Hello, everyone. I posted chapter 9 back on 8/23 and it only received six views. I found this to be very discouraging, especially considering that I have asked for reviews and have hardly received anything (the few that made then, I thank you). But then I realized that not long after posting it, there was a deluge of chapters from other people and my story got shoved off the front page and buried. That made me feel less discouraged, so I am just going to keep on truckin'. If you have not read chapter nine, yet, please be sure to read it as this chapter is a direct continuation.

Withour further adu, Here is Chapter 10:

I neither own nor claim any rights to "How to Train Your Dragon"

Jarin and the Riders of Berk
Chapter 10 – Out and About

Astrid knew she had to look ridiculous with her eyes wide and mouth hanging open. Hiccup had just asked her if she would be his wife! She had to give an answer, but the question was overwhelming. She stood up and turned her back to him, staring out to sea, her mind racing.

She looked back on her relationship with Hiccup, in every form that it hat taken since they were children together. She vaguely remembered playing together, before any thought of his not fitting in with typical Viking society even surfaced. He was just Hiccup, and he was fun to play with. She remembered the day when some of the other kids were picking on Hiccup and how their words painted a picture of his weirdness and nonconformity, and how she actually embraced the mean spirit of it. She never actually participated in the abuse, but her passiveness made her just as guilty as the others. She remembered being impressed with Hiccup's skill as a blacksmith's apprentice. He may not have been able to wield weapons, but he knew how to make and repair them. She remembered thinking how he at least fit in in that regard. And he had a nice smile and on the rare occasions when their eyes met, she felt a warmth in her soul. But she was training to be a warrior and she couldn't afford to think that way about someone who could not defend himself much less defend the village.

She then remembered the rage she began feeling towards Hiccup as he became more and more obsessed with wanting to kill dragons, and making all those weird contraptions that always ended up causing damage that she and the others had to fix in the aftermath. He began to make her sick just to look at him, except for the rare occasions when their eyes would randomly meet and suddenly rage faded to warmth. It had to be Loki playing tricks on her. That had to be it. Loki was putting on a puppet show, and Hiccup was the star attraction. Loki could do what he wanted with the creep, so long as he left her out of it.

Then she remembered when Hiccup joined her and the others in Dragon Training, and she just KNEW that Loki had heard her thoughts and had decided to bring her fully into his little game. Especially when Hiccup began showing her and everyone else up in the challenges. He never actually hurt any of the dragons, but was managing to win against them at every turn. Where in the name of Thor was he getting this skill from. He had to be cheating somehow, and she was determined to prove it.

She remembered learning the truth and was on the way to reveal it to the others, when Hiccup and that damnable Night Fury he had somehow managed to befriend—how can someone as useless as Hiccup managed to befriend the most dangerous dragon they had ever known?—snatched her into the sky and dumped her at the top of a tree. He begged to her to let him explain, but she was not going to have it. If you are a friend of the enemy, then you are an enemy, too. But then their eyes had met, and there was that feeling of warmth again. He asked to let him show her. His words did not convince her, but his eyes did. And while the ride on the Night Fury's back started out as terrifying as she just knew it would, the moment she told Hiccup that she was sorry, it quickly turned into the most beautiful, peaceful and joyous experiences she had ever had. And Hiccup was the center of that, as he guided the dragon through the air.

She remembered how wonderful it was when she saw him in a new light. No, he didn't do any of the things that other Vikings had done for generations. But here he was doing things that no Viking had ever done, to her knowledge. He not only befriended a Night Fury, but he was also riding it. If you had control of a creature that could fly faster than any other dragon, capable of wielding firepower that had yet to be measured other than in its level of destruction, you don't need to be able to wield an axe, and it did not matter how big you were or how strong. Hiccup was a force to be reckoned with, now. He scared her. He could take revenge for all the mistreatment he had endured throughout all the years. He could even stand up to Stoick and seize control of Berk if he wanted to. But no. This was Hiccup. She could not ever see him actually doing those things. So she put aside fear and replaced it with respect.

She remembered all the times he had seemed to always be there. Never close, but always present. And it suddenly made sense. He liked her. He wanted to do things to impress her. He just wanted her to see some worth in him. And she had ignored him repeatedly. Not any more. She could not ignore this brave boy who rode a dragon. She remembered wrapping her arms around him and feeling that warmth wrap itself around her heart, mind and soul. And she felt his tension relax.

Then of course, together they had learned the secret behind the dragon raids, and what the real enemy was.

She remembered the joy of bonding with her own dragon, her dear sweet Stormfly, and the amazing experience of all of them flying into battle which would change the destiny of dragon-kind and Vikings alike. Hiccup gave orders with confidence and clarity, and she realized that he was a capable leader. He just needed an opportunity to shine.

She remembered the horror of the thought that Hiccup might have died, and the joy of learning that he had survived. She had cried when she watched his dragon lay its head near the stump of his left leg and make sounds that she was somehow sure was an apology. And she knew deep down that he deserved and apology from her. For everything. Pride kept her from making it, though. The respect and admiration and even affection remained, and she acted on those feelings towards him from the moment he woke up from his coma, to this very day.

Presently, she became aware that he was still behind her, waiting for a response to his question. THE question. She turn to regard him, and their eyes met. There was that warmth in her soul again. How can she answer. She opened her mouth to speak...

"Hiccup," she said. "I want you to know that I am sorry. For everything I ever did that may have hurt you, and for every thought I ever had about you that painted you in my mind as anyone other than the caring, brave and wonderful person I am blessed to know you to be.

"but," she said with a sigh. "I am also sorry to tell you that I cannot be your wife."

The hurt on his face struck her heart like Thor's hammer, and she knew she had to continue.

"Not yet, anyway." she said, and saw his eyes brighten with hope, "I'm just not ready, Hiccup. We both know that you will follow your father as Chief, someday. And we both know that you don't want to be tied to that yet. It's the same way with me. I really love the thought of sharing my life with you, as your wife. But for now, there is so much that I want to do. I am just not ready to settle down."

She watched him nod his head, his eyes still bright with hope, "I love you," he said. "I always have. I always will. And however long it takes for you to be ready, I will gladly wait. You have my heart, Astrid."

He would wait for her? Not knowing how long it might take? Most Viking men were impatient to the core. But not Hiccup. Just as he had endured the hateful behavior of the rest of the village and had held onto himself, he would also endure having her and not having her at the same time. He was a truly gentle man. MAN, not boy. Her man.

"I love you, too, Hiccup," she said. "My heart is yours and no other's. I will be your wife when the time is right. Just as you will be Chief one day."

He opened his mouth to reply, but before he could say a word, she stepped forward, embraced him gently, and kissed him slowly and lovingly. They held each other for what seemed like hours, but the fact that the fire was still crackling with small flames indicated that it was only a few minutes. They turned and saw their dragons watching them with curiosity.

"What are YOU looking at?" they both asked their respective dragon at the same time. Toothless and Stormfly looked at each other, and both made noises that Astrid was sure had to be laughter. She felt like laughing as well. This evening had turned out to be wonderful. A good meal prepared by a good man who had only good intentions. The joke is on you, Loki, she thought.

Hiccup stoked the fire again and they sat down next to it, their arms around each other, enjoying the warmth on their skin and in their hearts. After about an hour, they gathered up their belongings and returned to Berk, not caring who might have seen them together.

O O O

Several days had passed since Shadowhorn had moved into the shade room. Each day afterward, Jarin had come to take him out into the training yard to walk him, strengthening his legs. It was hard at first, just walking to the center of the yard and back causing his heart to pound and his lungs to feel like they would burst, and the pain in his muscles felt like torture. But he knew from Jarin's mind the truth that while it hurt now, it would get better and he would become stronger and soon would not think anything of the exercise.

Jarin was right. Yesterday he completed his tenth circle around the yard, his breathing labored but steady, his heart beating quickly but evenly. He was hungry and thirsty but he was not starving and his throat was not parched. He felt like a new dragon. The last scabs from the wounds all over his back and sides where the scales had been stripped away had fallen off at some point within the last two days. The scars looked horrible, but there were no longer any open sores. Jarin insisted on still spreading that awful-tasting goop on his hide. He would not lick himself with it on him. Jarin explained what he already knew, that without the fireproof scales, if he had the ability to set himself on fire, he would likely burn himself to death. This frustrated him to no end. He had lost two of his best defenses. And he would never regain them.

Jarin tried to explain that Hiccup was working on something that might help, the way he had helped Toothless. The idea of wrapping something around his body seemed foreign to him, and he wasn't sure how it would help. But if he could restore the ability of flight to a downed dragon, then he could probably come up with a solution. Jarin explained that such a body wrap could not be applied for a while. It may chafe and reopen flesh wounds that while closed and scarred, were still sensitive. It made sense. He was going to have to be patient.

Jarin arrived, checked him over and made sure he had food and water, then he stepped in front of him and extended his hand, palm outward. Shadowhorn stretched forward, eyes closed, and rested his snout against Jarin's hand. "Good morning," he said, though he knew his two-leg would only hear it as a contented grunt. He wished there was a way for two-legs to understand Dragon Speech. But even so, Jarin seemed to understand him well enough.

"Good morning to you, too," Jarin said. "We're not walking around the training yard today, my friend."

Shadowhorn felt disappointed. He loved walking around the training yard with Jarin. It gave him time to consider their togetherness and how it will shape his life, going forward. He snorted.

"Don't think that means you get an easy day, friend," Jarin said with that mental sensation of humor. "We're taking a walk into Berk today."

A wave of joy washed over him. He was going to get to see where the two-legs went to at night and where the rest of them did whatever they did during the day. He was going to get to meet other dragons who lived there. He was going to be able to see this wondrous place that had welcomed him so lovingly. This would be the best day he could remember having. He nuzzled Jarin in the chest and licked the two-leg's face.

They took it slow and easy, resting periodically. The village was a bigger than he imagined it would be, and there were more two-legs than he expected. And they were doing all sorts of odd but amazing things. He took great interest in what the one called Gobber was doing, fashioning a thin metal stick and attaching it to what looked like Toothless' tail fin. "See?" Jarin said. "A piece broke on Toothless' fin, and Gobber's fixing it."

Shadowhorn looked around for Toothless but couldn't find him. He was probably off with Hiccup somewhere, doing important things.

A two-leg child approached him and said "hello."

He looked at the little girl and back to Jarin. "Hold out your hand, with your palm towards him," Jarin said.

the little girl did as instructed, and Shadowhorn rested his snout in the tiny palm. The girl smiled, and his heart was happy. Then the girl frowned as she looked towards his back and side. Tears formed in her eyes and she sniffed. "Poor dragon." Shadowhorn was overcome with the feeling of love and sadness intermingled coming from the tiny, pure heart and mind of this child. These two-legs were raised to care.

"Don't cry, Jenna," Jarin said. "He's doing so much better now. As bad as the scars look, it is nothing compared to how it was when he came to us."

The girl sniffed and nodded. Then she did something Shadowhorn did not expect. She stepped up and wrapped her arms gently around his neck. "Thank you for caring, little one," he said, which came out as low rumbling purr.

They continued their walk, and the more he saw of Berk and its people, the more he came to appreciate the differences from the life he had know in captivity. He wondered if the Despised Ones lived lives similar to this in their own village. Were they all cruel-hearted, or was it just the ones who regularly tormented him. Their leader was as vile as the one called Stoick the Vast was just. Stoick's people were kind and generous. So it was not hard to imagine that the Vile Leader's people were cruel and hateful. But then, cruel and hateful were characteristics he attributed to all two-legs until so recently.

As they started back to the academy after a couple of hours, the passed a group of spinetails and rockeaters who were conversing. They saw him and one of the spinetails approached.

"Good Day, Shadowhorn," she said. "I'm Skydancer. We were just talking about you. We're glad that you are out and about and on the mend. When you are able, you must come fishing with us."

What a nice thought. "Thank you, Skydancer. I'm getting stronger by the day. Hopefully, it will soon be safe enough for me to come and go without being escorted. I'll gladly find you and the others when that happens."

"Excellent," Skydancer replied. She turned back to the others. "He said he'll come fishing with us when he's able." The others voiced their pleasure at the news.

Indeed, life among the people and dragons of Berk would not be bad at all.

O O O

It had been a good walk, and Shadowhorn had done so well. It was wonderful seeing him and the villagers interacting with each other. Especially little Jenna. That girl had been through so much over the years, having lost both parents in a dragon raid and now living with an aunt and uncle whose farmland he used to work before becoming a dragon trainer. She was like a little sister to him. And in spite of her losses, she held no anger in her heart. Probably because she was too young to remember the tragedy when it happened.

Jarin had Shadowhorn back in the shade room and lathered down with the healing salve and was in the process of cleaning up to go into town for a late lunch, when Astrid called his name. He turned to face her.

"I need you to go down to the docks to the fishmonger with this order," she said, handing him a rolled up sheet of paper. "I've got everyone else assigned tasks that need to be done, so if you could take care of it, I'd appreciate it,"

He nodded his head and stuffed the sheet inside his tunic. "I'm on it."

"Thanks," she said with a curt nod in return.

He could have ridden a dragon down to the docks, but he was really in a mood to take his time. The Fishmonger would not have the order ready until tomorrow, regardless of how quickly he delivered the order. He wandered the streets making his way to the ramps leading down to the waterfront. The trek to the fishmonger was uneventful, but as he turned to make his way back, his eyes settled on a very beautiful woman leaving a ship that had just tied off at the dock. She was looking around with eyes wide with wonder as a Zippleback soared overhead to land on an outcropping on the cliff side. Clearly she had never seen dragon behavior like that before. He walked up to her as she continued to stare.

"Magnificent aren't they?" he asked, referring to the zippleback in the plural.

She jumped at the sound of his voice and turned towards him, hands going up in a position that could either be defensive or offensive, whichever the occasion called for.

"Woah," Jarin said, taking a step back. "Didn't mean to scare you."

She took a hard look at him, and clearly decided that he wasn't a threat. "Sorry," she said with a slightly embarrassed smile.

"It's quite alright," he said. "I just noticed you watching the Zippleback settle down for a nap on the cliff"

She looked back up at the dragon and saw that it indeed was hunkered down, its heads resting its chins on the ground.

Jarin saw her mouth hanging open again. "Never seen a Zippleback behave this way?"

She shook her head. "No. I've never seen one that isn't attacking. Those people are walking so close to it. Don't they know how dangerous that thing is?"

Jarin laughed. "Welcome to Berk. Our conflict with the dragons is over. The son of our chief brought an end to it. And we've been prospering ever since."

Suddenly, a flock of Nadders in a V formation flew overhead, each with a rider on its back, of course, the lead rider was Astrid.

"Thor in a thunderstorm!" the woman said. "That was incredible. And the girl in the lead... She seems so young."

Jarin smiled. "That she is. That's Astrid Hofferson, Senior trainer at the Berk Dragon Academy. She specializes in Nadders. I myself help out with the Monstrous Nightmares."

It was her turn to step back. "You... Train... Nightmares?" She looked as if she were going to be sick from shock.

"Yes, indeed," he answered. "Once you learn how to get on their good side, they're really quite gentle."

She cocked her head to the side, as if trying to figure out if he was actually being serious. "And how do you do that?"

"Well, for starters," he said. "You make it a point not to provoke them, and you let them SEE you making that point."

She swallowed hard. Apparently, this was a lot for her to take in.

"Where are my manners?" he said. "My name is Jarin." He extended his hand in greeting.

"Tarina," she said, accepting it.

"Do you have a place to stay, Tarina?" Jarin asked.

She looked at him with suspicion. "No," she answered, but the word came out sounding like a question.

"I can do something about that," he offered. "We don't get many visitors, but we do have some houses that have been built for the purpose. I can help you get settled into one. And there's always plenty to eat at the Great Hall."

She gave him a relieved smile. She probably suspected that he was going to suggest that she stay with him. Of course, he would love to have her stay with him, but she was a stranger. A beautiful stranger, sure. But he always prided himself on being a gentleman, and he had no intention of breaking personal tradition now. Maybe she would stay in Berk for a while, and if so, there would be plenty of time for them to get to know each other. After that, who knows?

"Thank you," she replied.

Jarin made arrangement with some dock hands to see her belongings delivered to her guest house.

About half an hour later they were at the other side of the town, at one of the hand-full of guest houses that had been built. Jarin entered first and lit the candles. It was sparsely, but suitably furnished. And it was clean. When Tarina came into the room, she looked uneasy.

"Is something wrong?" Jarin asked.

"I don't mean to suggest anything, but where I come from, people tend to break into other people's homes at night and take what they want. Whatever that might be." She shuddered.

Jarin nodded. "I have just the solution. Not that I think you have anything to worry about. But I want you to feel secure." he stepped outside the door, cupped his hands to his mouth, and let out a terrifying sound.

"What was that?" asked Tarina.

He looked back at her with a wry smile. "Wait for it."

A moment later, a Gronckle came thundering through the air, small wings flapping so very fast.

Tarina put both hands to her mouth and stepped back.

Jarin stepped towards the Gronckle and knelt, presenting his open palm towards it. It stepped the rest of the way forward and nudged his hand with its snout. Jarin looked back to Tarina and motioned for her. "Come on over."

She hesitated for a moment but then complied. She knelt beside him.

"Now," he said. "Hold your hand out like I did and let her smell it."

"Are you insane?" she demanded.

"It's the first step in Dragon Training. It establishes trust on their part." he looked over at her. "Just try it."

She hesitated again, but again, she complied. The Gronckle turned its attention to her, sniffed her hand, and then nuzzled it with a sound that was half growl and half purr. It looked at her with eyes that seemed bright and cheerful. "Amazing," she said.

"Gronckle?" he said, and the creature looked at him. He gestured to Tarina. "Protect?"

It was clearly a question, not a command. The Gronckle regarded her, looked back at Jarin, and nodded. "It understands you?"

Jarin smiled again. "Yes. It's a little weird, I know. "It seems that they can actually read our minds. Or at least pick up on the essence of what we are thinking and feeling. My dragon sometimes seems to respond to what I'm trying to get him to do before I even ask it of him. His recovery turned out a lot easier because of that, I think."

"His recovery?" she asked.

"Yes," Jarin replied. "He washed up on one of our out-islands a little while back. He was dying from starvation and abuse." His voice choked up as he spoke of it. "Someone ripped his scales off and beat him half to death." He looked at her to see a horrified expression on her face. "I'm sorry. He is my friend, and I hate the thought of what was done to him. If I met the person who did it, he'd probably be the first and last human being I would gladly kill."

"She looked really hard at him for a moment, then nodded in understanding. "If someone abused one of my friends, I would probably feel the same way."

Just then, the Gronckle growled and turned to face down the path leading back into the village. A yak-drawn cart was approaching with some crates and other items. Tarina's belongings brought from her ship as arranged.

"It's alright," Jarin said to the dragon, and she relaxed.

By the time Jarin and Tarina had gotten everything moved into the house, the sun was setting. Jarin's stomach growled loudly. "Okay," he said. "Let's go to the Great Hall and get something to eat."

Tarina agreed. "It's been a long day, and I am famished."

After they had both eaten their fill, Jarin escorted her back to her guest house.

"Thank you for everything, Jarin," she said. "But if I can ask you for one small favor?"

"Of course," he said. "Name it."

She took a deep breath. "Tomorrow, could you show me the Dragon Academy? I really would like to see what it's like to train a dragon."

"You got it," he answered. "I'll come by tomorrow morning before my shift and we'll go together."

"Thanks," she said.

After a few pleasantries, they parted company. She went inside and he started walking home. The Gronckle hunkered down outside the door.

O O O

The rays of early sunlight shone on the floor of the shade room, and Shadowhorn looked over at the entrance. It would still be a while yet before Jarin would arrive, but the new day brought with it promises of new excitement.

He was still reeling from the previous day's walk through Berk. He hoped that he would get to do so again soon. But then he realized that he should probably wait. As he stood to stretch, every muscle in his legs screamed at him. Yesterday's walk was the longest he had taken in a long time. The frequent rest stops he and Jarin took made it so he didn't get tired out too early. But today, he was paying for it. Taking it easy certainly couldn't hurt.

He settled back down and fell asleep again.

O O O

Jarin had arrived at Tarina's guest house early enough for them to take a peaceful stroll through Berk on their way to the Academy. When they arrived, he reported in to Astrid, confirmed that the fish delivery would be on schedule that day, and asked permission to show Tarina around, which was granted.

As he and Tarina made their way around the premises, he explained how the place used to be an arena where dragons were killed for sport, and how it became converted to what it was today. He explained how the corrals had their cage doors removed and how they now served as a place for dragons who were active at night could safely come to sleep during the day. He explained how Dragons and Humans alike shard the burdens of Berk's prosperity. Everyone found a way to contribute, and everyone was happy with the results. Nobody forced the dragons to do anything. They acted of a free will. He explained that he believed that the dragons felt bad for the generations of raiding and were doing what they could to make amends.

"And now, I'll introduce you to my friend," said Jarin as they approached the entrance to one of the shade rooms. "Shadowhorn?" he called. A moment later the Monstrous Nightmare came limping forward, looking directly at Jarin. "Good morning, my friend," he said. "I want you to meet a new friend. This is Tarina," he gestured to her.

Shadowhorn looked over to Tarina. His eyes suddenly widened with terror and he began stumbling backwards, screaching.

"What on Midgard?" he asked, looking at Tatina, whose eyes were as wide as saucers. He entered the shade room and found Shadowhorn huddled against the back wall, staring past him at Tarina... Staring with eyes filled with fear... And recognition. It was clear that Shadowhorn knew Tarina. And if he was so overcome by fear at the sight of her, he had no trouble figuring out just where the dragon remembered her from.

He turned towards Tarina and begin walking towards her, lips curled into a sneer. "Who are you, really, and why have you come to Berk?"

Okay... please let me know what you think. Is there something you would like to see me explore in a future chapter? Anything you would like me to clarify?

Thanks for reading... God bless...