So Crimson-strength gave me a great idea...and I decided to write it. Being a violinist herself, she helped me with a lot of technical violin stuff. So thank you a lot!

E-K, this chapter is for you!

She made fanart! You can find it here: deviantart dot com, search for E-Kathryn, Oranges and Violin strings!

Enjoy!

The Adventurous Adventures of Hiccup and Wrenlou

Becoming Friends, Part IV

Hiccup sat on his bed, legs crossed. He had woken up late, it had been past noon. Wrenlou had been there, with a whole stack of oranges, Snowflake and his violin. Snowflake was now playing with Toothless, chasing the older Night Fury around the bed. Hiccup was already on his fifth orange, and Wrenlou was fiddling with the violin.

They had decided to take a lazy day, after the hours of walking from the day before. Hiccup was thankful for that. He didn't have any blisters, but his feet were sore and painful. Now he was sitting on his bed, barefoot, the oranges scattered all around him. Wrenlou was sitting across from him, all his attention focused on his instrument. Hiccup was watching him with fascination. It was still strange to see Wrenlou holding a violin.

'What are you doing?'

'I'm trying to clean it. It hasn't been used for three years, there's tons of dust inside. That's why it didn't sound great yesterday. This thing needs more than a tuning to get back in shape. It needs a thorough tune up.'

'It sounded fine to me.'

Wrenlou smiled and looked up. 'I'm sure it did. But I've had it for years, I know it's not supposed to sound the way it did.' He turned his attention to the violin again. 'I'm probably going to need new strings...'

'Why?'

'These are gut strings. They deteriorate over time if not properly maintained. They're fragile, they could snap real easily.'

'Oh.'

Hiccup turned to the dragons when he was almost hit by a tail. Snowflake had pounced on Toothless, laying on his back and pinning him to the ground. He smiled as Toothless whipped his tail back and forth, wailing loudly. He pulled another piece from his orange and was about to say something to Wrenlou, when he heard a loud twang followed by a yelp.

He jerked around to Wrenlou. The boy was clasping a hand over his left eye, swearing softly. The violin lay on his lap, one of it's strings curled up and obviously broken. Hiccup chuckled, then started laughing. The string was swaying softly, the sound still resonating in the room. All in all, it looked rather comically.

'Stop laughing... It's not funny... Gods, this hurts...'

Instantly, Hiccup stopped laughing and he scooted closer to Wrenlou. 'I'm sorry...'

'It's okay... Oh gods... It burns. It hurts... Oh man...'

'Wrenlou? Are you okay?'

Wrenlou groaned softly. He was bent over, his hands pressed against his face. Worriedly, Hiccup put a hand on his shoulder. He had no idea what to do. He bit his lip, looking around the room. He spotted the bowl of water and slid off the bed. He dipped a cloth in the water and gave it to Wrenlou, then he turned to Toothless.

'Come on bud. Lets go get a healer shall we?'

The dragon shook Snowflake from his back and crawled to his paws. Thankfully he was still wearing the saddle and Hiccup climbed on his back, opening the tailfin. They sailed down to the plaza, landing in front of the hospital.

'Wait here for me, okay?'

The dragon wailed, as if to say that he wouldn't be able to go anywhere without the boy anyway and Hiccup ran inside. He ignored the shouts from people and rushed towards the room where the healer had taken care of his back a few days prior. Panting, he knocked. When the door opened, he found the same woman who had looked after him and relief washed over him. She looked at him questioningly and he pulled her sleeve, trying to get her to follow him. She frowned. Hiccup sighed, looking to the door and back to her. How could he make it clear to her that he needed her to follow him? He pulled her sleeve again and pointed at the door. She shook her head, still not sure of what he wanted. Hiccup frowned, then his face lit up. He pretended to hold a violin, playing it, and looked at the woman. She nodded. This she understood. He plucked the invisible string of the violin, still looking at the woman. She nodded again. Then he made the sound the string had made when it broke, and pretended it hit him on his face. Her eyes widened when she finally understood what he meant. She asked him something he didn't understand. He pulled her sleeve again and she allowed herself to be pulled along the hall.

At the door she stopped, placing a hand on his shoulder. He looked back at her.

'Wrenlou?' She asked.

Hiccup jumped up, nodding. 'Wrenlou!' He mimicked the broken string to the face again.

She gave a final nod and opened the door. Hiccup was feeling relieved he had made her see what he meant and why she needed to come.

He jumped back on Toothless and looked at her. She climbed behind him and they flew up again. Wrenlou hadn't moved. He was still on the bed, now pressing the wet cloth on his face. She sat down next him, immediately noticing the violin and the broken string. She put a hand on his shoulder and he looked up. When she pulled his hands away from his face, Hiccup gasped. There was a red welt right across Wrenlou's left eye, standing out against his skin. She tenderly ran her finger across the mark, then stood up. Before Hiccup could say anything, she had left again.

'Hiccup... Thanks...'

Hiccup sat down next to Wrenlou. His eyelid was swollen, his eye cracked open only a little. Hiccup watched the red line with worry in his eyes, before tentatively reaching out to touch it. Wrenlou slapped his hand away, bringing his own hand up to cover the mark. Hiccup mumbled an apology and just sat next to Wrenlou. He really had no idea what to do. He wrapped his arms around Wrenlou's waist, resting his head against his chest. He had no idea if that would help, but he felt Wrenlou's arm around his own shoulders.

The door opened and the healer came back. Hiccup quickly pulled away from Wrenlou when she sat down on the bed again, taking Wrenlou's chin and turning his head to face her. She pulled something out of the bag she was carrying. It was a jar and when she screwed the lid off, they could see there was some sort greenish salve in it. She tenderly applied it to the welt, Wrenlou wincing when she touched him. Hiccup took hold of Wrenlou's right arm, resting his head against his shoulder in a small effort to comfort him.

When she was done, she screwed the lid back on the jar and handed it to Wrenlou. After exchanging a few words she left again, closing the door softly.

'You can let go of my arm now.'

Hiccup looked up. Wrenlou was looking at him, smiling a little. The red mark was still swollen and looked very painful, and Hiccup felt guilty for laughing when the string had snapped.

'Thanks. For getting her.'

Hiccup felt his face turn red. 'I... I didn't know what to do...'

'Apparently you did.' Wrenlou sighed as he picked up the violin. 'I never thought it would hurt this much. I've had strings snap before, but they never hit my face.'

He quickly removed the broken string from the violin and sighed, looking at the two pieces.

'Where are you going to find new strings?'

'That is a very good question. In Lightcity I would know, but here...'

'Can't the violin player from the Hall help?'

'You know what, he might. Come on, let's go find him.'

Wrenlou picked up the violin and grunted when he got up. He ran a finger over the welt.

'My brother is not going to be happy. I can imagine Dale won't be either.'

'Dale? Who's Dale?'

He's our teacher. He's the one in charge of teaching us all we need to know. He too can get a little protective.'

They walked onto the plaza, blinking against the sunlight. Wrenlou crossed his arms, the violin dangling between his fingers.

'Alright. Where could he be...'

'In the Hall?' Hiccup offered.

'That's possible. Lets take a look.'

But upon entering the Hall, they found that the violin player wasn't there. So they went back outside. After searching the city for about an hour, it was Hiccup who spotted the man and they ran towards him. He looked up, surprised, but a smile spread across his face when he saw Hiccup. As soon as his eyes fell on Wrenlou, he frowned.

'What happened to you?'

'The string broke.' Wrenlou said, holding out the violin. 'I know you play. Where do you get your strings?'

The man took the instrument, stroking it with long fingers. 'The string broke you said? This violin has been neglected for a long time.'

'It has. It's been inside it's case for three years. I never planned on leaving with a dragon that day of the Choosing, but I did. I had no time to go back for it.'

The man mumbled something while he continued to investigate Wrenlou's violin. Hiccup looked at Wrenlou, who shrugged. Then the man turned to them again.

'I make my own strings.'

'You... you do?'

The man nodded and handed Wrenlou the violin back. 'I have a workshop not far from here. Come with me, I'll show you.'

'Come on Hiccup.'

'Where are we going?'

'Apparently he makes his own strings. He's taking us there now.'

They followed the man towards a small building. He opened the door and gestured them inside. As soon as they stepped into the small room, they were overwhelmed by a smell that was worse than rotten fish.

'Oh my gods... what is that.'

'I told you, strings are made from gut. Sheep gut to be exact. Breathe through your mouth, not your nose.'

'It's disgusting... oh my gods...'

'So. Do you know how to make strings?'

Wrenlou turned to the man, who had opened a window to let some fresh air in. 'I did know how to do that. I'm afraid I have forgotten it. As I said, I haven't touched this thing in three years.'

The man nodded, rearranging some things on his work bench. Then he walked to a cabinet and pulled a few things out.

'Here. Why don't you give that violin a proper cleaning. I'll get some strings for you. I have a few laying in back, I'll go see if they are the right size for your violin.

'Why would you do that?'

'Why? Because of your friend over there. He's the first to ask me to play more. He watched me play with a marveled look in his eyes. That's what I do it for. If I help you fix your violin, you can play for him when I can't. And if you have to get the strings from Lightcity, it takes forever to get them here. That's why I started making my own. Now, give that instrument the care it deserves, okay?'

Wrenlou nodded, walking back to where Hiccup had sat down. He sat down next to him, handing Hiccup one of the jars the man had given him.

They worked in silence. Hiccup and Wrenlou to get the violin completely cleaned and polished, the man to get the strings ready. It took them about two hours of intense attention to get the violin fully cleaned, and by then the man was watching them, four strings ready. The two thicker strings were wrapped in a silver wire, a small piece of colored silk at both ends. When Hiccup looked at the strings still attached to the violin, he saw that the two thicker strings were indeed different from the smaller ones. He picked up one of the strings, carefully twisting it around in his hands.

'It feels really light. I don't really understand how it could have snapped back with so much force it left a mark.'

'There's a lot of tension on those strings. Think of it as a bowstring. In order to make the arrow fly, you have to pull the string back, put a lot of tension on it. This is just the same. It snapped, recoiling because of the tension, and basically acting like a whip.'

Hiccup watched while Wrenlou strung the violin, one string at a time. It certainly looked difficult, but Wrenlou seemed to have no problem with it what so ever. When the last string was replaced the man held out a hand, probably offering to tune it for him, but Wrenlou drew the instrument close to his chest.

'I can do it.'

The man didn't answer but gave a slight nod. After handing Wrenlou a bow, the boy sighed. He glanced over at Hiccup, seeing the wonder and excitement in his eyes and smiled. It took a good deal longer than the previous time to completely tune the violin. After about two hours, Wrenlou sighed, letting the violin slip from his shoulder.

'Are you done?'

'I think so, yes.'

'Can you play for me?'

'I guess I can.'

A wide smile spread across Hiccup's face. After making sure all the strings had the proper notes, Wrenlou took a deep breath.

'So you do play it? It's not just something for decoration?'

The man was standing in the doorway, holding his own violin. Hiccup now noticed that Wrenlou's violin was made from a slightly darker wood.

'I do. I played for years before being forced to stop because of the dragon.'

Wrenlou sounded a little offended and the man laughed. 'I didn't mean to offend you. You wouldn't believe how many people have a violin and know how to tune it, but not play it. That's why I asked. I take playing very seriously.'

Wrenlou smiled. 'It's okay. I get it.'

'So.' The man came in shouldering the violin. 'Play with me.'

Wrenlou nodded, readying his own instrument. 'Like what?'

The man shrugged. 'I don't know. What can you play?'

'Oh Oh! Dance of the Dragons!' Hiccup piped up, bouncing up and down.

Wrenlou laughed. 'Aren't you getting bored by that? There are so much more songs I can play.'

'But I like it...'

'How about this: I will play it for you, tonight, before you go to sleep.'

Hiccup nodded. He knew the sweet tones from the song would hush him to sleep quickly, like they had done after the first time he had heard it and they had been dancing around in his head. He had no idea you could play energetic, activating music on a violin, until Wrenlou started playing.

The song he had started was fast, inviting to dance. After a while the second violin pitched in, and where the violins had sang together in the hall, now they danced together. Hiccup's grin grew wider and wider. He had loved the way the Dance of the Dragons had made him feel. The way it had hushed him to sleep, driven him into a trance, but this was even better. He found he couldn't sit still. He started tapping along with the violin music, rocking from side to side in some sort of sitting dance.

The music slowed to an almost dreamy pace, the violins singing once again, before they picked up pace again. Hiccup couldn't keep his eyes of Wrenlou. The way his fingers darted over the strings, the way he moved the bow. It was magical to Hiccup, who hadn't even expected Wrenlou to own a violin. As the two violinists kept playing, Hiccup could hear the difference now that the instrument was properly cleaned and in possession of new strings. The notes were clearer, the sound resonating through the small room.

'That was an easy one.' The man said when the song was over.

'Easy? For you maybe, I haven't played in years!'

'You managed to keep the pace. And you play very well, but at least challenge me.'

'Maybe I will. Just not at the moment. Right now the strings need to settle. I don't want to break them again.'

The man nodded, then pointed the bow at Wrenlou's chest. 'I will take you up on that one day. When you are a sworn in dragon rider here in the city, I will take you up on that offer.'

'And I'll be looking forward to it. Come on Hiccup, lets go.'

'You won't play anymore?'

'Not at the moment. New strings need to settle. Make no mistake Hiccup, the risk of breaking new strings is just as great as breaking old ones. I would like to avoid this happening a second time. Once was quite enough.'

Hiccup looked at the red mark on Wrenlou's face. 'It's not as red as it was.'

'It better not be. It still hurts like a bitch though.'

'I don't think I can imagine how that must feel.'

'Hmm... Did you ever have a bowstring snap on you and hit your arm?'

Hiccup shook his head. 'My father never allowed me to handle a bow. He always said that people would get hurt if I picked up weapons. After we left Berk I did have a bow, but the string never snapped.'

'Well, you better hope that never happens. Because it hurts like hell. Not as much as a string in the face though.'

'Am I going to learn to shoot a bow in Learners Bay?'

Wrenlou nodded. 'We have to choose a primary weapon. Either sword or bow. Mine's a bow. You can still choose.'

'But now I have the sword.'

'So? I have a sword as well. Just because a bow is my primary weapon, doesn't mean that I never train with the others again. And a bow is nice, but how am I going to fight when my arrows run out?'

'Okay... good point...'

'How about some food? I'm starving. We skipped lunch.'

Before Hiccup could answer, his stomach growled like a hungry animal. Startled, he wrapped his arms around his stomach and looked up at Wrenlou. After a short moment of silence, they started laughing.

'To the Hall it is then.'

'Wrenlou? Can I... can I hold it?'

'What? The violin?'

Hiccup nodded, avoiding Wrenlou's eyes, his own fixed on the ground. He looked up when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

'Hold it then. But be careful, and don't break the strings. You know what happens.'

Hiccup smiled while he took the instrument from Wrenlou. 'Yeah. It snaps, there's a loud twang and then you have a mark across your face.'

Wrenlou sighed. 'Very funny Hiccup, very funny. But I'm glad you went to get a healer. For a moment I thought I'd gone blind.'

Hiccup's head snapped up. 'Never do that! Don't ever go blind!'

Laughing, Wrenlou held up his hands. 'Alright, take it easy. I will do my best to never go blind.'

Hiccup smiled widely as he walked next to Wrenlou, the violin against his chest. Even though he had no clue on how to play it, it felt incredible to be holding it. When they entered the Hall, there were only a few people there. It was too late for lunch and too early for dinner. It was a good thing that there was always something to eat.

While Wrenlou went to get some food, Hiccup sat down, very carefully placing the violin on the table. He let his finger glide of the the newly polished wood, carefully stroking the instrument's curves.

'You look like you're in love.'

Hiccup looked up, smiling. 'Maybe I am. In love with the sound. In love with the music. Can you be in love with music?'

'Why not?' Wrenlou raised his cup, Hiccup did the same. 'Here's to music, and that it will always brighten our day, no matter how wet, no matter how grey.'

'Did you just... rhyme?'

'Not intentionally.'

'You rhymed!'

'Well... yes. But like I said, I didn't mean to.'

Hiccup smiled widely and Wrenlou chuckled at his face. Shaking his head, he muttered something.

'What? What did you say?'

Wrenlou looked up. 'That we're starting language lessons tomorrow.'

'Awesome! I can't wait. And tonight you will play, right?'

'Yes Hiccup, tonight I will play for you. Now eat your food. We could start language lessons tonight if you want, but you have to eat your food for that first. And no touching the violin with dirty fingers!'

'Don't worry, I won't. Promise.'

Wrenlou chuckled again. The pain was forgotten, the initial shock of the broken string behind him. He had no idea that an instrument he never really liked could move so much in another human being. Hiccup's enthusiasm had rekindled something in his own heart. A passion for the music he hadn't known before. Hiccup made him see how beautiful the tones the strings produced really were. It was Hiccup who had made him take the thing in the first place. He smiled when he looked at the boy, staring lovingly at the violin. Hiccup brought a lot of new things to Dragoncity, he just didn't know it yet.

One day, he would find out.

One day he would realize that his father had been wrong to deny him the use of weapons.

One day, he would reach his full potential, and when that day came, Wrenlou was sure he would be there, playing the violin.

Just for Hiccup.

In case anyone wonders where I get my inspiration for music, you should listen to the music from Two Steps From Hell, BrunuhVille, Lindsey Stirling, Celtic Woman... These are people that inspire me majorly. For the first song that Wrenlou and our nameless violinist play together I used Rising Sun, from BrunuhVille. Check it out, enjoy it, or hate it, whatever you like. I'm just setting this little piece of information down here so you know what songs I use to write these scenes. Maybe it gives you a better sense of the scene as a whole.