" said Serenity as she check the Night Fury's teeth.
"It reminds me of your dragon riding institute back home," said Draco.
"Yes, this is sort of how that institute started," said Serenity. Down in the arena the riders were starting to get restless.
"Okay guys that's enough training," said Hiccup, sensing he was loosing his audience. Snotlout had just mounted his Monstrous Nightmare, Hookfang, when the dragon burst in to flames, which was unusual. Serenity watched in amusement as Snotlout ran off screaming. Toothless grunted impatiently from having his mouth open for so long.
"Sorry Toothless," said Serenity, and she went back to work. Hiccup came up to them.
"Are you nearly done?" he asked.
"Yes," said Serenity, without looking up. She tapped the last tooth then began to put her tools away.
"Nothing wrong?" Hiccup asked.
"No," said Serenity. "But unfortunately I just finished his teeth, I didn't finish the whole exam."
"Oh," said Hiccup. "So you'll have to do more."
"Yeah, but that's it for today," said Serenity. She mounted Draco and they took off. They flew back to their hospital behind the chief's house.
"I'm guessing you said that just because you have a crush on Toothless," said Draco as Serenity dismounted.
"Oh, be quiet," said Serenity. "What I said was true." She was blushing.
"Yeah, but you made sure you didn't finish the exam," said Draco.
"Alright, I admit it," said Serenity. Suddenly a sandy-colored Changewing landed in front of Serenity.
"Hello," said the dragon. "Do you have any water?"
"Yes," said Serenity. She pointed to the cave, where there was an underground freshwater lake.
"Thank you," said the dragon. Serenity turned to Draco.
"I think it's time to put up our flag," she said. Draco nodded. Serenity went under the canopy and opened a tiny treasure chest. Inside was a folded flag. She took it out and unfolded it. It was a blue flag that had a green dragon in the middle. The dragon had his wings open, his head turned to the right, he was breathing golden flames, and holding a golden apple in one back claw, and a golden music note in the other. The dragon was surrounded by a green ring, and fancy green embroidery in the border. Draco lifted Serenity onto the roof of the canopy where there was a flagpole. She hooked the flag into place and let it fly. Then Draco put her down again.
"I'm going for a walk," said Serenity.
"I'll come with you," said Draco. So they walked down the hill to the plaza. There was quite a crowd over by Gobber's forge.
"Gather around," Gobber announced. "You may think these dragon killing weapons have no more use, but think again." He picked up a sword and a plate with toast and butter. "This long sword is now a lovely butter knife." When he tried to butter the bread he cut the bread, and the plate into pieces. No one was impressed. Next he picked up a huge bludgeon and tried to use it as a fly sweater, but destroyed the table and not the fly. Serenity and Draco left and returned to their hospital where Serenity began to cook lunch, golden applesauce.
Latter that night Hiccup and Toothless were sitting quietly on the edge of Hiccup's room. Hiccup was feeling guilty about Gobber.
"You know Gobber made this for me," he told Toothless, pointing at his metal leg. "He taught me everything I needed to know to make your tail, I've got to find a way to help him." Toothless made a humming sound, like he was thinking of an idea. Just then Stoic the Vast came home, looking exhausted.
"Tough day of chiefing Dad?" Hiccup said as he came down the stairs.
"I was all over the island," said Stoic. Hiccup handed him a tankard of mead.
"Sometimes I wish there were two of me." Hiccup dropped the log he was holding, into the fire.
"There are two of you," he exclaimed. "Gobber, he can be the other you."
"You know that's actually not such a bad idea," said Stoic.
The next morning Stoic asked Gobber to help out with chiefing jobs. Gobber was only too happy to help. Stoic gave him his half of the to do list. Gobber's first assignment was assisting Serenity at the hospital.
She was stitching up a gash in the leg of a green Deadly Nadder when Gobber came up the hill.
"Stoic's asked me to come assist you," he said. Serenity snipped a thread.
"Could you hand me those bandages?" she said. Gobber handed her the bandages.
"Anything else?" Gobber asked.
"In that cave there is a Monstrous Nightmare, that has a cramp in his left wing," said Serenity. "It needs to be stretched out."
"Leave it to me," Gobber shouted. That startled the Nadder a bit. Serenity sent it into the cave after Gobber. Then Toothless came galloping up the hill, looking happy.
"Ah, come to finish your check-up?" Serenity said.
"Yes ma'am," said Toothless. Serenity got her tools and began the exam. Suddenly the Nightmare came barreling out of the cave, in flames. Toothless and Serenity jumped out of the way just before it ran them over. It took to the sky, going right through the roof of the canopy, lighting it on fire. Gobber came out looking pleased, he quietly left, leaving Serenity alone with a burning hospital. Toothless got a nasty burn on his flank and the Nadder's stitches had burned off. Draco was off fishing and the only water available was behind the fire in the cave, so Serenity had to watch her hospital burn to the ground, along with her surgery tools, her first aid kit, all her food, her saddle, and her new flag. She took off her riding jacket and wrapped it around the Nadder's now open wound. The two dragons kept her company.
Gobber went on with his chores. More disasters struck, he gave a baby girl and ugly boy's name and nearly crushed her with a bludgeon, then when two fishermen got in an argument Gobber gave them each a weapon and they began to fight and nearly killed each other. Then he tried to assist a shipbuilder but patched a ship using slabs of iron witch caused the ship to sink. Stoic was furious, he broke up the fight with the fishermen, renamed the girl, and helped the shipbuilder get the ship out of the sea.
That evening back at his house Stoic was recovering from a headache. Hiccup handed him another tankard of mead.
"You know Dad, I think you're being a bit rough on Gobber," said Hiccup. "It was his first day, tomorrow will be better."
"It will be for me," said Stoic. "Because it won't involve Gobber."
"Why, what happened?" Hiccup asked.
"I tried to fit a square peg in a round hole," said Stoic. "And it sunk a ship, named a baby girl Magnus, and managed to burn down Serenity's Hospital." Hiccup stood up and ran out the door and up the hill to the hospital which was all burned down.
"Toothless!" Hiccup called.
"Over here," Serenity called. Hiccup went passed the burnt canopy and found Serenity sitting and restitching the Nadder's wound with a sewing needle and loose threads from her shirt. Toothless was lying next to her with a wet handkerchief tied to his flank.
"Are you okay?" Hiccup asked.
"Yes," said Serenity. "No one was fatally hurt." Toothless got up and ran to his rider. Stoic came up the hill.
"What survived?" Stoic asked.
"Just us three," said Serenity, she used her teeth to snip the thread. "Everything's been destroyed."
"I'm sorry," said Stoic. "I promise this won't happen again."
"Let's hope so," said Serenity as she wrapped the Nadder's leg with her riding jacket. "If I don't have a hospital I can't help the dragons."
"We'll rebuild it for you," said Stoic. "As compensation."
"Thank you," said Serenity. "Unfortunately all my tools and supplies I brought from home."
"Where's Draco?" Hiccup asked.
"Hunting," said Serenity. "He should be home tomorrow."
"Gobber can rebuild the hospital," Hiccup suggested.
"No," said Serenity and Stoic in unison.
"Well we've got to help him," said Hiccup.
"We don't have to do anything," said Stoic. "You on the other hand, are going to very busy finding a job for Gobber." Hiccup looked quite surprised.
"I should check on that burn," said Serenity pointing at Toothless.
"You can stay at our house," said Stoic. "Until you get your hospital back."
"Thanks," said Serenity. They all went back to Stoic's house, with the Nadder in tow. When they were inside, the Nadder stayed outside, Serenity removed the handkerchief from Toothless's flank. She wetted the handkerchief and tied it back into place.
"That's the best I can do for now," she said. Toothless smiled at her.
"Good night," said Hiccup. "Will you send him up when you're done?"
"Yes," said Serenity. Hiccup went upstairs. Serenity tightened the handkerchief.
"There," she said. "Wake me up if it starts hurting."
"Thank you, Serenity," Toothless said.
"Sure," said Serenity.
"Sorry about the hospital," said Toothless.
"It's okay," said Serenity. "I'm sure Re will do something."
"The king?" Toothless asked.
"Yes," said Serenity. "The hospital was his idea. All he really needs to do is send me new supplies."
"Oh," said Toothless. "Good night."
"Good night," said Serenity, and she kissed him on the cheek. The dragon went upstairs and Serenity spent the night on the floor.
The next day at the arena Hiccup had gathered up his friends and their dragons. Serenity was watching while she retied the handkerchief to Toothless's flank. Draco had returned that morning and seen the hospital. He immediately left for Draconia to get more supplies, and Serenity was alone with the green Nadder. Down in the arena Hiccup told his friends his plan.
"You're bringing Gobber, here?" Fishlegs asked.
"He's going to be great," said Hiccup, uncomfortably. "No one knows dragons like old Gobber, he has spent a lifetime studying them, if we tap into that we'll all be better dragon trainers." Just then Gobber burst into the arena pulling a cart filled with weapons.
"I'm back," he announced. "Did you miss me?" The dragons were suddenly alert.
"Welcome," said Hiccup. "And tiny question why did you bring all these?"
"Killing things?" Gobber finished. "I thought maybe we could train them by threatening to kill them." This startled the dragons to their breaking point and they ran out of the arena and flew away. The riders ran after them. Gobber soon got bored and left, Hiccup stayed, Toothless joined him and watched him draw in his notebook. Serenity waited too, since she had no hospital to return to.
A few hours passed before the riders came back with their dragons. They dismounted, they were all really soar.
"What's wrong with you guys?" Hiccup asked, closing his notebook and standing up.
"We've been riding our dragons for four hours," Astrid complained. "It took forever to chase them down after Gobber scared them away."
"Yeah, I'm sorry about that," said Hiccup. "I just don't know what to do with him." Ruff and Tuff were kicking each other.
"Do guys always have to fight?" Hiccup asked, sounding tired.
"We're just trying to get the feeling back," said Tuff.
"I've flown for hours on Toothless and I've never had a problem," said Hiccup.
"That's because you have a saddle," Astrid pointed out.
"Saddles!" Hiccup cried, with that he and Toothless ran towards the village. Serenity walked back to Stoic's house to check on the Nadder. As she walked by the forge she saw Hiccup talking to Gobber about dragon saddles, Toothless was waiting outside. They looked up as Serenity walked by. She looked back at them, sniffed and continued walking. She got back to the house and checked on the Nadder. It's leg was healing, but her riding jacket was completely bloodstained. She untied it from the dragon's leg and reached into one of the pockets. She pulled out her dragon riding medallion, which was made of gold, sapphires, and emeralds, in the center was the same dragon symbol as was on her flag. She put the medallion between her teeth and retied the jacket to the Nadder's leg. She went inside and sat down, looking at the medallion. She flipped it over, on the back was a phrase carved into the gold that said 'Never Look Back'.
The next day, back at the arena, Gobber and the riders assembled to see the saddles Gobber had just made.
"I've made a lot of saddles in my time," Gobber said. "Horse, donkey, and now dragon, so with out further adew." He pulled the cloth off the saddles. They were huge.
"Wow Gobber this is certainly not what I had in mind," said Hiccup. The twins tried their saddles first, they had catapults on the front, when the twins tried the catapults it knocked out the Zippleback. Fishlegs's saddle was way too heavy for Meatlug. Astrid's saddle had a horn on the front. When she tried it, Stormfly shot poisoned spikes that just missed Snotlout. Snotlout was the last to try his saddle, the minuet he put on Hookfang the dragon threw it off, he seemed to be under stress.
"So I think we're going to need to make a few..."
"Changes," Gobber interrupted Hiccup. "I'm way ahead of you."
Later that evening, after everyone went home except for Serenity, Hiccup and Toothless, Stoic walked into the arena. Hiccup was sweeping the floor.
"Wow, this place looked better when we were killing dragons here," said Stoic.
"Yeah, we sort of got Gobbered," said Hiccup.
"Well you know Gobber," said Stoic. "He means well, he just doesn't always do well. So what are you going to do about him?"
"I'm going to clean up his messes," Hiccup murmured. "And redo his work."
"Gobber's like family," said Stoic.
"I know he is," said Hiccup, dropping the broom. "That's why I can't say anything to him."
"No son," said Stoic. "That's why you have to, it's not fair to you, and it's not fair to Gobber."
"Why so I have to say something to him?" Hiccup complained. "You didn't, you just passed him off to me."
"That's what the chief does," Stoic explained. "He delegates. Look I gave you this academy because it's the best thing for Berk now you have to do what's best for the academy." They walked out together, with Toothless following.
Serenity was watching a few Vikings rebuild her hospital. She had had no word from Draco, but wasn't worried yet. The Nadder was standing next to her, along with a gray Gronkle and red Zippleback who had come for her help. The Gronkle had a bellyache, and the Zippleback had a thorn in his foot. Serenity was under a lot of stress with her hospital gone, patients piling up, and her dragon gone. She sat on a rock and held up her medallion, it was her last piece of home. Suddenly there came a loud roar from the plaza. Serenity stood up and ran to investigate. Hookfang was in a rage, he was spitting fire and rubbing his jaw on the ground like something was bothering him. Stoic, Hiccup, Snotlout, and Toothless came running from the opposite direction. Hiccup tried to calm the dragon down, but Hookfang nearly roasted him. Toothless tackled Hookfang so Hiccup could get out of the way. Now Toothless was in danger. Serenity went over to the others.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"Hookfang is having a bad day," said Hiccup.
"He's not the only one," said Serenity. Suddenly Stoic came with Gobber following. Gobber had weapons in his hand.
"Stand back," Gobber commanded. "I came here to do what I do best."
"He's going to kill my dragon," Snotlout whispered, horrified.
"Dad you can't be serious," said Hiccup. "Hookfang is Snotlout's dragon."
"I'm sorry Hiccup," said Gobber. He turned to Serenity. "Will you help?"
"No, I'm still mad at you," Serenity snapped. "Until my hospital is back in business." So Gobber went up to the dragon alone. Hiccup ran after him.
"I can't let you do this," he said.
"There's no choice," said Gobber. "It has to be done." Hookfang ran up to them and opened his mouth. Gobber stopped.
"Do you see that?" he said.
"I do," said Hiccup. Gobber put the weapons down and jumped onto the dragon's head. Hookfang thrashed around. Finally he managed to fling Gobber off is face. Once Gobber was on the ground Hookfang calmed down and seemed happier.
"You didn't kill him!" Snotlout cried.
"For a toothache?" Gobber said holding up the dragon's tooth, which had a huge hole in it.
"Thank you Gobber," said Hiccup. "A bad tooth I can't believe I didn't think of that."
"That's 'cause you're not Gobber," said Gobber. "I've forgotten more about dragons then most men will ever know." Then he turned to Serenity. "I'm sorry I destroyed your hospital."
"Apology accepted," said Serenity.
"I hope you'll let me help," said Gobber. "By taking care of the dragons' teeth." Serenity considered.
"Alright," she said. "You can also help by rebuilding my hospital."
"I will start tomorrow," said Gobber. Serenity smiled.
Over the next few days the Vikings rebuilt Serenity's Hospital. Draco returned with her new supplies which included, food, a saddle, surgery tools, a new medical bag, cooking things, and a new dragon flag which Serenity put on the new flagpole. Once the new hospital was back in business Serenity took care of the Nadder, the Gronkle, the Zippleback, treated Toothless's burn and finished his Check-up. However Serenity only checked the dragons' health, Gobber took care of their teeth. She began to teach both Gobber and Hiccup about healing. She was much happier.