And here's the next chapter. I wasn't planning on posting today, but I decided, I probably should and keep my motivation going to get more of this done. I already have more things with this series in the works and hopefully everything will meet everyone's expectations. I did throw some Norse into this chapter. I don't know if it's the correct translation, but this is what I found and blame Google if it's wrong. I do the best I can with my research, not some half-baked job I know some of my former classmates used to do.
In the morning, they packed up to leave for Del.
"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" Hiccup asked the Topaz dragon.
"Yes," the Topaz dragon replied. "I am strong enough. Your brother wounded the creature greatly. It will not recover as quickly."
The Topaz dragon turned to Grim. "You are a fierce fighter, young human."
"You live with dragons for so long, you learn a few things," Grim said.
Deathshriek huffed. "More than a few."
Lief stepped up. "You know to call out to me if you need help. Del will always be open to you."
"I thank you for the offer, young king," said the Topaz dragon. "However, your people are not as kind to me."
They left for Del. Their pace was more subdued since they weren't in a race to get somewhere. They had pleasant, informal conversations that related to where they grew up. Hiccup was surprised to know that Lief grew up in a forge and Jasmine was amazed that Grim had lived in the wild with dragons for two years and knew so much about them.
They returned to the palace and landed in the courtyard. They were greeted by the guards who thought they were under attack before Barda came out roaring that they were not the enemy and only the travelers who had brought the king back to his palace.
Barda and the man with the scar, Doom, demanded to know everything that had happened. Lief and Jasmine told them they found the Topaz dragon and a false dragon resembling the Topaz dragon.
"It is wounded now," Grim told them. "The false beast will think twice before coming back for another fight."
Lief ordered that Hiccup, Grim, and their dragons be kept in the palace. They quickly saw a problem when Toothless and Deathshriek refused to leave their riders' sides. It was decided that the dragons would be allowed to sleep in the same chambers as their riders as long as they didn't cause trouble.
Hiccup and Grim made their way to the library with their dragons. They were told by Lief to find Marilen and she would tell them about the Belt of Deltora. They pushed the doors to the library open.
"Wow," breathed Hiccup.
The room was lined with shelves. Marble pillars led up to the arches of the ceiling. The ceiling was painted liked the great hall, but this one depicted a battle. Men and rainbow dragons were fighting the enemy together.
"This is beautiful," said Grim. "They respect these dragons greatly."
They found a young mother and her small baby. The baby was crying and the young mother was trying to quiet him.
Toothless hurried up to them, scaring the mother.
"It's okay!" Hiccup cried. "He's not going to hurt you. He just wants to see what all the fuss is about."
Toothless looked at the baby and cocked his head to the side. The baby looked up at him. Toothless cocked his head to the other side. He ducked his head down and brought it back up quickly with a gummy smile and a bark. The baby started giggling.
Hiccup laughed. "Look at that, you made a new friend."
"Toothless may not like small dragons, but he likes small humans," said Grim. "Especially when they start laughing. Are you Marilen? We were told to see you about information on the Belt of Deltora."
The woman turned to them. "I am Marilen. This is little Josef. You want to know about the Belt of Deltora?"
"Yes, King Lief said he would tell us about it when we helped him find the Topaz dragon, but he is busy now and told us to come to you," Grim answered.
"I can help with that." She gave the dragons a wary look. "They are not going to burn anything, are they?"
"No, they know better," said Grim.
"You already met Toothless," said Hiccup. "My name's Hiccup. This is my brother, Grim, and his dragon, Deathshriek."
"Do not let the name deceive you, my lady," said Grim. "He is very gentle."
Marilen put the baby in a basket. Deathshriek and Toothless lay on either side of the basket, Toothless continuing the game of peek-a-boo using his tail. She pulled an old worn book from one of the shelves. Its light blue cover was beginning to fall apart.
"I have not had the chance to repair this book yet," said Marilen. "Jarred had taken it from the library many years ago and then gave it to King Endon during the exile and King Endon gave it to his son, King Lief. Lief has memorized the book. It is why it is so worn, from all the reading."
"Thank you, Marilen," said Hiccup. "We'll take good care of it."
Hiccup and Grim sat at a table so they could watch their dragons.
"'The Belt of Deltora,'" Hiccup read aloud. "'Its history, its powers, and its magic.'"
With the book between them, they began to read.
"In ancient days, Deltora was divided into seven tribes. The tribes fought on their borders but otherwise stayed in their own place. Each had a gem from deep within the earth, a talisman with special powers.
"There came a time when the Enemy from the Shadowlands cast greedy eyes on Deltora. The tribes were divided, and singly none of them could repel the invader, who began to triumph.
"A hero called Adin rose from the ranks of the people. He was an ordinary man, a blacksmith who made swords and armor and shoes for horses. But he had been blessed with strength, courage, and cleverness.
"One night, Adin dreamed of a special and splendid belt - seven steel medallions beaten to the thinness of silk and connected together with fine chain. To each medallion was fixed one of the tribal gems.
"Realizing that the dream had been sent to him for a purpose, Adin worked in secret over many months to create a likeness of the belt he had been shown. Then he traveled around the kingdom to persuade each tribe to allow its talisman to be added to it.
"The tribes were at first suspicious and wary, but, one by one, desperate to save their land, they agreed. As each gem became part of the belt, its tribe grew stronger. But the people kept their strength secret, and bided their time.
"And when at last the belt was complete, Adin fastened it around his waist, and it flashed like the sun. Then all the tribes united behind him to form a great army, and together they drove the Enemy from their land.
"And so Adin became the first king of the united tribes of Deltora, and he ruled the land long and wisely. But he never forgot that he was a man of the people, and that their trust in him was the source of his power. Neither did he forget that the enemy, though defeated, was not destroyed. He knew that the Enemy is clever and sly, and that to its anger and envy a thousand years is like the blink of an eye. So he wore the belt, always and never let it out of his sight. . ."
They continued through the list of children and future kings and queens who forgot about the Enemy and the added notes of a man named Josef telling the fall of Deltora and its restoration under King Lief. There was more added by Marilen.
"Read about the Gems themselves," said Grim.
Hiccup flipped through the pages to find the information about the Gems.
Grim pointed to one section. "There. The Topaz."
"Well, we're in Topaz territory, so we might as well start with that one," Hiccup commented.
"The Topaz, symbol of faithfulness, is a powerful gem, and its strength increases as the moon grows full. The Topaz protects its wearer from the terrors of the night. It has the power to open doors to the spirit world. It strengthens and clears the mind, enabling the wearer to see through pretense and evil magic."
"'Pretense?'" said Hiccup.
Grim's eyes lit up. "It breaks illusions."
Hiccup shuddered. "The Belt is powerful. We only read about one Gem and that's what it does?" He let out a low whistle.
"Turn to the Amethyst and the Diamond," said Grim. "We met those dragons as well."
Hiccup searched the sections. "Here's the Diamond. I think I saw something on the Amethyst back a few paragraphs."
"Let's read about the Diamond first," said Grim, eager to learn more.
"The Diamond, symbol of innocence, purity, and strength. Diamonds give courage and strength, protection from pestilence and helps the cause of true love. But take heed of this warning: Diamonds gained by treachery or violence, or desired out of envy or greed, are ill omens, and bring bad fortune. Great evil comes upon those who gain them without honor."
"You could have used on to ward of that case of eel pox you had," Hiccup joked.
Grim gulped. "I prefer not to think about the curse."
"There's no such thing as curses," Hiccup laughed off. He saw Grim's serious face. "Is there?" he added uncertainly.
"You remember what happened to Dagur, don't you?" Grim asked. "I cursed him before he left Berk with Stoick."
"That was just Alvin getting his revenge," Hiccup said.
"Hiccup, do not joke about this," said Grim. "We saw the magic of the Belt. Those dragons have those powers as well. Be serious."
Hiccup put his hands up. "Okay, I will be." He smirked. "You could have used one for a certain princess."
Grim shoved Hiccup out of his chair.
"Okay, maybe not." Hiccup dusted himself off before sitting back down. "Now where did I see that part about the Amethyst?"
"The great Amethyst, symbol of truth, calms and soothes. It changes color in the presence of illness, loses color near poisoned food or drink, and guides the wearer towards sincerity, security, and peace of mind."
Hiccup went to the next page and stopped. It was about the Emerald. "Grim?"
"We have to know," said Grim. "Just because it reminds me of him, does not mean we can skip over it over selfishness."
Hiccup nodded.
"The Emerald, symbol of honor, dulls in the presence of evil, and when a vow is broken. It is a remedy for sores and ulcers, and an antidote to poison."
Grim chuckled. "And to think I named a dragon with poisonous spines Emerald."
Hiccup found the entry on the Ruby, whose border they had been close to.
"The great Ruby, symbol of happiness, red as blood, grows pale in the presence of evil, or when misfortune threatens its wearer. It words off evil spirits, and is an antidote to snake venom."
Hiccup turned to the entries about the Opal and Lapis Lazuli, whose entries were next to each other.
"The Opal, symbol of hope, shines with all the colors of the rainbow. It has the power to give glimpses of the future, and to aid those with weak sight. The Opal has a special relationship with the Lapis Lazuli."
"The Lapis Lazuli, the heavenly stone, is the symbol of good fortune, brings good luck and has an affiliation with the Opal."
"Doesn't really say how they're related to each other," said Hiccup.
Grim thought for a moment. "I guess if you know what is going to happen, you need the good fortune for it to happen the way you see it or find a way to change it."
Hiccup nodded. He could understand that.
It was later in the day when Grim found the training grounds and was practicing his archery. He had improved since his brief lessons in Scotland. Personally, he felt he was still a better shot with his sling.
Grim sensed someone coming up behind him as he readied to fire another arrow.
"Would you care to share lunch with me, young lord?"
Grim jumped and his arrow flew off course. Luckily for anyone on the other side of the target, if there was anyone, the arrow hit the outer ring. It was not that the person had startled him or the fact that it was the woman he had seen Lief with prior to leaving to help the Topaz dragon since he was aware that someone had been behind him, but her question. Or at least the way she had addressed him.
Grim turned. "What did you call me?"
"I called you 'young lord,'" said the woman. "You are a lord, are you not? You know archery. Only noble blood knows archery."
"Perhaps only noble blood in your lands," said Grim. "We know how to use crossbows on Berk."
"Yes, but you are not using a crossbow," the woman pointed out.
"Crossbows have more power," said Grim. "Longer range, more force to pierce."
The woman nodded.
"You are the king's mother, are you not?" Grim asked.
"Yes, I am Sharn," she replied.
Grim bowed. "Grim Frosti of Berk, my lady."
Sharn smiled softly. "You helped my son. You do not need to be so formal."
Grim only nodded.
"Come," said Sharn. "Let us have lunch and you can tell me where you are from."
Grim put his bow away and went to the kitchen with Sharn. The cook made them a quick meal that was a small bowl of soup, a sweet roll, and cheese.
"What is Berk like?" Sharn asked.
"It is an island far north of here," Grim replied. "It is very cold and snows most of the year, hails the rest of it. This is very warm weather for Hiccup and I."
"I should see if I can find some lighter clothes in your size," said Sharn. "I still have some of Lief's old things packed away. Your brother may be able to fit into them better than you would."
"You do not need to supply me with clothes, my lady," said Grim.
"What did we talk about?" Sharn asked with a scolding look.
"Forgive me. . . Sharn," said Grim. It felt weird to him addressing a noble lady by her first name and not her title.
Sharn smiled. "This is an informal lunch, an informal questioning, so you can just call me by my name. Does everyone on Berk have their own dragon?"
"No," replied Grim. "Dragons are plentiful if you know where to look, but not everyone has taken to training them. Hiccup leads the Dragon Training Academy and the riders. We are the first line of defense against invasion."
"Is invasion a problem?" asked Sharn.
"Not so much now," Grim said. "For three hundred years, Berk's greatest problem was the dragons. Now, thanks to Hiccup, we are living peacefully with them. As for other tribes, we recently had another tribe ally themselves with us and take down a competing tribe after their chief kidnapped ours. It did not end pleasantly for him." Grim could easily picture Dagur locked up in an Outcast prison for what he did to Alvin.
"Sounds exciting," Sharn said. "What do you do on your island? Do you have an apprenticeship?"
"I make clothes from dragon scales," said Grim. "All dragons shed their scales and claws. I take those and turn them into clothes. I trade with merchant who visits the island regularly. Hiccup is also a blacksmith and an inventor."
"Your island must be very rich, indeed," said Sharn.
"Tell me about Deltora," said Grim.
Sharn leaned back in her chair. "Deltora was originally known as the Land of Dragons and the dragons were plentiful. The Land of Dragons was only an island, but one day the sea to the north boiled and up came the land, marrying the Land of Dragons and what is now known as The Shadowlands. When the land stopped changing, each of the seven tribes found a great gem and they became the talismans of the tribes. Later, Adin joined the tribes by collecting the seven talismans and they make up the Belt of Deltora."
"The Great Gems are the seven hearts of the land," said Grim.
"Yes, I suppose they would be," said Sharn.
Grim thought about his dream. He now knew what the seven hearts, seven shadows, and seven fires were, but he had to wonder who was behind all this. From what he knew, magic didn't make decisions itself.
Hiccup found his way down to the stables. He wasn't used to seeing horses, but he wanted to draw some pictures so he could show the others back home what they looked like. Sure they saw the Scottish princess's horse, but that was from a distance.
Hiccup took out his journal and sat up on the stall and began drawing a chestnut colored horse. He was startled when something bit him in the shoulder.
"Ow!" Hiccup fell off the stall he was sitting on and into a pile of straw. He looked up and saw that the stall he was sitting on wasn't unoccupied. A golden horse with white mane and tail whickered at him. "Very funny."
"I do not think Honey likes you." The small voice belonged to a small boy about Gustav's age. He had dark hair and dark eyes.
"I kinda figured that," Hiccup said, picking himself up and dusting himself off. He retrieved his journal.
"Do you like horses?" the boy asked.
"I don't know," said Hiccup. "We don't have horses on Berk. It's too cold for them."
"Then how do you get around?" the boy asked. "On foot?"
"By ship," Hiccup replied. "Berk is an island. You can walk to most places. We only have one village. If we need to get somewhere in a hurry, we have the dragons."
The boy's dark eyes lit up. "You are one of the two dragon riders!"
"Yep, that's me," Hiccup replied. "Hiccup the dragon rider."
"My name is Zerry," said the boy. "I am the stable assistant."
"Sounds like fun," said Hiccup. "I bet you know a lot about horses."
Zerry nodded. "I bet you know a lot about dragons."
"Well, I don't want to brag," said Hiccup. "I got to see your horses. Do you want to see my dragon?"
Zerry was hesitant. "The last dragon I met threatened to kill me. If it were not for the king, I would be dead. Then again, if I never met the king, I would still be with the Masked Ones and would not have stolen the Belt."
"You stole the Belt of Deltora?" asked Hiccup.
"Picked it right off of King Lief's waist," Zerry said somewhat proudly.
"Remind me to watch out for you," Hiccup said. "I can understand why the dragon would have been angry. Toothless is okay. He won't hurt you."
Hiccup and Zerry went outside and found Toothless basking not too far away.
"Toothless," Hiccup called.
Toothless got up and marched over to Hiccup. He turned to the boy hiding behind Hiccup.
"This is Zerry," said Hiccup. "Say hello, Zerry."
"H-hello," stuttered Zerry.
Toothless sniffed Zerry before licking his face once.
"He likes you," Hiccup said with a smile.
Zerry wiped some of the dragon drool off his face. "He is not so bad."
"Many dragons aren't," said Hiccup. "I'm not so sure about Deltoran dragons, but the dragons in the archipelago where we live are friendly once you get to know them."
A heavy thud alerted them to another dragon.
Zerry yelped and scrambled behind Hiccup again.
Hiccup pushed him back out. "It's just Deathshriek. That's the dragon my brother rides."
Deathshriek lay down where he was and waited for the boy to come to him.
"Bad experiences with dragons from what I heard," Toothless explained.
"Understandable. But he certainly an adorable thing. Reminds me of Gustav," Deathshriek told Toothless.
"You can go touch him," Hiccup said to Zerry. "Deathshriek's nice. You gotta ignore the scary name. He can be scary in a fight."
Zerry slowly walked over to Deathshriek. Deathshriek watched with gentle eyes as Zerry got closer. When he was close enough, Deathshriek swept his tail around and pulled Zerry closer to him.
"A bond begins and ends with trust," Hiccup told Zerry.
Zerry stared at Deathshriek, too scared to move.
Deathshriek purred and pushed his nose against Zerry's chest.
"See? He likes you, too," said Hiccup.
Zerry rubbed Deathshriek's head and laughed.
Grim found himself back in the library. He didn't know what he was doing back here since he didn't want to be indoors. A book caught his eyes. It was titled "Secrets of Deltora." Grim pulled it off the shelf and began reading. It was written by someone named Doran the Dragonlover.
Grim smiled and started on the chapter about the creatures of the Topaz Territory.
"There you are," Hiccup called.
Grim looked up. He was currently on the chapter of the Amethyst Territory.
"What are you reading?" Hiccup asked.
Grim held up the book. "It was written by Doran the Dragonlover. It is a guide to Deltora."
"Can I read it after you?" Hiccup asked.
"Yes," replied Grim. "I'm almost finished with it. Did you need me?"
Hiccup smiled. "It's suppertime."
Grim looked out the window and saw the sun was all but set and how dim the library had become since he began. "So it is."
Hiccup and Grim had dinner with Lief and the others. Toothless and Deathshriek were told they had to eat outside. Both dragons were hardly pleased, but Deathshriek went down to the docks and went fishing for the both of them.
"We are preparing to go to the city of Broome," Lief said. "The other dragons need to be found and informed of what is happening. The Ruby dragon is the closest to Del."
"Can't you get in touch with them through the Belt?" asked Hiccup. "You did it with the Topaz dragon."
"I can, but I wish to do it face to face," said Lief.
"Lief, you cannot go gallivanting off around Deltora again," said Sharn. "You are needed here."
"We can take Toothless and Deathshriek," said Hiccup. "We'll be around Deltora before you know it."
Lief shook his head. "The dragons will sense them invading their lands and attack. The Amethyst dragon and Diamond dragon had to worry about the false dragons and the Topaz dragon was already injured. It is a miracle you have not been attacked by them."
"I'm not leaving Toothless behind," Hiccup told them.
"We won't be," Grim assured Hiccup. "The Topaz dragon already knows we are here. Could we not get as close to the Ruby border as possible and have Toothless and Deathshriek wait there? After you meet with the Ruby dragon, we can call Toothless and Deathshriek to us."
"Broome is still far from where the border of the Topaz and Ruby is," said Barda.
"If I call loud enough, Deathshriek will hear me," said Grim.
Hiccup nodded. "Toothless has good hearing. He's always been able to find me."
"There are only two dragons," said Barda. "I will not be left behind again."
"Can the dragons follow us?" Lief asked them.
"Deathshriek can, easily," said Grim.
"Toothless needs rider to work his tailfin," Hiccup said. "If there's a forge nearby, I can rework the mechanism so he can work it independently."
"There is a forge you can use," said Sharn. "It is Adin's forge and it has sat empty for a couple years, but it is in good repair."
"After we warn the Ruby dragon, we will go to the Plains and seek the Opal dragon," Lief continued. "Then to the Mere and then to Dread Mountain."
"We should see the Amethyst and Diamond dragons," said Grim. "The Amethyst dragon was injured. I want to see how he is healing."
"So if we're not taking the dragons, how are we getting there?" Hiccup asked. "Walking?"
"We will take horses," Barda said, like Hiccup was a small child.
"That's great for you, but some of us don't know how to ride," Hiccup pointed out.
"It is not very hard," Jasmine said. "I had to learn not long ago."
Grim reached over and put his hand on Hiccup's shoulder. "I know how to ride. I'll teach you."
Hiccup gave one of his nervous smiles. "No offense, Grim, but you haven't been on a horse in a while."
"It's like flying," Grim said. "You never forget."
"I hate this," Hiccup said.
The morning brought a problem that Grim hadn't thought of. Hiccup's prosthetic would not fit in the stirrup and he risked hurting the horse he was riding when he gave it a kick to go.
"I'm sorry," Grim said. "I did not think of this."
"It's not your fault," said Hiccup. "How could've you known? Maybe I should just work on Toothless' tailfin."
"You do that," said Grim. "I will come up with something."
Hiccup nodded and went to the forge.
Toothless curled up outside of the forge while Hiccup worked. Hiccup had taken off his tailfin and saddle to work on its modifications.
Toothless perked up his ear fins and lifted his head. He growled a warning. It was the man with the scar, Doom.
Hiccup heard Toothless growl and looked up from what he was doing.
"What are you working on?" Doom asked.
"A special tailfin for Toothless," Hiccup replied. "I have to make it so he can operate it himself when I'm not around."
Doom came closer to inspect the work.
Toothless growled more, getting up to pounce on Doom.
"Easy, bud," Hiccup said. "He doesn't like you," he said to Doom.
"I can tell," Doom said, moving around Toothless to get a better look at what Hiccup was doing. "What are you exactly trying to make?"
Hiccup showed Doom the quick drawing he made with his measurements. "I made one similar before. I know it can be done like this. I need to make the gears, but I haven't made a way switch it from my pedal to independent mode."
"You will need some sort of lever to engage the tailfin," said Doom.
"I know, but I don't know how to connect it," Hiccup said.
The two of them began brainstorming ideas for Toothless' new tailfin.
Grim was looking at a map of Deltora. To get to their first destination, Broome, they would take The Coast Road northeast. If they could not find the Ruby dragon, they would go to Raladin by cutting through the Forest of Silence's End Wood, the safest of the three sections of forest. Grim hoped that they would not have to do such a thing. He knew it wasn't going to be an easy task to call for their dragons if they were in Broome and Toothless and Deathshriek were at the border.
Grim assured himself that it could be done. Toothless' hearing was excellent. He wasn't sure what condition his voice would be in afterwards.
There was a soft knock. Lief was standing in the doorway.
"Your highness," Grim said with a bow of his head.
"I thought I would find you in here," said Lief. He saw the map Grim was looking at. "I see you are becoming acquainted with Deltora's geography."
"As well as its lore," Grim added. "I read about Doran the Dragonlover."
Lief gave a small fond smile. "Deltora's greatest explorer and a friend to dragons. The dragons call him Dragonfriend. He was said to be a man of the people with no affiliation to a single tribe."
"I understand dragons can sense a person born in their territory," Grim said. "And foreigners are able to be drawn to a dragon tribe."
"Doran wrote it, but no one truly knows," Lief admitted. "We only began having ships come to our ports from other lands in the past months. Before then, the people feared the dragons."
"I do not blame them," said Grim. "People fear what they do not understand. It was like that on Berk until not long ago. We are at peace with dragons now and they live among us."
"If only it could be true in Deltora," said Lief.
"It can be," Grim said. "You are king here. You have more power over these people than Hiccup and I do. They will listen to you."
Lief smiled at the thought about the people and dragons living in peace.
Grim turned back to the map. "I am mapping our route. We will not be able to get everywhere on the dragons. After Broome, where are we going next?"
"If we find the Ruby dragon, we will stop in Raladin," said Lief. "They are friends and I wish to inform them of the situation. Afterwards, we will stop in D'Or before we cross into the Opal territory. I hope we will run into a friend on his travels."
"A trader?" asked Grim.
Lief nodded. "He was part of the Resistance during the time of the Shadowlord and he and his brother helped fight against him in the last battle. He is an old friend of Doom's."
Grim hummed. "Most do not argue with traders. We have used the help of ours to get us out of situations."
"After we find the Opal dragon, we will move on to the Mere," Lief said. "The Lapis Lazuli dragon has its den in The Funnel near the Lapis Lazuli-Emerald border. We will need to send Kree to the Dread Gnomes before we try to climb Dread Mountain."
"I take it the Dread Gnomes are not fond of visitors," Grim said.
"They are very wary of outsiders," Lief said.
Grim nodded.
"How long do you think it will take for Hiccup to make the tailfin for Toothless?" Lief asked. "We need to leave as soon as possible."
"Understood," said Grim. "Toothless' tailfin was damaged when we were caught in the storm that brought us here. Hiccup could not fix it so it was reliable with what we had. He will need to make a completely new tailfin. If Hiccup works all night, it shouldn't take him more than a couple days. He has done something similar to this before."
"We cannot wait long," said Lief.
"If you believe it will take too much time, I can go with you and Hiccup and Toothless can catch up to us when the tailfin is complete," Grim suggested.
"No, I want all of us to stay together," Lief said.
Several hours later, Hiccup completed the new tailfin with the help of Doom. He attached it to Toothless' tail. Toothless grumbled.
"I know, bud, you hate this," said Hiccup.
Toothless grumbled in agreement and nodded firmly.
Doom only watched the exchange between the two.
"Okay," said Hiccup. "The only thing we need to do yet is test it. If we're lucky, we can be on our way to Broome tomorrow."
"And how are you going to test it?" asked Doom.
"By flying of course," said Hiccup. "We'll fly around Del and come back."
Hiccup jumped on to Toothless' back. "We shouldn't be too long."
Toothless didn't wait for Hiccup to say something else and launched them into the sky. He could feel Hiccup working the prosthetic at the moment as they flew high and around the city.
"You ready, bud?" asked Hiccup.
"If you must," said Toothless.
Hiccup had rigged the new saddle with a lever. He pulled it, sliding the mechanism that controlled the prosthetic by Hiccup's foot pedal to the gears that controlled the prosthetic by Toothless' good tailfin.
"Tailfin?" Hiccup asked, turning around.
Toothless flexed his tailfin and the prosthetic mimicked the movement.
"Okay, bud, go for it," Hiccup urged.
Toothless banked to the ocean. He dove down and snatched a fish out of the water.
"Hungry, bud?" Hiccup asked.
Toothless swallowed the fish. He let out a series of warbles. He made a swallowing sound.
Hiccup frowned. "What?"
Toothless shook his head.
"Food?" Hiccup guessed.
Toothless barked the affirmative.
"Deathshriek can get his own fish," Hiccup said. "Unless you want to pay him back for earlier."
Toothless shook his head. He wasn't sure how to get across what he was saying without Grim to translate.
"Or are you thinking about taking fish to the Topaz dragon?" Hiccup tried.
Toothless let out a cheer and a laugh.
Hiccup rubbed Toothless' head. "That's a great idea, bud. We can test your new tailfin under more rigorous conditions."
Hiccup managed to find a large basket to hold their catch and Toothless proceeded to fill the basket with tasty fish.
"Now all we have to do is take this to the Topaz dragon," said Hiccup.
Hiccup secured the basket and they flew off to Os-Mine Hills.
They easily found the Topaz dragon's lair. Toothless landed and poked his head down the hole and called to the Topaz dragon.
"You have returned?" the Topaz dragon called, moving to see who was at his lair.
"And come with lunch!" Hiccup called, hauling the basket behind him. "It's probably not enough if you're really hungry, but every little bit helps."
The Topaz dragon eyed the basket. "You brought food? Do you not think I am able to hunt for myself?" He was a bit offended.
Toothless growled before Hiccup could answer. "It was my idea. It saves you the trouble of hunting while you heal. I don't know how you Deltora dragons do it, but dragons where we're from look out for each other."
Hiccup could see Toothless knew what he was doing and decided not to say anything.
The Topaz dragon tipped the basket over and ate the fish he was given.
Hiccup took the time to observe how his injuries were healing. They were closed and scales were ready to cover them. "You're healing quickly. I remember Toothless taking a spine from a Whispering Death and it was only a little stiff later that evening."
The Topaz dragon lifted his head from his fish. "Do you mind? I am eating."
"Oh, sorry," Hiccup said. He was quiet until the Topaz dragon finished his meal.
The Topaz dragon put the lid back on the basket when he was finished with his talons. "Thank you for the fish, boy."
"It's Hiccup. My name is Hiccup."
"You are giving me power over you. . . Hiccup," said the Topaz dragon.
"No worries there," said Hiccup. "Hiccup's not so much a name as it is an insult. I've always been small and not much of a Viking, but I'm smart and came up with all sorts of inventions. Eventually I got over being a 'useless fishbone' and now I'm the head of the Dragon Academy of Berk. Quite a step up in my opinion."
"I would certainly say so," said the Topaz dragon. "Is this the only reason you came to Os-Mine? To bring me food?"
"We had to test Toothless' new tailfin," Hiccup replied.
Toothless held his tail up to show it off, but he wasn't as proud of it as his other tailfins.
The Topaz dragon examined the tailfin. "You do not appear pleased with it."
"Hiccup has been my left tailfin since I lost it when I was shot down," said Toothless. "It doesn't feel right without him on my back."
"Ah, you have bonded," said the Topaz dragon.
"We're inseparable," Hiccup said, batting playfully at Toothless' head.
"You bet we are!" agreed Toothless.
The Topaz dragon hummed, a bass sound that reverberated around the cave. "Would help any dragon in need?"
"We do it all the time," replied Hiccup. "Why?"
"You remind me of someone I knew a long time ago," the Topaz dragon said. "You and your brother. I have told your brother such. I am certain Dragonfriend would have loved you both if he were still alive."
Hiccup smiled. "Did you just ask that to see if I'm like Dragonfriend?"
The Topaz dragon snorted. "Hardly. I said you reminded me of him. I did not say you were like him."
"I'll help any dragon in need," Hiccup said earnestly. "Even before I knew what they were really like, I helped Toothless. I didn't think about helping you, only about what I had to do to help. Is it that hard to think a human would help you, Tru?"
"It is," replied the Topaz dragon. "Humans do not often seek out our company or our friendship." He frowned. "Tru?"
"It's 'faith' in Norse," replied Hiccup.
"Your brother called me Creideamh," the Topaz dragon told him. "He said it also means 'faith'."
"I wish he would speak Irish more often," Hiccup said. "It's nice to listen to."
"Then how do you say truth in Norse?" asked the Topaz dragon.
"Sannindi," Hiccup replied.
The Topaz dragon hummed again. "You best return to your brother. He will worry if you are gone too long."
"Yeah," said Hiccup. "I'll see you later, Tru!"
And how are we liking things? I've had a few reviews, but I need to hear from you to see how good of a job I'm doing. Is this series going to be worth more installments in the future and what would you like to see? I'm taking everything into account and am trying to make this my biggest series since Light and Shadow in the Code: LYOKO section.