Hiccup was sitting at a table in the tavern of a Gaul village. His first reaction when he and Toothless finally crossed the Channel was : " Great...More horned helmets...". Although Hiccup had learnt to understand the words behind the ridiculous accents and found out that they were hearty, kind, people if not a bit eccentric and dim-witted for some. Not unlike Vikings. Hiccup also found out that while Viking culture revolved around dragon-killing, Gaul culture revolved around Roman-bashing. Indeed, these massive people fought better unarmed than if they held the most powerful weapon in existence.

But Hiccup's arrival in Gaul also marked the date of a most terrible event. Indeed, that day the pair had set down in a forest by a village Hiccup planned on visiting. But just as the boy was walking over to said settlement, he encountered a rather enraged bear. He attempted to flee but was gravely wounded, Toothless intervened just in time to slaughter the bear. The wounded boy had fallen unconscious due to the severity of his injuries, and was discreetly carried to the village by his scaly brother totally undetected. When the boy was found unconscious on the floor of the village square, he was healed and treated by the Gauls. But his survival cost him his leg. The chief, a big man named Vitalstatistix that stood on a shield carried by two village members, allowed him to stay for as long as he wanted. He made himself a prosthetic, and learnt to walk and fly again. But it was now an aspect of shame, the way Hiccup lost his leg humiliated him beyond words.

So there Hiccup sat, clutching his little mug of water in a small tavern of Lutetia, covered by his green cape and his metal leg tapping against the wood floor. The boy liked this city, it was big, alive and didn't expect any dragons, Indeed, any dragons of any kind were extremely rare this far south-east. He had found Lutetia on his seventeenth anniversary, and he had made it a habit to visit this same tavern every now and again whilst Toothless had a nap in the woods, not for drink, but for gossip. The table of four Gauls besides him was having a very animated conversation that greatly interested our now maturing Hiccup.

" I have heard many 'ting's about zis dragon-rider. "

" Oui, zey say he rides a night-fury ! "

" Sacre-bleu ! Iz zat even possibeul ? "

" Of coars it iz ! Anyting' iz possibeul."

" You talk too much Claude...Too much merde ! "

" La ferme Albert ! I know what I'm saying. "

" I heard he helped ze knew roast-beef king of Camelot come to poweur. A little boy named Arthur. "

" Oui, I have heard zat too. Alzough he only told him too pull ze sword out of ze stone."

" He didn't oranize a coup ? "

" No, he didn't."

" A sword in stone ! Ze roast-beefs have ridiculus ways of naming kings."

" I agreeee."

" Zey also say he iz young. Only a teenageur."

" Well it izn't you that's gonna ride a dragon, you'll crush eet ! "

The four Gauls exploded in a fit of laughter and Hiccup took a sip of water. He looked around the tavern, his eyes met a strange sight. An man sitting at the bar, old and bald, thin, tall and dressed entirely in black. He had a long grey moustache that hanged from above his mouth and trailed down in two long, hanging strands. He was easterner, you could tell by his face. But what caught Hiccup's eye was the man's sword, hanging from his belt. It was long, thin, curved and sheathed in a red sheath. The handle was a criss-cross of leather strips, protected by a circular disk between the blade and handle acting like a hand-guard. The man caught Hiccup staring and walked over to his table and sat down before him.

The man put down the sheathed sword on the table between he and Hiccup." I see you are interested in this. " Said the man slowly in an eastern accent.

" I am, I have never seen a sword like that before."

" It is a sword my people make, it is called a katana."

" A katana..." Repeated Hiccup. He pointed at the sword. " May I ? "

" Boy all means young man..."

Hiccup picked up the sword and partly unsheathed it, he stared in amazement at the thin, one sided blade that appeared . " This is...As a blacksmith, I've never seen anything like it..."

" What is your name boy ? " Asked the man slowly with a smile on his face.

" Hiccup."

" Hiccup '...' ? " Inquired the man, expecting a last name.

" Just Hiccup..."

The man chuckled. " Well, 'just Hiccup ', my name is Toyono.' Just Toyono'..."

Hiccup smiled back and put the sword down again. " I see, what is you do Toyono ? "

" Oh, I used to be a teacher. "

" A teacher ? "

" Yes, I used to teach people the noble art of how to wield these." He pointed at the katana. " And make them...And you master Hiccup, what is it you do ? "

" I errr...Travel."

" You travel ? "

" Yes."

" Does that have something to do with those goggles ? Or your Norse accent ? " Chuckled the Toyono.

" Argh ! It's always the accent that gives me away ! "

Toyono laughed again, throwing his head back and making his moustache fly.

" The barbaric archipelago is a good distance away...You have travelled far, master Hiccup."

" And you haven't ? " Said the boy, voice full of sarcasm.

" Oh I have, but I took my time you see...I am old, It took me years to get here. But you, you could merely have started travelling a couple of years ago."

Hiccup was feeling uncomfortable, this conversation was going down a path he could not follow. He changed the topic of conversation. " You uh...You s-said that you used to teach people how to use these ? " He said gesturing to the sword.

" I did."

" Will you teach me ? "

The man, didn't budge, his smile faltered and he stared at Hiccup, judging, evaluating. " That depends..." He said finally, scratching his chin.

" Depends on what ? "

" On your payment..."

" I don't have much money."

" I'm not interested in riches. I have taught sons of kings, my belt is heavy enough as it is."

" Then what are you interested in ? "

" What do you think ? "

Hiccup thought, this was obviously some kind of test. " Honour ? "

Toyono shook his head. " I like to think I've already acquired that."

" Ok..." Hiccup thought again. " Power. "

The old man smiled." I have no need for power."

" Right...Right..." Hiccup was digging up his brains, he thought for several heartbeats before it hit him. " Knowledge."

Toyono smiled and twisted one of the strings of his moustache. " What kind of knowledge do you offer ? "

Hiccup was silent for several heartbeats. " Dragons."

" Knowledge on dragons ? "

" Yes."

" And what would an old man like me do with knowledge on dragons ? "

" That's up to you."

Toyono chuckled. " Fair enough. What is the knowledge about ? "

" I can't tell you."

" Why not ? "

" It'd loose it's value."

" But is it worth what I'm offering."

" I'd say it's quite the bargain for you in fact."

" Quite the merchant I see." Smiled the teacher. He thought for a bit then stuck a hand out before Hiccup. " I think you've found yourself a deal, Master Hiccup."

Hiccup shook his hand.

" You are an apprentice now, until you have mastered the art of the katana. Training commences tomorrow, meet me here at sunrise."