A/N: Does anyone actually read the author's note at the bottom of the chapters? I tend to rattle on a bit but there is some good information about the lore of the story as well as translations for all the Norse I used.
Hail to the King
The flight back to Ragnarr's estate had been short, quiet, and tense. Astrid and Sigrid could tell Hiccup was not in a good mood. The two dragons circled each other in the sky over the estate, Hiccup and Toothless had made no move to land and so neither did Astrid, Sigrid, and Stormfly. Hiccup appeared to be contemplating something as he and Toothless glided at a lofty height. It appeared that he had reached a decision, for in the next instant Toothless beat his wings and accelerated to top speed, thundering out of the city through the crevice in the ceiling before Astrid had time to blink her eyes. As they passed through the crevice the air seemed to boom in anger. Truly they were the kings of the skies, unmatched in speed.
Astrid sighed. "I guess that means we don't have training today," she yelled over the wind to Sigrid, before she and Stormfly landed. There was no way they could catch Toothless when he wasn't holding back.
"What should we do then?" Sigrid asked as she leapt down from Stormfly's back, glad to be back on solid ground despite the euphoria flight brought with it.
Astrid shrugged and thought for a moment. "I don't know, I think Hiccup wants some time to himself. He probably won't be back until tomorrow, and I don't really want to take the day off. Should we just train on our own like we usually do?" Astrid suggested.
"I guess," Sigrid said, sighing.
Astrid and Sigrid made their way over to the training arena and dropped into it's floors once again. It had frightened Astrid at first, it was a barbaric looking arena, nothing like the training ring on Berk, or the mountain clearing Hiccup made them climb to, but over time she had grown used to it and she no longer felt the butterflies in her belly when she stood in the center. "So, I'll teach you how to calm a dragon if you'll teach me that stomp that nearly broke Hiccup's foot," Astrid jested.
Sigrid just nodded. "The most important part is trust," Astrid began lecturing, "dragons are smart, as smart as we are, sometimes even more so. If you treat them like some dumb animal they will act like one and strike out at you. If you trust them, and treat them like you would a normal person, they'll treat you the same. When Hiccup had us interact with wild dragons the first thing we did was offer up a token of trust. We would walk up to a dragon, hold out our hand to them, as if to pet them, and then turn away. If the dragon trusted you, as you trusted it, it would complete the gesture."
Astrid paused in her story and Stormfly came to her aside by unspoken request. "Like this," she said, as the two of them reenacted the greeting their master had taught them. Sigrid's mood lightened considerably as Astrid taught her the secrets of dragons, her anger and sadness about her people's disappearance temporarily forgotten.
"We'll have to find some wild dragons some time when Hiccup isn't watching so we can try it out," Astrid said confidently, "who knows? Maybe you'll even find your bonded dragon when we do!"
Sigrid couldn't help but smirk at the thought. For the next three hours Astrid continued to teach Sigrid about all the ways to communicate with dragons, both verbally and nonverbally. It was a massive amount of information but Sigrid devoured and memorized it all. As Astrid's lecture came to an end, it was Sigrid's turn. "The first thing you have to know about Hiccup is that he's real elfy," she said.
"Elfy…?" Astrid questioned, an eyebrow raised in disbelief.
"Yeah, elfy. They like to dance around on their feet, real twinkletoes they are," Sigrid reaffirmed, "if you want to beat an elf, you take out their feet. That's what my father always taught me. Once their movements cut down you can overpower them with ease. The best way? A nice, hard stomp. Real effective, real easy. You might have to eat a few blows to get in close enough, but once you are, they never see it coming."
Sigrid assumed a wide, bowleg stance. "Here, like this," Sigrid demonstrated, "you want your center low, all of your strength flowing into your leg. The power comes from the motion of the attack. This applies to all the attacks I've learned, it's the basis of my family's style."
Astrid tried her best to copy the stance and Sigrid rolled her eyes. "You tall ones, no coordination at all, I swear," she complained before slapping Astrid's thigh, eliciting a small squeak, and moving her legs into the proper position.
"Lower, lower," Sigrid urged, pulling Astrid down by the hips, "there. That's better."
Sigrid assumed her stance once again. "Now, like this," she said, before slowly going through the motions, observing Astrid as she copied her.
"Once you've rotated your hips, you bring your foot down in the same motion, and-" a plume of sand erupted from the ground where Sigrid stomped with all her might.
Astrid performed the attack with enough speed and power in an attempt to accomplish what Sigrid had. Her stomp was strong, but not anywhere near as powerful as Sigrid's. "That's not bad for your first try," Sigrid commended, "you have to focus on efficiency. You can use less strength in your attacks if your form is more perfect. I could do this all day if I had to so long as I keep using my strength efficiently."
Astrid nodded and repeated the attack again at Sigrid's prompting, trying to feel the flow of the movement more clearly. After multiple attempts, Sigrid nodded in approval. "Good, you've almost got the basics down. If you keep practicing that, you should be breaking feet in no time," she said cheerfully.
Astrid couldn't help but chuckle at Sigrid's joke. That was one thing she liked about the dwarven princess, her crude humor reminded her of Berk. For the next three hours Sigrid taught Astrid various attacks using the same principle as the stomp, from punches to kicks, to grapples. The basics of her clans personal fighting style where all imparted to Astrid and by the time their training had ended she had a fair understanding of the technique, all that she needed was time and practice to become a master.
"Come on, let's head back," Astrid suggested when their self regimented training was completed for the day. Still no sign of Hiccup and Toothless. Astrid and Sigrid bathed before returning to their own studies, Astrid reading an old book about the intricacies of multicaster spellweaving and Sigrid being tutored on politics by a court official.
Sigrid retired early while Astrid lingered into the wee hours of the night, waiting, hoping Hiccup would return. Eventually she could stave off her slumber no longer and passed into her dreams, still seated at the desk in her room, Stormfly keeping a watchful eye on her from outside on the balcony.
Hail to the King
"Hatchling, they've returned," Stormfly whispered in the confines of her and Astrid's mind during the early morn.
"Wha…" Astrid mumbled, blinking away the sleep from her eyes.
"Masters Hiccup and Toothless, they returned sometime in the night," Stormfly informed her rider, shifting her mass away from the door that led to the balcony so Astrid could see outside.
Outside the massive bulk of Toothless slept on his side, his wings folded into a makeshift shelter like she had seen so many times on Berk. Beside them was a large pile of… something, covered by a thick leather tarp. "Let him sleep, he's probably tired," Astrid said before rolling to her other side and getting comfortable in bed once again.
"But, they brought the metal-scales you humans like to wear. It's quite beautiful," Stormfly commented. This piqued Astrid's curiosity enough to keep her from falling back to her dreams.
Astrid sat up and sighed before yawning and stretching her arms above her head. "They brought back armor?" she asked Stormfly as she shook the last chains of sleep from herself.
"Yes, yes, the metal-scales," Stormfly said excitedly. Astrid quickly learned that her dragon had a penchant for shiny and beautiful things. More than once she had to remind her that she couldn't just take things because she was a dragon.
Astrid pushed aside the tapestry that acted as the door between her room and the balcony and walked into the dimly lit light burning from the lamps in the city. Underneath the thick leather tarp Astrid could make out large pieces of silvery metal, which looked almost like armor, except that it was made for something much, much larger than a man.
"Dragon armor…?" Astrid whispered to herself in awe.
Toothless flicked one eye open to examine Astrid, it was clear he had not been sleeping. "Hey Toothless," Astrid greeted him, "where's Hiccup?"
Toothless closed his eye and shifted his wings enough to reveal the slumbering form of Hiccup, sweating and shivering under a thin sheet of linens. Astrid remembered what he told her about being a Seer and let him be, instead opting to pull up the leather tarp and examine the armor underneath. Toothless drew his wing back protectively over his rider.
Astrid clasped her hand to her mouth as she flung the tarp off the armor. Underneath were two distinct sets of armor, clearly made for dragons. Both were made from silvery steel, one set inlaid with emerald, the other sapphire, in various leafy designs. The emerald set was larger than the sapphire one, and was made for a longer, thinner, but still large, dragon. The sapphire set was small in comparison and was separated into many pieces, a simple helm to protect the top of the skull, with room for horns, a light but strong chestpiece that covered the torso and belly, two long greaves, and several small plates for the wings. If Astrid had to guess, which she didn't, she would say these were armor sets for a Night Fury and a Nadder.
"How do you like it, girl?" Astrid asked her dragon. Stormfly cooed in pleasure, her vanity seemed to have no limits and Astrid chuckled under her breath before scratching her under her chin.
Behind them, Astrid heard a few strangled gasps before Hiccup stumbled out from under Toothless' makeshift tent, his body trembling in the twilight produced from the dimly lit city lamps far below them. He stumbled towards the ledge, staring with unseeing eyes, not noticing Astrid or Stormfly. After a few moments, Astrid came to stand next to him. "Hiccup, are you okay?" she asked with a hint of worry in her voice.
As if realizing she was there for the first time, he snapped his head in her direction and blinked his eyes several times. After a few moments he swallowed and replied. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said, his voice was baritone from sleep and quivered from his dreams.
"Are they… that bad? Your 'dreams', I mean," Astrid asked, trying to take his mind off whatever he had seen.
Hiccup eyed her for a second before gazing out over the city. "They're not nightmares, not really" Hiccup said softly, "it just takes a lot out of you. Physically, mentally, spiritually."
Astrid made a small noise to indicate she had heard him but remained silent, the two of them simply enjoying each other's company. After a few minutes, Hiccup finally spoke. "How do you like it?" he said, gesturing to the dragon armor laying next to Toothless, his voice regaining his usual confident tone.
Astrid smiled, both at the mention of the armor and at his recovery. "It's amazing, where did you find them?" she beamed, walking over to the two sets of armor.
"I made Toothless' myself," he said, joining her, "I borrowed yours from the armory. I'm sure they won't miss it."
"Is this armory on Asgard?" Astrid asked in excitement.
"No, we have a embassy of sorts on Alfheim," he replied before smirking, "want to help me get Stormfly suited up?"
Before Astrid could agree Stormfly had pushed her way between the two and nuzzled Hiccup while her eyes focused on the armor. "I guess that's a yes," Hiccup commented before fetching one of the plates for the wings.
For the next three hours Hiccup and Astrid labored over suiting up Stormfly in the suit of dragon armor. The process was slowed by Stormfly's refusal to remain still for more than a minute and having to make many small alterations to the fittings of the armor with various leather straps. When they finished they stepped back and appreciated the fruits of their labor. The armor, despite not being custom tailored for her body, fit quite well. Hiccup assured her that now that they had fit the armor the process for suiting her up would go much quicker in the future. Stormfly cawed in excitement and flew off looking for a shiny surface to examine herself in. Hiccup and Astrid laughed at her vanity and moved on to suiting up Toothless, which took significantly less time than Stormfly.
"By the way, Hiccup," Astrid said when they finished tightening the last strap on Toothless' armor, "what do we need armor for?"
Hiccup gave her a look. "The same thing all armor is used for," he said simply, "better to be prepared. If we have to fight, wards and spells do little to protect our dragons during long battles."
Astrid imagined Stormfly dying, imagined going back to her life before being a rider, imagined not being… her. It was difficult to picture who she was before she bonded with Stormfly, it felt like everything had led up to that one moment and then her life truly began. It was a terrifying prospect, to lose it all.
"That," Hiccup said, drawing her out of her reverie, "and you'll be introduced to the council of elders today."
"I- What? You said I wouldn't meet them until our training was complete here?" Astrid asked, confused and worried.
"Recent events have pushed up your training schedule. You won't be knighted, yet, but if I receive their permission I can begin the next step in your training," he answered simply.
"What recent events?" Astrid asked, seriously.
"I believe our mission here will end soon, and if by some chance we encounter resistance, you need to be able to fight on par with our enemies. The next stage of your training will focus on magic specialization and advanced mental warfare, which will keep you alive against all but the most deadly of opponents," Hiccup explained.
Astrid got the message clear enough. Hiccup was close to finding the missing dwarves. "Alright, when are we meeting the council?" she asked nervously.
Hiccup did a few quick mental calculations. "An hour past noon or so, accounting for the time difference. We won't have training today, get yourself cleaned up and presentable and meet me here by then," he said.
Astrid nodded and went about her morning routine before heading down to the baths. After bathing she returned to her room and dug through a chest which she used to store the impressive bulk of clothing gifted to her from Berk. Most of it was made of fur or leather, crafted for utilitarian, not political, purposes. She needed something formal, yet something that wasn't as useless in a fight as a dress. Eventually she settled on a pair of tight leather breeches, knee high leather boots, a form fitting leather jerkin, which covered a light green tunic, and a short, light cloak, which acted more as a scarf than a cape. She braided her hair in an intricate pattern and let it fall over her shoulder to rest on her breast. Astrid examined herself in the mirror and Stormfly purred in approval outside on the balcony. Yes, this would do.
Astrid examined the small mechanical device on her desk that the dwarves used to tell time, guessing that it was nearing the time she needed to meet Hiccup. She found him on the balcony overhanging their rooms, playfully scratching at Toothless who was laying on his back. He was wearing his black scale armor and rose red tabard that she had seen him wear the day previously, and it's regality hadn't lessened in the slightest. It was almost intimidating in a way.
"You look good," Hiccup commented, before Toothless righted himself, and leapt into the saddle in a single bound, "let's go."
Astrid pushed back a small blush and mounted Stormfly before the two riders took to the skies, buffeting the palace with winds in the wake of their ascension. "Where are we headed?" she asked, barely touching the fringes of his mind, still wary from the last time she was there.
"The royal palace, they have a chamber which we can use to communicate offworld," Hiccup explained.
The flight to the palace was quick, barely taking them minutes to reach the titanic golden doors once again. The walk on foot was much, much longer. Astrid didn't have any time to worry over the meeting until she was talking down the halls. A small, older dwarven woman guided them through winding passages until they finally arrived at their destination. The halls that they had traveled to get to the communications room were covered in dust, the decorations covered in sheets of white silk. It was clear that the dwarves used this place little.
Hiccup pushed the double doors forward and they slid on noiseless hinges, despite the apparent time since they were last used.
The inside of the room was black as pitch. "Fire, illuminate the room," Hiccup commanded. A small orb of emerald light zipped to and fro around the room, sparking torches to life, before resting at the apex of the ceiling and growing brighter. The room was large and circular, several stone seats dotted the floor at random intervals. A thick layer of dust, even thicker than the one outside the room, coated everything.
"Wind, clear away the dust of ages past," he commanded once more, and a small gust blew around the room, causing the torches to flicker but not die. The coat of dust receded, and in the middle of the floor, sat a massive circle with runes etched into the very stone itself. Smaller circles lay within the circle, inside each was a stone seat with various runes carved upon them.
"Take a seat," Hiccup said, gesturing to everywhere.
"What is this place?" Astrid asked as she sat down upon the nearest seat.
"It's a communications portal, the Order has several on every world. It's hard to get messages to allies in the different realms if we had to send them physically, so we use this instead," he explained, "you'll see in a second."
"Circle, transmit our likeness and words to those who would call themselves our allies on Asgard, the stronghold of the Order," Hiccup commanded, taking a seat himself. The runes etched into the stone began to glow a brilliant hue of blue, almost like water. Small bolts of lightning sparked as the magic came to life, struggling to fulfill Hiccup's wishes. After a few moments, other figures began to appear seated around them, in the same color as the runes. One by one, the room was populated, until five figures had joined them. Each emitted an air of power and wisdom, and Astrid knew that these five were the strongest riders alive.
A small man, almost childlike in appearance were it not for his long beard and bald crown, tapped a cane between his feet, eliciting a small tapping noise that echoed across the chamber. "Greetings, Vrangr, it is good to see you well," he said, his tone deep and bass, completely the opposite of his appearance. It was an enthralling voice, one that made listeners want to heed it's words.
"And greetings to you, Astrid. When I heard that young Vrangr had found an apprentice I did not think it would be a human, let alone one from his own home. I trust the realms have treated you well?" the old man said.
"They have," Astrid answered politely, her voice only quavering a little. She was shocked to take in the man's appearance, he was the first being that appeared to possess age. Everyone else remained young, in their prime, even if they were many hundreds of years into their life.
The old man smiled and bobbed his head. "Well met, Grand Master," Hiccup greeted, bowing slightly in respect.
The old man's smile grew a tad bit larger. "Introductions are in order. I am the Grand Master of the Order of Dragon Knights, Frode. I also serve as the head of the council of elders. These are my fellow elders; Agvior, our quartermaster and resident master craftsman. Auor, our spymaster and knower of secrets. Runa, one of our most senior Knight Commander. And Blakkr, one of our greatest champions. We five form the governing body of the Order," Frode finished grandly.
Astrid nodded to each in turn as they were introduced, in a mock bow almost. The other four appeared to be fairly normal residents of the realms. Agvior was an elf, his ears far longer than Hiccup's own. Runa was a beautiful woman who looked almost human, except her eyes which slanted slightly and her high cheekbones. Blakkr was much the same, only his skin was far darker, apparent even through the magic of the circle. The last, however, surprised Astrid greatly.
Sitting there, on a seat opposite of her, was Hiccup's master, Auor, putting a name to the face. "Hiccup's master is the spymaster of the Order…?" she thought to herself, confused.
"It looks like I had nothing to worry about after all, Hiccup," the elf, Agvior, said. Astrid's ears picked up on the sound immediately, not because he had spoken, but because he called Hiccup by his given name, not his assumed one.
Hiccup scoffed to himself a little louder than normal. "As if I couldn't find an apprentice, master," he said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.
Astrid's theory had been confirmed; Hiccup indeed had two "masters." From what she understood of the tenets of the Order, such a thing was not allowed. "I had complete faith, of course," Agvior jested, shaking Astrid from her reverie.
Frode cleared his throat. "Regarding your request," he said simply.
"I would like for her to be tested. The situation on Nidavellir has become… complicated," Hiccup said, his eyes darting to Auor.
"How so?" Frode asked, looking for a deeper explanation.
"The people responsible for kidnapping the dwarves appear to be extremely dangerous. Few survive encounters with them, and those who do are maimed in body or mind; too far gone to be of help to my investigation," Hiccup explained, "I seek permission to take Astrid's training to the advanced level, to keep her safe, to prepare her for what hardships may come."
Frode ran a hand through his beard idly, humming in thought. "And what do you think, Astrid? Do you believe you are ready to be tested?" he asked her.
Astrid swallowed her fear. "Hiccup is a good teacher, he has taught me well. I will not fail," she said with confidence. Auor grinned, eying her own apprentice with mirth.
Frode continued stroking his beard but shared a brief look with each of the elders, who nodded in response. "Very well, we will test you. Should you pass, you may begin teaching her the next level of training. For the duration, you must remain outside. She will be tested alone," Frode said to Hiccup.
Hiccup stood and gave a small bow to the entire room. Astrid felt the strange music of Hiccup's mind as he contacted her. "Good luck," he said, giving her the equivalent of a mental rally, before heading for the door of the chamber.
Astrid sat straighter in her seat as Hiccup left the room, her heart beating faster in her chest. For the next two hours, the council of elders quizzed and tested her on every aspect of combat, magic, strategy, philosophy, ethics, and dragonology. Astrid answered questions about the obscure nuances in the physiology of rare dragons and how she would handle various hypothetical situations, both in politics and war. She displayed her prowess with her small throwing axes, going through various forms fighting a magically conjured foe. She stressed the limits of her endurance with complex and powerful spells, weaving enchantments that would take multiple spellcasters.
When the test finished Astrid was thoroughly spent. The council had truly challenged her and every aspect of her training that she received from Hiccup. She briefly imagined taking the same test without his tutelage and did not see herself passing. "Could you please show Vrangr back in?" Frode asked politely.
Astrid walked over to the doors of the chamber, her feet dragging slightly, and opened the door for Hiccup, who was ready and waiting to rejoin them. Frode gestured for the both of them to take a seat, stroking his beard absentmindedly with his free hand. The council of elders sat, deep in thought, humming in thought or indulging in other quirks. Eventually after several minutes of deliberation they all shared a small look with each other before nodding. Astrid's pulse quickened as she realized they had made a decision.
Frode's expression was serious before he broke into a small smile. "Congratulations, you've passed. I look forward to seeing your progress when you are ready for knighthood," he said happily. The rest of the council of elders inclined their heads in a show of respect before their images began flickering out of existence one by one.
Astrid released a shaky breath as Frode's likeness faded, the last to vanish. Hiccup shared a small look with Astrid before cracking a grin. "Good job," he said simply, as if it was obvious she would pass, "let's go."
Astrid followed after Hiccup and they headed for the entrance of the royal palace, back to their dragons. Despite the rigors of her exam Astrid felt no exhaustion, adrenaline surged through her veins in the wake of her success. "What now?" she asked Hiccup excitedly.
"Not here, wait until we get back to Ragnarr's estate," he responded, his pace brisk.
Astrid said nothing and focused on keeping up with Hiccup. They walked back through the winding halls of the royal palace without their guide, using their footsteps in the dust to find their way. Eventually they reached the golden doors and their dragons outside. Astrid couldn't contain her excitement and it bled into Stormfly through their bond, causing the dragon to prance from foot to foot in her own excitement which was magnified by her pride in her rider.
It was a quick flight back to Ragnarr's estate, Stormfly's speed was enhanced by her excitement, making the already quick trip even quicker. Hiccup fetched Toothless and Stormfly a basket of fish each before he and Astrid had an afternoon meal in the grand hall of the palace. Astrid realized she was actually hungry, now that she thought about it. She devoured her meal with gusto, waiting for Hiccup to explain what the next stage of her training would entail.
"There are many subjects the more advanced rider training covers," Hiccup began, sharing a look over his nose at Astrid as he ate his own meal, "but we'll focus on the more practical applications: mind breaking and magic specialization. We'll start with finding your specialization and when I can find some prisoners we can practice breaking their minds."
"What's a magic specialization?" Astrid asked, curious.
"Everyone has a special, talent per se, in a specific kind of magic. It is different from person to person, sometimes the talent can be inherited by blood. For example, the frost giants are naturally born with a talent for ice manipulation magic. Some families have developed special mutations, allowing them to use magic that can only be used by them. There are many such families on Asgard, and they act as the ruling class," Hiccup explained, taking a break for a sip of dwarven mead.
"What's your talent, then?" Astrid asked.
Hiccup smirked. Astrid felt the whir of magic weaving itself in the air, she could taste it's flavor and knew it was Hiccup's spell. She nearly jumped out of her skin when a hand landed on her shoulder from behind her, for the grand hall was empty and she did not hear anyone approach. She snapped her head back, and to her surprise, found another Hiccup staring her down. Astrid glanced back at the Hiccup currently eating a carrot, making sure he was still there. "Now here's the real trick," the second Hiccup said, stepping back, "which one of us is the real one?"
Astrid looked between the two Hiccup's trying to figure out which one was which. Before she could decide, both of them vanished in a puff of emerald smoke, and a third Hiccup appeared sitting beside her on the bench of their table. "I can make people see what I want them to see, hear what I want them to hear. Illusion magic is my talent," the third, real, Hiccup said.
"The ring…" Astrid said, slightly taken aback by the display of magic.
"Perhaps his magic is why he is the spymaster's apprentice?" Astrid thought to herself in the safety of her mind.
"It would make sense," Stormfly commented, who had been listening in on the conversation through their bond.
"Yes, the ring I had was enchanted to continually use illusion magic by me. For the most part, it lasted the entire duration of my stay on Berk, almost a year of continually draining on my reserves of arcane energy. The only reason it broke was the massive flow of energy I used when I healed Stormfly, the efficiency of using energy with your talent is incredible. The most powerful spellcasters are not those who have the largest reserves of energy nor those who know the deadliest spells. They are those who can efficiently use the energy they have," Hiccup said.
"As you noticed, I can cast the magic without speaking. A difficult thing to do, especially in combat. My talent allows me to skip the wording of the spell, and maintaining the magic is less taxing. With enough training, you will be able to do the same, with whatever talent you possess," Hiccup explained.
"How do we find out what my talent is?" Astrid asked excitedly, eager to discover her own hidden prowess.
"It's a long process. There are several tools I brought with me that can help, but it is mostly trial and error. Stormfly can help with the process by judging the drain of arcane energy you experience as we go through various magics," Hiccup said.
Astrid was giddy, eager to learn what talent she had. All the books Hiccup had her reading were boring, conceptual, theoretical, theories. This, this was what she had dreamed of when she learned magic was real. "When do we begin?" she asked excitedly.
"Today," Hiccup answered, taking a last bite of bread before standing and moving to the entrance of the grand hall that would lead them outside the estate. Astrid gulped down the rest of her drink and hurried after him.
As they walked down the hall, Hiccup paused. "Try lifting that vase," he said, pointing to a very expensive looking porcelain vase with several flowers of gold in it. Astrid did as he asked and lifted the vase with magic.
Hiccup frowned and shook his head. "Not telekinesis," he said before they continued on their way.
They reached the estate grounds, joined by Toothless and Stormfly circling above them, gliding lazily on the winds. Astrid instructed Stormfly what they were doing and her dragon gladly landed and began paying attention to her rider's labors. "Try to hold yourself in the air," Hiccup suggested as they made their way to the training arena. Astrid did as he asked, casting a spell that allowed her to talk in the air ever so slightly, holding herself a finger's length from the ground.
Stormfly shook her head side to side in a strangely human gesture, prancing along behind them. "Elemental magic then; fire, water, air, earth," Hiccup suggested next. Astrid performed four short spells, summoning a small ball of fire, conjuring a wisp of water, creating a small gust of wind, and moving the sand of the arena floor.
"Did any of those feel particularly easy?" Hiccup asked. Astrid shook her head in tandem with Stormfly.
"What about lightning?" he asked. Astrid held her right index finger and thumb close to each other and summoned a small spark of lightning between them. Stormfly shook her head again.
Hiccup hummed in thought before drawing All-slayer and making a small cut on his forearm. "Try healing," he said. Astrid recited one of the many healing spells she had dedicated to memory, refusing to let Stormfly or anyone else be injured again and be powerless to help them. Rider and dragon shook their heads again, not healing either.
Hiccup paced the length of the training arena before picking up a small sandstone and tossing it to Astrid. "Try to turn the sandstone into sand," he said, before giving her the words to the spell.
Astrid recited the spell perfectly and the rock turned to dust in her hand, draining her energy moderately. "Not transmutation, too bad," Hiccup commented.
Hiccup hummed in thought again. "Try enchanting one of your throwing axes," he suggested.
Astrid had never considered strengthening her throwing axes, she mainly used the battleaxe that Hiccup had forged for her as a gift for completing dragon training on Berk. She recited a short spell that would prevent the blade from breaking unless acted upon by a force stronger than her enchantment. Stormfly gauged the drain on her reserves of energy but shook her head after a moment of deliberation.
"Let's try illusion magic then," he said next, walking her through the complex and intricate wording needed to bend the fabric of reality to one's will. Astrid made the small pile of sand she had created from stone earlier appear as if it was stone again and felt an immense drain on her already dwindling reserves of energy.
"Definitely not," Hiccup commented, raising his eyebrows.
"How," Astrid panted out, "do you do that? Is it always so intensive?"
Hiccup paced in thought. "You are bending reality to your will, of course it requires a lot of energy. That's why illusion magic is so rare, like transmutation magic," he said.
For the next hour Hiccup had Astrid perform all manner of small spells, testing each and every alley of magic he could think of and he was quickly running out of ideas. Eventually the time between suggestions grew longer and longer until there were several minute breaks between each, allowing Astrid time to recover. Toothless lazed on the stone lip of the training arena, idly watching them. "What about that dragon-strong-magic you two-legs use?" Stormfly suggested.
Hiccup was drawn from his reverie, he hadn't thought of that. "Yeah, try strength enhancement magic," he said, carefully examining the flow of Astrid's magic as she performed the spell.
"Again," Hiccup said, focusing more this time, "stronger magic, more energy." Astrid obliged, pushing her magic to the max. She felt strong enough to wrestle with Toothless, though she knew the quest was fruitless.
Hiccup grinned. "Try it again, without speaking," he said, gesturing for her to continue. Astrid released her magic and performed it again, this time not speaking the words to the spell.
Stormfly warbled happily in excitement before bobbing her head up and down. Astrid quirked an eyebrow at them both, as if asking for confirmation. "Yes, I believe body enhancement is your specialty. You may have more than one, many spellcasters do, but you are definitely capable of increasing your own strength at very little cost to yourself. How did you not know this?" Hiccup asked.
Astrid just shrugged, holding back her grin. "I don't know, I just thought it was a simple spell. It was one of the first you taught me," she said simply.
"Watch closely," Hiccup said, before casting strength enhancement magic on himself. His skin glowed with emerald light as he gave himself enough strength that he probably could wrestle Toothless. Astrid felt the drain on his magic, while not immense, was still noticeable and tiring. Her own enhancement was many tens of times easier to maintain.
"Try it with speed," Hiccup said. Astrid performed a similar spell that made her faster and more agile with much the same effect. The enhancement was powerful but costed far less than it should have.
Hiccup nodded his head. "Definitely a talent for enhancement," he commented.
"What next?" Astrid asked, excited to know how to develop her talent further. She was glad her talent was in something so practical. Despite her power in magic she preferred a good battle with weapons over a duel of spells.
Hiccup quickly formulated a training plan that he thought would benefit her most. "We can do some training today, and then tomorrow Sigrid can spar with you. With your newfound talent you should be able to fight on even ground with her soon," he said.
"First, let's find your limit. Hold your hands above your head, as if you're holding up an object, and activate your enhancement magic," Hiccup said.
Astrid did as she was told, wondering what this was supposed to do. She felt the familiar hum of Hiccup's magic reverberate in the air and his eyes smoldered with emerald light as he weaved an illusion wordlessly. A moment later, a giant boulder materialized in Astrid's hands, weighing no more than a feather. "I'll increase the weight of the boulder until you can no longer support it's weight. Try to push yourself to your limits, I'll dispel the illusion should you run out of strength," Hiccup said.
Astrid nodded and readied herself and her magic. Hiccup inclined his head and Astrid felt the weight of the boulder increase. At first it felt no heavier than her battleaxe, then it felt no heavier than the stone she had carried up the mountain during dragon training. It grew heavier still, until it weighed as much as the large logs Hiccup had her fetch to build the training hall. Astrid increased her strength to match the weight of the boulder. Hiccup increased it's weight once again, until Astrid could no longer compare it's weight to something she knew of. Perhaps it weighed as much as her house, if not more? She matched the weight by increasing her strength yet again. Hiccup increased the weight still, and the stone beneath her feet began to crack under the weight. Astrid imagined the boulder weighed many hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds by now. Still, she refused to admit defeat and increased her strength again.
Hiccup waited, examining Astrid's strength. It was truly a staggering display of magic power. At her current strength, she was probably stronger than himself using his own enhancement magic. Still, this was not her limit. He doubled the weight of the boulder, then doubled it again, and then again. Astrid groaned from the strain and increased the power of her enhancement several fold, her boots sinking into the rapidly cracking stone beneath her. Hiccup's eyes narrowed and he doubled the weight of the boulder again, it's weight approaching several tens of thousands of pounds. Astrid tried to increase her strength again but her magic failed her, and her arms buckled under the weight. In an instant, the illusion was gone, and she was left kneeling on the ground, which was whole and unmarked from her struggle just moments ago.
"Are you okay?" Hiccup asked, standing next to Astrid, offering a hand to help her to her feet.
"Yeah," Astrid wheezed out, thoroughly exhausted, taking his hand and staggering to her feet.
"You did well. Tomorrow we'll start training in earnest, for today just take it easy. You've used a lot of strength between this and the elder's test," Hiccup said.
Astrid nodded her head and Hiccup helped her to Stormfly's side before she flew back to her room to rest. Toothless flicked open an eye to watch his rider. "Come on bud, let's go for a ride," Hiccup said. Dragon and rider took to the skies, playfully doing tricks high above the city below them.
Hail to the King
Astrid grit her teeth as she blocked a powerful blow from Astrid's warhammer. Since discovering her talent for body enhancement magic, Hiccup had pitted her against Sigrid and instructed her not to hold back. Their spars had increased in intensity until there was little difference between real combat and sparring. Despite the rigor of their training, there was always an air of friendly competition between the two of them; no malice. Astrid had been surprised, Sigrid was much stronger and faster than her body looked capable of, and even using her magic, she was still outmatched.
Astrid lay on her back, the sand of the training arena floor sticking to her body, using her sweat as glue. Her breaths came ragged and deep, trying to recover her strength. Sigrid was much the same, hunched over with her hands rested on her knees for support. They were both exhausted. "I must admit," Sigrid wheezed out, "you're much better than I thought you were, Astrid. Almost as strong as a dwarf."
Astrid smiled, knowing she had strength still to give, she simply had to get used to handling the power. Often she found that her newfound strength and speed worked against her, rather than for her. On several occasions she had put too much force in her step and had ended up zooming past her destination entirely, or using too much strength in one of her attacks, and when Sigrid dodged the blow, it sent her fatally off balance. Mastery of enhancement magic, it seemed, would take some time and much practice.
Hiccup sat on the stone lip of the arena with ever watchful eyes, ready to step in should he be needed. "Well done," he complimented both of them, "get some rest and we'll begin again tomorrow, same time." Hiccup jumped to his feet and mounted Toothless, who zoomed into the skies, intent on getting some of his rider's attention.
Astrid held her head off the ground and shared a small smile with Sigrid. "Yeah, yeah, you did well," Sigrid admitted with a hint of sarcasm, "still got a long way to go before you can beat me, though!"
Both women broke into hysterical laughter, fueled by their exhaustion. A few minutes passed before they were forced to quell their giggling in order to breathe, their faces a shade of red. Sigrid walked over to Astrid and held out a hand, helping her to her feet. "Come on, you said you'd teach me about the mechanics of flight today," Sigrid said. Their training had been strained in the weeks following Astrid's magic specialization training, it was harder than ever to find time away from Hiccup's watchful eye to teach Sigrid in secret. They began splitting their lessons in two, Astrid would teach Sigrid about dragons one day, and then Sigrid would teach Astrid how to fight better the next day, and then the cycle would repeat itself.
"Alright, alright," Astrid complained, steadying herself on shaky legs. Sigrid smirked and the two of them made their way to Sigrid's study in separately to avoid suspicion.
Astrid arrived ten minutes after Sigrid and began lecturing her on the finer points of flight. How to balance on your dragon, how the wind blew at such lofty heights, how updrafts and downdrafts affected flight, the limits of a dragon's strength in stormy conditions, how it felt to provide your dragon with the power needed to fly in such conditions. Despite the topic, Astrid found her mind wandering to other worries.
"What's wrong?" Sigrid asked when it became apparent something was on Astrid's mind.
"Nothing, sorry," Astrid apologized, shaken from her reverie.
Sigrid gave her a look that made it clear she wasn't buying her lie. "Come on, what's wrong, Astrid?" she tried again.
Astrid sighed, knowing she would never avoid Sigrid's questions now that she was caught. "Nothing, just have some things on my mind, that's all," she said, hoping it would assuage Sigrid. It did not.
Sigrid remained silent but scrutinized Astrid, who cracked under her gaze. "Okay, fine. Hiccup's name day is coming soon and I'm trying to think of a gift for him," she admitted to the dwarf.
A strange light sparkled in Sigrid's eyes as she beheld the new information. "When is it?" she asked, interested.
"Next week, on Odin's day," Astrid answered.
Sigrid smirked. "We'll have to throw a grand celebration in his honor! We've been trying to get him to reveal his name day for years to no avail, this time he can't get out of the celebrations," she rattled off excitedly.
"Ah, I don't think he would like that…" Astrid said meekly, cutting Sigrid off. She knew Hiccup did not enjoy being around large crowds of people. His behavior on Berk made that abundantly clear.
Sigrid halted in her scheming and hummed in thought. "I guess you're right," she sighed, disappointed, "alright. What ideas do you have for gifts, then?"
"I don't know, really. He doesn't seem to have a lot of things, his room is pretty bare. I doubt he is a very materialistic person," Astrid said.
Sigrid hummed in thought, idly pacing her study. "What about books, he likes book, yeah?" she suggested.
"I don't know, it seems like he has a lot of books and scrolls already, and I don't know what he likes to read," Astrid said.
"We could always look through his books," Sigrid suggested.
Astrid just shook her head. "That's a good way to end up as Toothless' snack," she said humorously.
Sigrid seemed to ponder the situation, giving real thought to whether or not Toothless would really eat them. In the end, she decided not to risk it. "You're right," was all she said before sighing.
The two of them sat deep in thought, their previous lesson forgotten, as they thought of a gift they could give Hiccup for his name day. Eventually after several minutes, Astrid spoke. "I was thinking," she said, "of replacing something he had. A ring, actually. It broke on Berk, when he saved Stormfly."
Sigrid couldn't suppress a teasing grin. "What kind of ring?" she asked.
Astrid's brow furrowed as she thought back to what seemed like a lifetime ago, trying to picture his ring in her mind's eye. "It was made of a black metal, of the finest craftsmanship. It was a snake or a dragon, I don't know which, biting it's tail. It had two small green gems, emeralds perhaps, as eyes. You could count the scales of the dragon on the ring," Astrid said, trying her best to describe Hiccup's ring.
Sigrid nodded her head and jumped to her feet from the chair she was sitting in. "Come on, then," she said excitedly, "I know just who can help us with our predicament."
Sigrid bodily dragged Astrid through the halls of the estate and into the city, wandering through the roads towards another district. "Where are we going exactly?" Astrid asked.
"A friend of mine, her clan are expert jewelcrafters. They make the finest jewelry and cut the finest gems in the entire city, no one better to help us make a ring," Sigrid responded. The homes in the district they walked through were all fine and large in construction, crafted from beautiful white stone and inlaid with gold patterns on the walls.
Eventually they reached the front gates of a large, sprawling estate. Several guards with long spears guarded the entrance, but parted and allowed them entrance at the sight of Sigrid. Like Ragnarr's estate, many dwarves scurried to and fro in pursuit of their labors. Several stalls displaying hordes of wealth that Astrid couldn't fathom lined the main road to another, equally grand, palace. Workshops were farther back, off the side of the road, next to holes which Astrid knew to lead into the mines far below the city.
"Where are we exactly?" Astrid asked again.
"This is the Men'skapari's district, specifically the estate of their heir and my good friend, Askatla. She can help us look for a ring," Sigrid answered, many dwarves stopping and giving her a respectful nod of the head or slight bow. Sigrid jogged up the stairs leading to the massive double doors that was the entrance of the palace, Astrid following quickly behind her, casting quick glances about, examining her surroundings.
Sigrid pounded on the door twice and it was promptly opened by a rotund servant who let them in and then scurried off. Astrid stared at the opulence of the main hall. She had thought Ragnarr's palace was indulgent, it was nothing compared to the Men'skapari's. The wealth of the dwarves never failed to awe her, she doubted even the whole wealth of Midgard could match it.
After a few minutes of waiting a dwarf woman wearing a long, flowing dress of purple emerged into the hall. "Sigrid!" she squealed before jumping into a fierce half hug, half tackle, "I haven't seen you in forever!"
"It's good to see you too, Askatla. I've been busy with my studies, sorry," Sigrid replied, trying her best to breathe through the embrace.
"What brings you," Askatla asked, patting down and examining her friend.
"Business, I'm afraid. We're looking for a ring, actually," Sigrid said, gesturing at Astrid.
Askatla seemed to take notice of Astrid for the first time. "Ah, you must be the new rider," she said politely, holding out a hand in greeting.
"I'm Astrid," Astrid said, shaking the dwarf's hand, "I'm actually just an apprentice, not a rider in full yet. Nice to meet you."
"Well met," Askatla agreed, "so what kind of ring are you looking for? I don't mean to brag, but we have pretty much everything here."
Astrid quickly repeated the description of the ring to Askatla, who hummed in thought. "I don't think we have anything quite like that, but we could easily forge one. Whose ring is it?" she asked.
"It's for her master, his ring was destroyed and she's replacing it," Sigrid answered, smirking, knowing Askatla's penchant for gossip.
"Oh my," Askatla said, "how scandalous. An apprentice and her master…"
Astrid's face grew bright red at the accusation. "I-I do not- Hiccup and I do not have that kind of relationship! You're misunderstanding things, it's just a gift for his name day," she sputtered out.
Askatla made a small noise as if to say she didn't believe her. "Alright then, let's see if we can find someone to help you with your order. On the house, of course," Askatla said, gesturing them to follow her as she led Astrid and Sigrid through winding halls deeper into the palace.
Eventually they reached large, wide double doors, reinforced with mithril. Guarding the doors were six burly dwarves, each armed to the teeth. At Askatla's approach, they saluted and parted, opening the doors for them. What Astrid beheld was an ocean of gold and precious gems, it was a vault, a massive vault, perhaps the size of the entire village of Berk, filled with nothing but wealth. The room seemed to be bursting at the seams with gold, and the guards had to kick several spare coins and ingots back into the vault. She had thought she had seen the wealth of the dwarves before, but no, still there was more. Only the massive gemstones set into the floor of the royal palace could compare.
Askatla hummed as she skipped through the vault, winding through a very small path where the mounds of gold did not fall. Here and there she picked up and examined small gems, scrutinizing them with beady eyes, before tossing them back to the mounds of gold from whence they came. Astrid and Sigrid followed her aimlessly, both taking in the more than impressive display of wealth. Eventually, after several tens of minutes of deliberations, Askatla found what she was looking for. "Ah, found it!" she exclaimed.
Askatla held up a fist sized emerald which was nearly translucent, but sparkled like clear water in the sun. "This should do nicely," she commented, showing the gem to Astrid and Sigrid who nodded their heads.
"We can color the gold in the workshop to be black. I'll see if I can get mother to work on it personally. Should be ready in, say, three to four days?" Askatla guessed.
"That's perfect," Astrid said, "thank you."
"My pleasure, anything for Vrangr," Askatla said sincerely.
Astrid and Sigrid said their pleasantries, Askatla not wanting Sigrid to leave after being reunited, before making the return journey back to Ragnarr's estate. They stopped at a small restaurant that served a dish of strange fish native to Nidavellir that Astrid found repulsive. It was long, taking the length of their entire table, and covered in a hard outer shell. It's head possessed many tens of eyes and small tentacle limbs extended from it's body. Sigrid was busy explaining to Astrid that, yes, the food was indeed safe to eat, and that, no, it was not some prank the dwarves pulled on outsiders, that they almost missed the large bulk of Toothless curled around a forge. Almost.
They deviated from the road leading from the gates to the entrance hall of the palace and made their way through winding paths, doing their best to stay out of the way of dwarves scurrying about their daily work, until they made their way to the forge Toothless was curled around. Dwarves bustled in and out of the forge, piles of ore and coal entering.
The heat from the forge was sweltering, almost as if you were being cooked alive. Astrid and Sigrid hadn't even opened the door and they were already covered in sweat. Opening the door of the forge, which was hot to the touch, released a cloud of steam. Inside, Hiccup stood over a large furnace, tunic discarded, as he shoveled a pile of ore into the furnace to be smelted. Rivulets of sweat dripped down his back as more and more ore was shoveled into the furnace. Dwarves pushed them aside, running in to deliver more. Despite the large amount of ore being shoveled in, only a few small ingots were produced. They glowed cherry red in the wake of their birth but turned a shiny color of silver as they cooled.
"Hiccup! What are you doing," Sigrid yelled over the roar of the flames, her clothes soaked with sweat despite only being in the forge for a few seconds.
Hiccup held a finger up as if to say, one moment, and he continued shovelling ore in. Eventually the rush of incoming dwarves halted as the last dwarf entered the forge, carrying a small fistful of ore. Hiccup added it to the furnace and watched as the last ingot was smelted before gesturing to the door. Astrid and Sigrid got the message and followed him outside. As Hiccup stepped into the, in comparison, cool air, the sweat on his body began to evaporate in clouds of mist. Astrid did her best to hide her blush at his manner of dress, the lack of a tunic and the way his breeches clung to his legs helped matters little.
"What are you working on?" Sigrid questioned again.
Hiccup wore a slightly embarrassed look, as if he had just been caught red handed doing something he shouldn't have been. "Nothing really, just some forge work in my spare time," he answered.
"Uh huh, sure," Sigrid said sarcastically, "spill it."
Hiccup gave Astrid a small look before sighing. "Well, it was kind of supposed to be a secret but I guess that doesn't matter anymore. I was making a gift for Astrid's name day, although I'm not going to tell you what it is. That much at least can remain a secret," he said resolutely.
Sigrid smirked and sent a look at Astrid who was struggling to cover up a small blush. Astrid instead opted to punch Sigrid in the shoulder, slightly harder than playfully. "We'll leave you to it then," she said, practically dragging Sigrid along behind her, ignoring the dwarf's jeers.
When they were nearly at the doors of the entrance Astrid released Sigrid who was giggling to herself. "Hey, maybe Askatla was right," she jested.
"Please, can we just not do this, Sigrid," Astrid sighed as she climbed the stairs to the palace.
"Oh, come on," Sigrid whined, but said no more when she was cut off by a sharp look from Astrid.
"Alright, fine, be that way. How come you didn't tell me it was your name day soon too?" Sigrid asked.
Astrid grumbled to herself before answering. "All the kids on Berk were born roughly around the same time. Our parents got married in the spring and then had us sometime in the winter. Hiccup and I have the closest days of all our generation," she replied.
"How cute," Sigrid said sarcastically. Astrid just rolled her eyes, used to Sigrid's dry and sarcastic humor.
The two of them made their way back to Sigrid's study, it was Astrid's turn to teach Sigrid about dragons for the day and she wasn't about to miss a day and endure Sigrid's constant nagging again. The harassment over the name day gifts wasn't making things any better. It was going to be a long day.
Hail to the King
A/N:
First off, a big thanks to all my readers and reviewers. This story recently passed 100 reviews and 200 follows, more success than I had hoped to achieve when I started drafting this story.
That being said, I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. We deviated from the main plot of this arc and instead focused on the much broader story on what is happening in the nine realms abroad. We saw the council of elders, which includes Hiccup's master, or masters rather. The council is as follows: Frode, Auor, Agvior, Runa, and Blakkr. Frode and Auor are Aesir, and I have incorrectly referred to them as Asgardians previously, my apologies. Agvior is the only elf, and we'll meet him in person when we move to Alfheim. Runa and Blakkr are both Vanir, which I always imagined to look more like Native Americans or Indians. We'll see more Vanir when we visit Asgard.
Their names roughly translate as follows:
- Frode, "the wise one," discussed in the previous chapter.
- Auor, "the deep minded."
- Agvior, "tree, wood."
- Runa, "mystery, secret."
- Blakkr, "black, dun colored."
I've been debating with myself if I wanted to delve into the broadness of magic and decided that, yes, I do. Most spellcasters choose to, at some point, specialize in a specific form of magic, usually a form that they have a natural talent for. A person's talent is random, and is usually set in stone at birth. It is possible for a spellcaster to have more than one talent, however, each successive talent is more specialized than the last. For example, if someone were to have a talent for fire magic, a fairly broad category of magic, their second talent may be in the manipulation of heat, a fairly specific category of magic. This process would repeat until it is unlikely for a spellcaster to have another talent, or if they do, it is unlikely they will discover it.
In another case, some talents are inherited through blood. An example I used in the story was frost giants, who naturally at birth have a talent for ice magic. Fire giants, in the same vein, have a talent for fire magic. Both races have a second, random talent, as described above, as well as their blood talent. These blood talents are rarer, and usually far more powerful than their normal talent counterparts. For example, a frost giant would never lose in a contest of ice magic against anyone except another frost giant. Blood talents will be expanded upon as we explore other worlds with inhabitants who can use magic, which sadly, the dwarves cannot. Families with blood talents are often wealthy and influential in the politics of their world. There exists many other different forms of magics as well, which I will touch upon when they are relevant.
If you guys have any requests for types of magic to be seen in the future, please leave them in a review or send me a message.
I have decided that, in lieu of Hiccup's darker nature, to give him a fittingly darker talent in magic. In a world of magic, there are certain talents that are frowned upon due to their sinister nature. Necromancy, mind control, illusions, curses, human experimentation, etc. Hiccup's magic falls into this category. Speaking of Hiccup's darker nature, I thought I would briefly explain: Hiccup endured a rough childhood, 15 years of physical and emotional abuse from his friends, family, and peers put him in a rough frame of mind. He was driven from the only home he ever knew after he made friends with what he could only know was their people's greatest enemy. He was unceremoniously dumped into the cold, hard world of medieval Europe and then into the nine realms where he was a part of a vicious war that has been waged since creation itself. No one, especially a young 15 year old boy, survives such things and ends up normal.
Astrid's talent, on the other hand, is quite vanilla in nature. Enhancement magic is uncommon, but not unheard of, to be talented in. I also felt it fit her character quite a lot, as despite the changes she is experiencing, she still has that viking core of wanting to smash things with her axe. Now, she can smash them even harder.
I hope the mutual gift giving has satisfied your itch for romance. We're getting there, I promise, and when we do, it will be that much sweeter. Again: no official, mutual romance until after the Alfheim story arc. Can you guess what Hiccup is making for Astrid?
Sigrid's friend is Askatla, her name means "a god (from Ae in Aesir)" and "a kettle, helmet, or chief with a helmet." A minor character, who probably won't appear after the name day celebrations. She is the heir, but not a princess, of the Men'skapari, or the "treasure creators." They are the best jewelcrafters in all the city.
Thanks for reading!
- Musica