Chapter 1
There is one thing that I hate about rowing: If you are sitting in a Viking boat, you can't do it alone.
"Go on! Faster!," Our teacher shouts. "Even a one legged yak would get us!"
"Those don't exist...," someone behind me whispers.
My name is Hiccup the IV. There is nothing interesting about me, that I could tell you... I live on the island, Berk. In the old stories, Berk was a dragon island 200 years ago. Vikings which ride on dragons and defended Berk with them. But those are legends. Nobody really believes them. In the middle of Berk are 6 statues of the "Dragon Riders" and their dragons. Nobody removes them cause everyone is worried that Thor would be angry about it (that's kinda ironic, I know).
"What are you doing, Hiccup? Don't be so slow!" shouts our teacher and punches my shoulder.
Someone laughs. I clench my teeth and try to row faster, but I don't have the strength for more. A weak Viking often gets the name Hiccup. I hate that feeling, even if you do your best and it's still not enough.
It's afternoon. Which means the rowing-and-other-stuff lessons are out. The forest is always a place where I can be alone and forget the world around me. I look around. It's spring. The whole island is green with birds singing in the trees. Berk is really one of the best islands in the north. That's a problem too. There are many Viking clans out there which want to live on Berk. My Viking clan always has to defend this island. I look up to the sky. It will rain soon. I groan.
Suddenly, the ground under me disappears.