Guest: There is no set day when I upload. I upload when I find the next chapter ready. Just take the current gaming industry as an example. And thank you.
And for the love of Talos, no more meaningless "pls update"-reviews.
In case there's any confusion, the first half is basically retelling the latter half of the previous chapter outside of Mikael's perspective. Keep that in mind.
Let's get the show down the road.
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The Eye
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Four days earlier...
The next morning after the battle against Alduin, Hiccup decided to take another look at the Dragon Eye. At first when he discovered how to use the Dragon Eye he was interrupted by Alduin attacking the village. Impeccable timing, as usual. Toothless was flaming up his stone bed, thus emitting some glow from the flames to the Dragon Eye, which projected an image to the wall.
Hiccup woke up early and went door-to-door to get any Dragon Riders up as early as possible, even Camicazi. However, since Mikael was still unconscious he couldn't get there. Once he managed to get everyone together, they went inside the Haddock house and Hiccup told that he wanted to show everyone what he discovered the night before. Toothless gave a low flame, and the Dragon Eye lit up a projection on the wall.
"Whoa.."
"Amazing."
"Cool."
"Awesome." the Viking teens wowed at the Dragon Eye.
"Totally worth getting up early for." Fishlegs said excitingly. "But just wondering: Why Mikael isn't here?" Fishlegs asked.
"He is still knocked out, as far as I know. I will fill him in once he wakes up and is well rested. But anyway, can you make any of it out?" Hiccup said.
"Let's see here...there are parts of maps, some symbols. Oh, and there's writing but it's not in Norse or even Mikael's language." Fishlegs got closer and studied the projection the Dragon Eye lit on the wall. He then turned to Hiccup. "Do you realise this map..." Fishlegs started.
"...goes beyond the boundaries of the Archipelago. Oh, do I know." Hiccup finished and grinned in excitement.
The others looked at each other slightly disturbed by Hiccup's enthusiasm.
"So...what's next?" Camicazi asked, not really understanding what was Hiccup getting at.
"This Dragon Eye changes everything we Vikings know. Writing that we can't read. Maps we have never seen, and dragons we do not recognize. This is proof that there is a whole other world out there..." Hiccup said and gestured to the projection, then turned around.
"...a world that must be explored." Hiccup said confidently at the Riders in the room.
"Don't forget about Dagur. He is still out there." Fishlegs said.
"I know, but we can get two birds with one stone. We explore the areas the Dragon Eye revealed to us, and at the same time we can look for Dagur. Besides, once our tribes manage to lock down our territories, Dagur will be forced out of the normal boundaries of the Archipelago." Hiccup said.
"Or, he will set up a base of operations of sorts outside the Archipelago anyway, thinking we won't follow him." Fishlegs added.
"That's true as well. So, we should share this with the council of the tribes." Hiccup said and grabbed the Dragon Eye.
Hiccup walked downstairs and walked to his father who also woke up early.
"Sleep well, son?" Stoick asked cheerfully.
"Allright, I guess. Dad, I need to ask you something." Hiccup said.
"Allright, what is it?" Stoick asked slightly worryingly.
"Can you set up a meeting with the visiting tribes? We just got some new information that should be shared with all allied tribes." Hiccup said, and held out the Dragon Eye to Stoick. Stoick eyed the contraption for a second, then nodded.
"Thanks dad. I'll see you at the Great Hall." Hiccup said and walked outside the house with the rest of the Riders following him.
About half an hour later the Hooligan, Bog Burglar, Meathead, Ugli-Thug and even Outcast chiefs and their heirs (or seconds in command) were now meeting in the Great Hall in a short notice. They all sat around the oval shaped center table, with the Dragon Eye on one end, facing set up slab of stone. Toothless walked behind the Dragon Eye, and lit it up, showing the projection.
"Well, this beats usual council business." Gobber piped up.
"Wha is this...thin' anyway?" Mogadon asked, eyeing the Dragon Eye curiously.
"I and the Dragon Riders named this artifact 'the Dragon Eye', and we found it from a graveyard of ships where Trader Johann was storing his treasures and wares." Hiccup lifted a finger and explained.
"Wha is it?" Ug asked.
"From what we know it is...some sort of a...library in a small size, with maps and writing inside it. You need dragonfire to reveal it's secrets." Hiccup tried his best to explain what it is exactly but still using simple words for the simple Vikings.
Hiccup looked at the council, then to the Riders and then to his father. Stoick nodded and gestured his son to continue what he had to say. He kind of called this meeting after all.
"So, the reason we are all here is to show this new artifact. It is proof that there are new lands, new dragons and possibly new people with new language out there. All of which that we need to explore and meet." Hiccup said, looking around the council.
"Isn't yer number one priority puttin' Dagur behin' iron bars?" Bertha sternly asked.
"Yes, that is a high priority. However, once we lock down our islands and territories, Dagur will be going beyond the reaches of our Archipelago, or he is already doing so because he'll think that we won't follow him. We have to follow him outside said boundaries. And thanks to the Dragon Eye, we know there are unknown places out there." Hiccup answered.
The council fell silent, and started to whisper among their own people. Stoick, Gobber and the Riders (minus Camicazi who was sitting next to her mother) however didn't, and were wondering what the council would think of this.
"Aye, we suppose we can allow that as well. Ye hav' dragons, so tha distance will be small compared ta travelling on ships." Mogadon said.
"Agreed. We might fin' new places ta raid." Ug said. Alvin chuckled at that statement.
Vikings this far north did not have any neighboring tribes or nations that were not Vikings. Only to the far south were some tribes or clans that were not Vikings, namely the Highlanders and the English. Even further south were some Mainland nations like the Holy Roman Empire but they were too large to raid.
"Or new trading partners, if they prove too strong." Bertha said.
"So it is settled. Anything else the Council would like to say?" Stoick asked from everybody.
"I hav' one thing to say to everyone 'round 'ere." Alvin said and stood up from the table and started to circle around the table. "I think the alliance with the Hooligan tribe and the Outcast tribe made ye all think more...positively of us Outcasts." Alvin said and gestured around the table.
"I don't think so, Alvin." Mogadon chuckled and the rest of the chiefs followed suit.
"If ye let me finish. As I was saying, we Outcasts are well...outcasts. Misfits. Thanks to the alliance with the Hooligans we have thought about returning to our tribes one day." Alvin said.
"Tha's ridiculous, Alvin." Ug said and smashed his hand to the table.
"All of my men miss their families and loved ones. Jus' think. If our tribe was to be...dissolved, ye had one less tribe or a lunatic like Dagur raidin' yer villages." Alvin continued ignoring Ug's protest.
"Alvin, as much as I feel slightly sympathetic to your goal, it is not a priority for now. We need to catch Dagur first." Stoick said, and Alvin sat back down, content on what he heard. "Anything else anyone would like to say?"
"Aye, there's one more thing. I thin' ye should teach our tribes to train dragons too." Mogadon said and stood up. "Camicazi from tha Bogs is already a member of yer Riders, correct? Which means she'll get a dragon of 'er own. What about us? Or tha Ugli-Thugs?" Mogadon continued.
"A very good question, Chief Mogadon." Hiccup said, standing up from his seat. "We will teach your tribes as well, but we should start with you, the Chieftains the heirs. I do not know how your tribes will react to dragons, but I am sure they will be more friendly if their chieftain and heir is riding a dragon already." Hiccup continued.
"Aye, tha makes sense. So when we will start tha lessons?" Ug piped up.
"One of our key members is bedridden for at least a week. I suppose we could start today, so we have plenty of time to teach." Hiccup said and smiled.
"Anything else?" Stoick asked the council yet again.
"Aye, mind explainin' wha was that yesterday? In detail." Ug said.
"I told you, that you need to ask the man himself for that. But I suppose you want to hear it from somebody else, not him." Stoick said.
"Aye, that's correct." Ug said, crossing his arms.
"Allright. I already told you the short version. Mikael is...well, as you can tell not from the Archipelago. Not only he had to learn our language which he succeeded in a short time, but..." Stoick said and his voice faltered, not sure how to break it to the other chiefs. Stoick sighed, then turned to Hiccup. His son had more brain than him.
"Yeah, let me explain this, father. To put it shortly, Mikael isn't...he isn't from this world." Hiccup said.
"Wha do ye mean? Are ye meanin' to say that he is from Asgard or somethin'?" Mogadon said. chuckling slightly followed by the rest of the chiefs minus Stoick.
"Well, what we know of him is that he might not even be from the nine realms. Not Midgard, not Asgard, Helheim, Alfheim, Jotunheim...you get the idea." Hiccup continued.
"How do ye know of this?" Bertha asked.
"I am only assuming this, not only because he worships different gods but also how different his world is. According to Mikael his world has two moons, not one." Hiccup finished.
"He is a bloody heathen?" Ug said angrily and slammed his fist on the table. Mogadon and Bertha grunted aloud in agreement.
"As far as I am concerned we should not care about his beliefs as apparently he doesn't care about ours either. Anyway, he isn't from here, as in our world. In his world he was apparently blessed by their dragon-god of time with dragons' blood and soul so he could slay the World-Eater and stop the end of time. That is the short version of it. And yes it includes breathing fire like a dragon. Anything else?" Hiccup replied angrily to the Ugli-Thug chieftain and glared the Meathead and Bog Burglar chief.
However Ug went silent, and didn't answer Hiccup's question at first.. Everyone looked at Ug, then each other and the Council was silent for a full ten seconds.
"I 'spose not. Sorry. Ye know we Vikings are...y'know, superstitious." Ug apologised.
"Aye." Mogadon and Bertha said in unison.
"I guess that's it. This Council is dismissed." Stoick said.
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Everybody stood up and presumed their duties after the Council ended. But since it was still early morning, they all just went to the food tables around the Hall and grabbed some breakfast. The Riders plus Camicazi, Thuggory and Dogsbreath walked to a table while the chieftains minus Alvin walked to another. Alvin however went to his own table and talked to his lieutenants.
The chieftains were apparently discussing diplomacy between their tribes, due to how calmly they were talking to each other. Which was slightly unusual due to the normal Viking demeanor. Alvin was quietly talking to his lieutenants, hopefully not scheming a plan on how to take over Berk. Even after three years of an alliance Alvin may just be plotting something, and that talk about dissolving the Outcasts might just be a ploy.
Hiccup and the gang were not discussing anything particular. Mostly on whatever came on their minds at the moment.
"Hey Hiccup, do you buy that 'breaking the Outcasts up'-thing from Alvin?" Thuggory asked.
"Not sure. He was honest when we forged our alliance." Hiccup mused, thinking back to three years ago.
"What do you mean by that?" Dogsbreath piped up.
"Firstly, when he broke out of prison we put him in after he made it here he didn't try to kill anyone, but he helped fight Dagur, who sneaked inside our Arena and planted some Dragon Root there." Hiccup started.
"What's Dragon Root?" Camicazi asked.
"A plant that dragons crave, and makes them go insane once they smell it. Secondly, he helped me save my father from the clutches of that lunatic. I am not completly sure what he is planning, but he seems genuine...for now. He got the nickname 'the Treacherous' for a reason." Hiccup continued.
"What was the reason?" Thuggory asked out of curiousity. Nobody outside Berk knew Alvin that well apart from him being the Outcast chief, therefore he is an enemy.
"A story for another day. And finally...he has kept his word since. Not a single Outcast attack since we made peace with them. They have also helped us by keeping the Berserkers busy to a degree. Namely harassing their ships and other transports." Hiccup finished.
"I guess he can be believable. For now, as you said." Camicazi said.
"Hiccup, I gotta say that your 'death glare' was really scary. You know, the one you used on Chief Mogadon, Ug and Bertha?" Fishlegs said.
"Was it?" Hiccup asked, slightly suprised.
"Totally. If looks could kill you would've killed them all...twice." Tuffnut said, holding two fingers up and so did Ruffnut, nodding as well in agreement.
"Was I really that scary?" Hiccup asked yet again.
"Looks like you're turning into your father..." Astrid said jokingly, elbowing the Hooligan heir.
"I hope not." Hiccup said quietly to himself, and stood up.
"Where are ya going?" Astrid asked.
"Taking Toothless for a morning flight. You know he hates being grounded." Hiccup replied nonchalantly.
"Aaaaand...who's fault is that again?" Snotlout sneered.
"Snotlout..." Astrid growled.
"What? Just calling it as I see it." Snotlout said, and was promptly punched in the shoulder by Astrid.
"Whatever, I am going on a morning flight." Hiccup sighed and exit the Great Hall.
"So...what was that all about?" Thuggory asked.
"Hiccup hasn't told you how Toothless lost his tailfin, I guess?" Astrid said. Thuggory nodded.
"Allright, the short version is that when we were still at war with dragons, Hiccup used a bola launcher called 'the Mangler' which took Toothless down and ripped his left tailfin out." Astrid said.
"Must've been some contraption to be able to shoot down the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself." Dogsbreath chimed in.
"It was. Hiccup then found him in the woods, trained him and built him a prosthetic tail so Toothless was able to fly again. However it required him to ride Toothless, so Hiccup became the first Viking in recorded history to ride a dragon." Fishlegs said.
"All the while when Berk was still at war?" Thuggory asked rhetorically.
"Correct. But I should let him tell the rest." Fishlegs said.
"I suppose." Thuggory said.
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Later that morning...
Hiccup returned from his morning flight and flew straight to the Great Hall. He picked the three Chieftains from there with the help of the Riders, each flying on a different dragon. Hiccup was flying with Thuggory, Mogadon was with Snotlout, Ug with Fishlegs, Dogsbreath on the twins' Zippleback, and Camicazi and Bertha were with Astrid.
They flew to the Arena, and they were ready to continue on the dragon training lessons.
"Welcome to the Dragon Training Academy. Here we train dragons, dragon riders and occasionally both." Hiccup said loud and clear and gestured to around the Arena.
"First thing to remember about training dragons is that they cannot be tamed. They can be trained, and befriended but never tamed. They are far too intelligent for that." Hiccup said, holding one finger up.
"Second thing to remember is that dragon training begins and ends with trust. The dragon must trust you, and you must trust the dragon. You have to form a bond, a friendship. They will never be your slaves and you must not never treat them like a common horse. Understood?" Hiccup held a second finger up, and then pointed one finger to all chieftains and their heirs that were present. All nodded solemnly.
"Very good. Now, do you have any preferences on what kind of a dragon would you like? Chief Mogadon?" Hiccup said and nodded to Mogadon who was standing on the left side of the line.
"Ah...I 'spose I'd like a Viking-like dragon. Y'know, big an' strong." Mogadon said, lifting both of his arms up in a flexing position so show his strength.
"Then I suppose you would like a Thunderdrum, right? My father used to ride one, and he was called Thornado. Named very well due to how according to legends Thunderdrums get their power from Thor himself." Hiccup said.
"Aye. Do you have one o' those 'round 'ere?" Mogadon asked.
"Yes we do. But before we carry on that I am going to ask every Chief and heir first. Ug, what about you?" Hiccup asked.
"Hmm...I think I'd like the same thin' Mogadon wanted. A big an' stron' dragon. Fit fer a Chief, am I right?" Ug said.
"You could pick a Thunderdrum like Mogadon. Create some friendly rivalry, hmm? Or you could pick...a Timberjack. They are big, and have lots of firepower and their wings can slice through full grown trees. Right Fishlegs?" Hiccup said and turned to the Ingerman.
"That is correct sir. Timberjacks have lots of firepower and have the brawn fit for a chief." Fishlegs said, while pointing to a picture of a Timberjack on the Book of Dragons.
"Aye, I'll pick tha' one then." Ug said.
"Allright then. Bertha, what about you?" Hiccup turned to the Bog Burglar chief.
"I do not know... I'd like somethin'...feminine. Gracious. Fit fer a Bog Burglar." Bertha said.
"Then a Nadder would be perfect. Astrid?" Hiccup said and pointed to the blonder shield-maiden.
"That is correct ma'am. Nadders are beautiful dragons, and have a personality to match. Don't be shy, Stormfly." Astrid said and tossed a piece of chicken for Stormfly. Stormfly squawked and shook her wings and head spikes to show them graciously around.
"Aye, I can see that. A Nadda' it is then." Bertha boomed.
"Now to the heirs. Thuggory, what do you think?" Hiccup said to the Meathead heir.
"Huh...I suppose I would like a Monstrous Nightmare." Mogadon said, since he wanted a different dragon from all the others.
"Good choice, Thuggory. They have lots of firepower. Right Snotlout?" Hiccup said and turned to the Jorgenson.
"That's right, Thuggory. The perfect fit for men of our brawn and stature." Snotlout said and puffed his chest out.
"Allright. Dogsbreath?" Hiccup said.
"I was thinking of a Gronckle. I can see that those tails are deadly." Dogsbreath said.
"That is correct, Dogsbreath. Their tails work well as bludgeons. Their skin is tough, like armor. Also very springy." Fishlegs said, gesturing towards his Gronckle.
"Allright, now that everyone knows what kind of a dragon to pick we can start the actual training. Let's start one tribe at a time. Since Bertha is the only one from her tribe here training a dragon now, she should go first."
"Aye, let's get this ova' with." Bertha remarked.
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The training session went smoothly.
All chieftains and their heirs except Camicazi trained their dragons.
As Bertha went first she trained an orange Nadder. As instructed by Astrid, she approached the Deadly Nadder from behind, and smoother it's tail spikes down. She named her Nadder Windwalker, apparently how graciously she flies in the skies.
The Ugli-Thug Chief and heir went next. Ug the Uglithug named his Timberjack Pineslicer, because of how the Timberjacks were named. Dogsbreath named his green Gronckle Seaslug, and for no reason at all. Vikings really can't name anything.
However, Mogadon and Thuggory had trouble training the Thunderdrum and the Nightmare, as was expected from the stubborn Stoker class dragon and Tidal class dragon. The Meatheads are well...meatheads, so the initial tips for training a Thunderdrum and a Nightmare from Hiccup and Snotlout fell for deaf ears. All they needed to do is give them the respect they deserve, usually placing a gentle hand on the snout. When both Meatheads tried to place a hand on the snout, the Nightmare and Thunderdrum initially growled, which the Meaatheads took as a sign of aggression. So Mogadon almost punched his Nightmare in the face but was stopped by Hiccup. After calming the agitated Nightmare and Thunderdrum down they managed to train them. Mogadon named his green Thunderdrum Maelstrom. Thuggory named his silver Nightmare Killer. Simple name for a simple Viking.
Hiccup and the Riders assigned the chiefs and their heirs to bond with their dragons until they left the island. Feed, play fetch, target practice against barrels that had targets painted on them and so forth.
They flew back to town to get some lunch. They landed near the plaza so their dragons could rest in their homes for a while.
"Wow Hiccup, I thought that it was going to get...well..." Fishlegs started.
"Violent?" Hiccup finished for Fishlegs.
"Yeah." Fishlegs admitted.
"Well, at least we have now three allied tribes that have dragons as well. All they need to do is to talk to their people and well all be set." Hiccup said.
"Set for...what?" Astrid asked.
"Peace and prosperity in the Archipelago. If we didn't teach our allies on teaching dragons, I am sure sooner or later they would've all allied against us." Hiccup explained.
"Hey, I'm still here." Camicazi said, slightly annoyed by Hiccup's comment.
"Admit it Cami. Everybody in the Archipelago would've seen us as a threat. Even your mother, or you." Hiccup said sternly to the Bog heir.
"Well, you may have a point." Camicazi conceded.
They were just about to get to the Great Hall but they noticed Katrine walking down the steps leading to Gothi's hut in a hurry. She noticed the Riders walking towards the Hall, and then rushed towards them. Something probably has happened to Mikael.
"Katrine? Is he okay?" Hiccup asked.
"He's fine. He said he feels pretty weak so I gotta grab some food for him. Come with me, I think he'll be delighted to see you and Stoick." She said.
"Allright. You guys just grab lunch. I'll be back later." Hiccup said turning to the Riders.
The Riders nodded and walked to the Hall. Katrine was quick getting some mutton and mead and at the same time grabbed Stoick with her. She didn't want any other women in there with her, so she made an excuse to only bring Hiccup and Stoick there.
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About thirty minutes later...
No way this was happening to her.
After Stoick and Hiccup entered Gothi's hut to talk to Mikael, she was promptly dismissed by the Dragonborn. It was a small shock to the red-haired Viking, since she expected Mikael to...like her to some degree, since he said that hell 'think about it' about him and her, as in as a couple. Once the Chief and Hiccup left however she went back in to finally ask him out since she now had the guts to ask. He was the Dragonborn after all. A very, very talented swordsman and a striking look to match, even with those scars and yellow eyes.
However, she was very, very bluntly rejected.
She was now racing down the spiral staircase that led from the village to Gothi's hut which was directly above the Great Hall. She was also crying in her mind. Vikings rarely show tears after all. But after a while she couldn't hold her emotions any longer, and she wept.
Once she reached the bottom of the spiraling staircase she was spotted yet again by the Riders. This time Hiccup was with the others, and apparently they just left eating lunch. All of them saw what kind of a state she was in, so they rushed to meet her.
"Katrine! You all right?" Astrid was the first one to ask.
"He...he..." Katrine stammered.
"Shush shush, calm down. Now what did he do?" Hiccup said, trying to calm the Viking woman down.
Katrine gulped really deeply, and took some deep breaths. She was almost hyperventilating. She sat down on a step of the stairs leading to the Great Hall.
"He rejected me..." Katrine finally blurted out.
"Oh. Sorry to hear that." Astrid said, placing a hand on her shoulder.
Everyone in the village knew how badly she was quite head over heels in love with the Dragonborn. A lot of remaining women of around his age were, but not as much as she was. Apparently she had a crush at first sight when she saw him at the Academy since she heard of the mysterious swordsman who almost single-handedly stopped a Berserker skirmish, but then fell in love after his prowess as a Dragon Rider.
"He was supposed to be the one..." Katrine said, still sobbing.
"There are plenty of fish in the sea. Besides, what did you two talk about anyway?" Hiccup asked.
"Well..." Katrine now took some deep breaths to calm herself down. "I made a move. He just said that he doesn't like me, and he isn't looking for a relationship. Too many worlds to save and so on."
"I am not really blaming him..." Hiccup quietly said to himself. That only earned a glare from Astrid, Camicazi and Ruffnut. "What? He is kind of a busy guy..." Hiccup tried to retort. Hiccup is a rational guy after all.
"Boys." Ruffnut said aloud, scoffing slightly.
"Men. I know, right?" Camicazi said, earning a fist bump from Ruffnut.
"Anyway, just...go home and rest." Hiccup said to Katrine, trying to ignore the statements made by Ruffnut and Camicazi.
"Yeah...I will do just...that." Katrine said, stood up and walked slowly towards her family home. When she walked past people some Vikings took a short glance at the slightly depressed Viking woman who was usually very cheery and confident.
"Man, she is a mess." Astrid said. "Wonder what he really said to her."
"No kidding. I really don't want her to be a mess like that when she travels to the Bog Isles to help out Chief Bertha and the rest of her tribe." Hiccup said.
"Speaking of which, when do we go get a Changewing anyway? I hate to keep asking it but my mum now has a dragon, so..." Camicazi asked with an annoyed tone. She would really like to get her own dragon so she wouldn't have to hitch a ride from anyone.
"When Mikael gets his strength back. We need every rider accounted for when hunting or training invisible dragons. Besides, a Skrill can zap a Changewing so we could train it easier." Hiccup replied.
"Right..." Camicazi conceded.
"Anyway, I am going to check on the chiefs and the heirs to see how they are doing. You guys coming?" Hiccup said.
"Sure." Fishlegs said.
"Yeah, I could pick up some tips on the way for the Changewing." Camicazi said.
"I'm gonna go talk to Katrine." Astrid said.
"I have some business with my father." Snotlout said.
"And we have some...other things to do." Tuffnut said and Ruffnut nodded mischievously. Probably to plan another prank. Lucky them.
The Riders parted their ways. Hiccup, Fishlegs and Camicazi went to the Arena while Snotlout and the twins went to their homes.
Astrid however was curious on what Mikael exactly did say to Katrine. She walked towards her family home, and then knocked three times. A minute later her mother, Geirhildr opened the door.
"Hello Astrid. What brings you here?" Geirhildr said curiously to the Hofferson.
"I would like to talk to Katrine." Astrid said solemnly.
"Ah...you know she is...in a state, correct? I do not know why, she refuses to talk to me about it." Geirhildr replied with a frown.
"I know why, and that is the reason why I would like to talk about it." Astrid said.
"Tell me, please? I hate to see my daughter like that." Geirhildr's face lit up as soon as Astrid finished her sentence.
"She...was rejected by Mikael. You know she was...you know." Astrid said.
"Ah yes. Poor girl. I warned her that she might be trying to eat more than she can chew, so to speak. She has always been a determined one, and full of life." Geirhildr said. "But go ahead. She is supposed to go to the Bog Isles, right? With her Nadder?" she continued and moved aside, letting Astrid in.
"Correct, also one of the reasons I need to talk to her." Astrid said. Geirhildr nodded and presumed that she knew what she was doing.
Astrid walked upstairs, and knocked on the door to Katrine's room. First, two times. Then three times. And finally four times and she heard someone move behind the door.
"Go away please." a muffled sound of Katrine talked through the door.
"It's Astrid. Would you let me in?" Astrid said.
A silence fell for about half a minute, then Astrid heard some footsteps. Katrine opened the door, and she was even more of a mess than not too long ago. Her eyes were completly bloodshot, presumerably due to crying. She moved aside, letting Astrid inside her room. Astrid then pulled a stool and sat on it.
"I hate to be blunt right now, but you need to clear your head. You volunteered to leave for the Bog Burglars, right? To help Chief Bertha in defending and patrolling the island and help the Bogs train dragons." Astrid said in a clear yet stern tone to the red-haired Viking.
"I seriously though he was perfect..." Katrine quietly said to herself.
"I get it. He is an excellent warrior, probably currently the best on on Berk right now after Stoick. And he has...certain gifts. But remember, there are plenty of other men on the island too. Even from two different tribes. Well maybe not from the Ugli-Thugs. But the Meatheads are a nice bunch." Astrid tried to reason with her. Her usual way of punching people until they agree wouldn't work here.
"After him, I just can't look at other men like that..." Katrine continued quietly.
"You've set your bar pretty high. I think you should lower it." Astrid tried to reason, yet again.
Katrine went silent after that, aside from an occasional sniff or quiet breath.
"Allright. I've given you my advice, but remember to clear your head. Go kill trees with an axe, take a bath in a lake, do whatever you do to relax. I am going to speak to Mikael now." Astrid said and left the room, leaving Katrine to think to herself.
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Four days later...
Fourth Era year 204, 3rd of Frostfall
The Vikings know how to throw a party or a feast.
Apparently when I was confined to a bed, they were planning a suprise feast on my honour. I was given the Viking name 'Dragonbane', because I banished Alduin from this world. According to Hiccup people usually earn their Viking names when they are way older than me. Stoick earned 'the Vast' when he was elected Chief due to his brawn and intellgence, for an example. Bork the Bold was named after he wrote the Book of Dragons after half a lifetime of study of dragons. Mostly to kill them, but he is still revered as 'the Bold' even when the Vikings of Berk stopped killing dragons.
In about two to three days I am supposed to leave this cursed hut for good. I still feel kind of weak but very suprisingly most of my back wound is healed, so I can walk without a problem. I still can't run or sprint, otherwise I'll just fall to the ground. Thank Talos I have Qolokah with me.
Oh, I forgot to mention this in the previous entry. I can understand Qolokah now. Well, not really his...Dragonese, as what I could call what the dragons really say out loud with warbles, growls and other noises. I can hear him think to me. Wonder if it goes two ways at some point. Akatoshkin (the name we gave for the dragons of Tamriel) can sense other dragons nearby, so I guess telepathy is possible to a degree.
Talos guide me.
Mikael hated being weak.
He couldn't really lift a sword, run or anything like that some days ago. That is why he rarely uses the Dragon Aspect shout. The last time he used it wasn't that bad in terms of drain to his soul and energy. First time was against Miraak, the First Dragonborn. He absorbed Miraak's soul after the fight so he was back on his feet again.
He tried to Shout a couple of times. Aura Whisper really made him dizzy sometimes, so he could forget anything about breathing fire for now. Even the least draining Shout to him, Throw Voice could make his head spin for a couple of seconds. The Vikings below however were wondering who the Hel was shouting 'Hey, skeever butt'. Not like they knew what a skeever was.
As soon as he woke up the following morning after the feast, he decided to go to the Great Hall. Mostly to eat lots of breakfast because he had a lot of energy to catch up, and to find a specific person. The best or the worst part of recovering from using lots of shouts is the massive appetite a person gets.
He stepped in, and firstly noticed the Riders around a table. They waved to him, Mikael nodded back to them but proceeded to walk towards the kitchen with Qolokah giving a shoulder or a head to lean on occasionally.
He walked towards the tables where the food was on, grabbed a large plate and filled it with mutton, chicken, fish and lots of other varities of meat. He needed meat to get energy as a warrior. Once he walked back towards the table where the Riders were sitting around, they noticed to ungodly amount of food he had on his plate.
"Mikael, are you sure you can eat all of...that?" Hiccup said, gesturing towards the plate Mikael set down on the table and with all of the food on it.
"I swear to Talos, I am really, really starving right now. Sometimes I just can't eat any more even when I am so hungry because my throat keeps filling up." Mikael said and started to eat his food.
"And I thought Fishlegs was a glutton." Tuffnut remarked with a small grin. Fishlegs was about to say something since he lifted a finger, but then lowered his hand down and frowned. He was kind of husky.
"Glutton? I-" Mikael was about to burst but calmed himself down, holding a hand up. "I would ask if you ever unleashed your inner dragon, but I am going to take a guess that you haven't." Mikael said calmly and grabbed a piece of mutton and devoured it almost instantly.
"You would be correct. Glutton away my friend." Fishlegs said, holding his hand sideways.
"Thank you." Mikael replied nonchalantly and presumed eating his food. "Besides, what's on the list today? I'm getting really bored in that hut. Gothi is a silent woman, you know."
"I feel you on that. Not only she sometimes feeds you the most horrific medicine..." Snotlout said, earning a glare from Hiccup and Astrid. "That work, as always. Hehe."
"Anyway, we're going to help the Chieftains and the heirs of the visiting tribes train their dragons." Hiccup said.
"They got their own dragons? Well well. When did that happen?" Mikael said, slightly suprised.
"The following day after the battle. They were suprisingly accepting, to be honest as you might've noticed." Hiccup said.
"I'm still here." Camicazi said, waving a hand.
Hiccup sighed. "I know. Anyway, Mogadon got a Thunderdrum, Thuggory got a Monstrous Nightmare, Ug got a Timberjack, Dogsbreath got a Gronckle and Bertha got a Nadder." Hiccup said.
"What did they name them? Just curious." Mikael asked, shrugging.
"Uhhh...oh yeah. Maelstrom, Killer, Pineslicer, Seaslug and Windwalker. In that order." Hiccup said.
"I don't mean to judge but...Seaslug? Sounds really weird. Killer sounds simple, Pineslicer seems an apt name, and Windwalker sounds gracious." Mikael said.
"Thank you." Camicazi said, hearing the compliments towards her mother's naming skills.
"You're welcome, even though it is your mother we're talking about." Mikael quipped back. "Oh right, you guys won't believe what I found out after the battle. Forgot to tell you." Mikael remembered.
"Something good?" Hiccup wondered.
"Kind of. I can understand Qolokah now." Mikael deadpanned.
"What?!" everyone around the table said loudly.
"Yep. Hey brother, what do you think of that reaction?" Mikael turned to the Skrill sitting next to him, slightly grinning.
'Ridiculous. Can't they understand their dragons at all?' Qolokah piped up.
"He said you guys are ridiculous. Can't you people understand your dragons?" Mikael said with pride radiating from his voice.
"Uh, we can't. Well, we can tell their body language and so on..." Fishlegs said.
"And they can understand us to a degree...but not the other way around." Hiccup finished.
"But this is so exciting! Communicating properly with dragons! How'd you do that anyway?" Fishlegs was bursting at the seams.
"I dunno. I wake up at Gothi's hut and the first thing I hear is this guy right here..." Mikael said and slowly turned to Qolokah "...lecturing me about being stupid, and possibly frightening him."
'Hey, you were stupid facing that other dragon alone! You did frighten me!" the Skrill growled back at Mikael.
"I wasn't alone, I had your back but me on the ground and you in the skies above. There was absolutely nothing to be worried about." Mikael retorted with a dry tone with a pinch of sarcasm. "As you can see, he can be a bit overprotective." Mikael turned back to the Riders who had wide eyes in suprise to see dragon and man banter at each other.
"Who can blame him? Dragons take bonds and friendships between their riders to the extreme." Hiccup said then leaning in to whisper. "Just a friendly tip: do not favour a dragon over another. They get really jealous."
"I could see that. And I won't have it any other way. Even when it is irritating to have a dragon that treats you like I am his baby." Mikael said, earning a tail slap from Qolokah to the back. "Ouch! You know that you have lightning inside you? I am not wearing my armor now, you know."
'Exactly why I slapped you with my tail. I am not your father! I am your brother, remember?" the Skrill screeched back.
"Right, my brother." Mikael nervously said back.
'And don't you forget it.' Qolokah said and then finally curled down on the floor.
"Are your dragons this ornery?" Mikael whispered to Hiccup.
"Toothless and Qolokah should be best friends, I can tell you that much. Toothless likes to tail slap a lot when he's not happy. And especially when he's grounded." Hiccup whispered back.
"You're lucky Toothless doesn't have sparks in his tail." Mikael whispered again. Hiccup chuckled back. "Anyway. I'm done with my food and boy did it fill a large hole." Mikael said, patting his stomach.
"Wait. You ate it all already?" Hiccup said lo and behold, Mikael's plate was clean of food.
"That happens when I get hungry. Besides, what did happen when I was stuck in the hut?" Mikael asked and grabbed a tankard of mead.
"Well, for one we held a meeting between the visiting tribes. We showed them the Dragon Eye and what information it provided us." Hiccup said.
"You figured the Dragon Eye out? What does it do?" Mikael asked excitingly.
"Just watch. Hey Qolokah, can you step over here please?" Hiccup said and the lightning dragon lifted his head from the floor, looking at Hiccup for a second then walking towards him. "Okay, can you open your mouth and have sparks light up inside it but not fire them?" Hiccup said, placing the Dragon Eye on the table, the Eye facing a pillar.
The Skrill looked at the Dragon Eye for a second, then understood what Hiccup was trying to say. He walked behind the Eye, and opened his mouth to let sparks fly. The Eye lit up instantly, and showed the same pattern Hiccup first showed the other Riders three days ago, except blue in colour.
"Whoa...that is pretty cool." Mikael said in awe of the piece of technology. "Kind of similar to the technology the Dwemer used from Tamriel. Anyway, what can you tell from this? The writing or the language isn't mine or yours." Mikael noticed.
"Well, none really. All we know is that there is a whole other world out there. The one we need to explore anyway, as Dagur is probably heading outside the main archipelago." Hiccup explained.
"Well then. When are you guys leaving?" Mikael asked, suprising everyone.
"Mikael, we are not leaving until you get better. We need all Riders accounted for if we are going to catch Dagur." Hiccup said solemnly with the rest nodding in agreement.
"Why? Dagur is out there and at large. If you guys sit around here waiting for me, he is going to get further and further away. You might even catch him before he manages to hire mercenaries or even better, an armada." Mikael retorted.
"You make a good point. And besides, don't you want to catch this lunatic?" Hiccup said.
"Oh all right, fine. Nothing is more glorious than chasing down a dangerous maniac..." Mikael started and then spread his arms around wide. "...across these really vast seas." Mikael finished a sing-songy tone.
"Mikael, he was headed out from the main archipelago. So all we need to do is follow him, and map our findings. Keep hopping islands until we find him, and then we capture him." Hiccup said.
"Easier said than done. Besides, I am feeling much better than four days ago. I might be able to fly and fight again soon." Mikael said.
"That's good to hear. You ate as much as three people would." Fishlegs said.
"Or as much as you do?" Snotlout sneered. The twins chuckled at Snotlout's joke.
"I'm just husky." Fishlegs said in a low voice.
By now Mikael raised his head from the table to look around. He saw the chieftains discussing something, with Alvin sitting with his lieutenants. The Hall wasn't that crowded with people this morning, so Mikael noticed the familiar shade of red somewhere in the edges of the Hall. He stood up from the table.
"Be right back, gotta do something." Mikael said to Hiccup who nodded in aknowledgement.
Mikael walked towards the previously sighted red spot he noticed and as he guessed it was Katrine. She was still very much upset over his very blunt rejection from the looks of it, because she was looking at her bowl full of stew, and all she did was stir the stew with a spoon.
"Hey. Got a minute?" Mikael said calmly. The red-haired Viking turned around around quickly as locked her gaze to Mikael. She started him for a few seconds but then snapped out of her trance and nodded slowly. Mikael sat down on the table across Katrine and her gaze went back from the Nord to the bowl.
"Allright. I just wanted to say I am sorry. What I said was too harsh, and out of line to be fair. But I still think...we...won't work, you know." Mikael said calmly to Katrine while pointing between him and her back and forth. Katrine nodded slowly back, not raising her head.
"But I commend your enthusiasm towards your goals. Keep that up and I am sure you'll find the right guy." Mikael said.
"You sure?" Katrine said, lifting her gaze from the bowl in front of her to Mikael.
"Very sure. You seem very determined. I gotta go." Mikael said and stood up from the table, and walked past Katrine while patting her shoulder once.
Mikael walked back to the table where the Riders were, who looked at Mikael, slightly suprised.
"What?" Mikael asked, slightly confused by the faces of the Riders.
"What'd you say?" Hiccup asked. Mikael then sat down at the table where he was previously sitting.
"I just apologised to her. What I said was too harsh." Mikael said, drinking from a tankard.
"Good. She's been a mess since...you know." Astrid said.
"I also said that if she kept her enthusiasm towards her goals she'll find the right guy. I think that cheered her up." Mikael said.
"Wait...didn't you say you weren't interested in her at all?" Snotlout asked.
"I did, but I am not a jerk. At least I'm not actively trying to be." Mikael replied nonchalantly. "Anyway, what was this about helping the chieftains train their dragons?"
"Yeah, after the chiefs over there are done talking we'll go to the Arena." Hiccup said, gesturing towards the chiefs with his head. Speaking of the devil, they were walking towards their table.
"Oi 'Iccup. We're ready fo' tha next lesson." Mogadon boomed.
"Allright, let's go then. Mikael is joining us as well." Hiccup said.
"Aye. Let's go." Ug said.
o~-~-~-~-~o
o~-~-~-~-~o
The group consisting of Hiccup, Fishlegs, Astrid, and Mikael and the visiting chiefs and their heirs left the Hall. They mounted their dragons who were waiting outside the Hall, and started to fly towards the Arena.
"Oi, I gotta say Mikael. In case we haven't told ye already, we're really grateful fer yer help." Mogadon said.
"Aye, I agree. It's true we haven't seen or heard o' anyone with dragon-like powers, but we won't try ta burn ye at tha stake, hehe." Ug said, chuckling to himself.
"Thank you, Chiefs. And I was told that by your sons." Mikael replied back slightly nervously.
"Don't mention it." Mogadon said.
The group landed near the Arena and dismounted their dragons. They walked inside the arena with their dragons in tow. The Arena was full of barrels with one end painted like a target with some random obstacles there and there.
"Allright Chieftains and heirs. To get better at flying your dragon, you need to be friends for life. I cannot stress this enough, they are not just some animal to just ride on like a horse. Understood?" Hiccup lectured and then pointed to the stone slab with some chalk writing on. The chiefs and heirs nodded. Hiccup took the more straight forward approach for teaching these particular Vikings.
"So. Dragon training begins and ends with trust. You need to trust your dragon and your dragon needs to trust you. We usually practice that with an obstacle course. Your dragon may know better than you, or you may know better than your dragon. We have set up a course in this arena." Hiccup gestured to the random obstacles around.
"So we just fly 'round the course? Seems simple 'nough." Mogadon said.
"Simple, but then again not so simple. You see there are random deposits of fish or dragon nip somewhere in the course. You're supposed to steer your dragon away from those." Fishlegs explained.
"Aye, we get it." Mogadon agreed.
"Allright, let's get started." Hiccup said.
o~-~-~-~-~o
o~-~-~-~-~o
Meanwhile, across the Archipelago...
Dagur was standing on his ship, looking towards the horizon.
So far his plans since the banishment from the Berserker tribe have been going well. His ship is full of gold, jewels and other treasures. There's more than enough to buy a new armada of ships or recruit an army of mercenaries...but not both. So he thought he should recruit a little bit of both at first.
Savage came behind him and saluted. "Your Derangedness. We 'ave spotted the ship graveyard in the horizon." Savage said.
"Good. Get ready to pull the ship up." Dagur said, still looking to the horizon.
"Yes sir." Savage saluted again and walked away.
"Once I get these dragon hunting grappling hooks and cages, Hiccup, I will capture you and your precious Night Fury. And I will punish that sidekick of yours for stealing my Skrill." Dagur talked to himself aloud and threw a dagger across the ship to the mast that had pictures of the Night Fury and Skrill with their riders on it.
The pirate ship moved next to the spot where the Reaper used to float. Even when the ship was abandoned several years ago or longer, the ship still held lots of useful equipment. Dragon-proof cages, crappling hooks, among other things. The crew started to pull the ship up.
"Pull! Keep pulling, you maggots! Unless you want to be giant eel chum!" Savage yelled to the soldiers. "The Reaper is starting to surface, sir." Savage turned to Dagur.
"I can see that, Savage." Dagur said coldly to the lieutenant.
A while later, the ship was fully surfaced and ready to be looted. It could suprisingly enough float on the ocean even with the giant hole on the deck that made it sink a couple of days back.
"We now have everything of value from the dragon hunting ship." Savage said.
"No. Not everything." Dagur said and threw a dagger at a picture of the Dragon Eye on the mast. "We can't fight Hiccup head on with our crew as it is. We'll need to get an armada for that." Dagur mused to himself aloud.
"Your Derangedness. What if you could lure Hiccup somewhere, them ambush him?" Savage said with a small smirk.
"Hmm. So simple, yet so deranged. I like that." Dagur said and smirked. "But what would we use to lure him...oh, I know. The girl." Dagur smirked even wider.
"Which girl?" Savage asked. He knew one of the twins was a girl, even when she looked like a boy or a man sometimes when next to the male twin.
"There's more than one?" Dagur asked slightly confused. "Anyway, after we incapacitate Hiccup and his Night Fury she could still be useful to me." Dagur smirked yet again.
"How so, sir?" Savage asked, having a slight clue what his commander meant.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Savage. For now, we need to buy ships and mercenaries. Set a course for the fortress of the dragon trappers. Besides, we need to stop by the Lava Louts and the Visithugs." Dagur said to the lieutenant commanding the ship's sailing crew.
"Aye aye, sir. Set a course for the dragon trapper fortress!" Vorg yelled to the crew.
o~-~-~-~-~o
o~-~-~-~-~o
Meanwhile on Berk...
The training session ended with success.
The chieftains and the heirs passed with flying colours, much to Hiccup's and the other riders' suprise. They thought their dragons would react to the humans riding them like Hookfang initially behaved with Snotlout, or how Stoick handled Thornado at start. However, they all managed to bond with their dragons very well under the watchful eye of Hiccup and the others.
After the session ended, the chieftains and the heirs went to talk to their tribesmen and women that they would be leaving Berk soon for their island, leaving Hiccup, Fishlegs, Astrid and Mikael inside the Arena. They cleared the Arena from the obstacles to make the course.
"Hey Hiccup. Want to continue your training?" Mikael whispered to Hiccup.
"Sure. Nothing else going on. Let's go to the Cove. It's very serene and quiet." Hiccup replied back whispering.
"Allright, let's grab some lunch from the Hall then head there, one at a time. I don't want to attract any attention." Mikael whispered.
"Sure." Hiccup replied.
The group flew to the Great Hall and quickly grabbed some lunch to eat later. The pair then flew to the Cove. Only select people knew about the Cove, namely nobody outside the Riders, Chief and some select few knew about it. Since they slipped seemingly unnoticed from the Hall and from the village, they could train in peace and secrecy. Which were required to practice the Thu'um.
"Allright, time to master the Shout you've been learning as of late. The last word for the Unrelenting Force is 'Dah', which means 'push'. But first, let me try something." Mikael said and walked towards the rocky wall of the Cove.
"Dah." Mikael softly spoke and gestured a hand towards the wall, then some draconic writing appeared on the wall. "Approach these words on the wall." Mikael stepped away from the rock wall.
Hiccup approached the wall, and studied the draconic writing on the wall. The words were glowing slightly, and seemingly were steaming a bit but didn't feel hot for touch. Nothing happened for about ten seconds before Hiccup stepped away from the wall and the glowing words.
"Nothing?" Mikael asked from Hiccup.
"Nothing." Hiccup concurred.
"Allright, just wanted to test something out. If you were a Dragonborn, you would've understood the words immediately. Something along the lines of the word ringing in your head." Mikael explained. "But enough of that. So let's continue with the old fashioned way." Mikael then sat cross legged on a small rock next to the lake inside the Cove.
"Dah means 'push' in the dragon tongue. Imagine pushing everything back with nothing but a whisper. You must focus on pushing the world back more, than the world pushing you back. Combine it with Fus, and Ro. Completed the Shout means 'force - balance - push'. Voice your force through your breath, disrupt the balance of things around you, and push them back. " Mikael said having his eyes closed in a meditative stance.
Mikael opened his eyes, but not standing up.
"Fiik lo sah." Mikael Spoke softly, and an astral projection appeared before Mikael and Hiccup. "Go ahead, give it a try."
"Fus ro dah!" Hiccup Shouted, and a decent sized shockwave appeared, and knocked the projection down.
"Try again. You'll know when the Shout reaches it's full power." Mikael said softly to his apprentice.
"Are you sure?" Hiccup asked slightly worried that he did something wrong.
Mikael then stood up and faced away from Hiccup, towards the other side of the lake.
"FUS RO DAH!" Mikael Shouted across the lake. The Shout and the sound resulting from the large shockwave rang and echoed around the Cove for a while and made the water on the lake wave around heavily while knocking some larger boulders around.
"That kind of power should be coming out of the Shout. Now, try again." Mikael said and sat back down.
"Are you okay?" Hiccup asked.
"Yes, I am fine. Why do you ask?" Mikael asked from Hiccup, slightly confused.
"You were still very much bedridden not only a day ago. Weren't you weakened?" Hiccup asked.
"Yes, but as I said I am feeling much better now. Eating lots of food helps. Now, try again. Fiik lo sah." Mikael Spoke and another astral projection appeared.
"FUS RO DAH!" Hiccup Shouted on top of his lungs. The shockwave wasn't that much stronger than before, but it still dispelled the projection. Hiccup fell to his knees and started to breathe heavily.
"Take a break for now. You're still new to the Thu'um. Sit down." Mikael said and gestured to the ground in front of him.
"Allright." Hiccup said while gasping for air. "Just one question. Why are we training in secret? The others know that I know how to Shout." Hiccup asked.
"Because I don't want to let this knowledge fall on wrong hands, and I like the peace and quiet away from spying eyes." Mikael said.
"Yeah, a really good job on that." a feminine voice called from across the Cove.
The two men turned their heads to the source of the new voice. It was Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout and the twins.
"Apparently, an excellent job." Mikael said sarcastically. "Why'd you follow us?" Mikael asked dryly from the pair that appeared before them.
"Because we wanted to know what your training sessions were." Astrid asked with a slightly exasperated tone.
"I don't mean to be rude, but you could've guessed it. Hiccup knows how to Shout at least one Shout, and we're sometimes gone for a little while. Just connect the two and two together." Mikael said calmly to Astrid.
"You're right." Astrid said. Intelligence wasn't a typical trait for Vikings but Astrid wasn't dumb.
"Anyway. What did you hear?" Mikael asked.
"Uh...hear what?" Fishlegs asked.
"Hear what we were talking about." Mikael deadpanned.
"Nothing. All we heard were those really loud yells you guys do." Snotlout said.
"We managed to follow you to the forests but lost your trail. But after either of you did that yell we just followed the sound." Astrid said. "Besides, what is the harm of anyone just following you? Other than having our eardrums explode."
"Whoa, our eardrums can explode? Oh right, remember that time we tried to train Bing, Bang and Boom?" Tuffnut said. "I miss those troublemakers."
Mikael sighed. "Because I do not want this kind of knowledge to fall into the wrong hands. I trust Hiccup enough."
"What about us? We're kind of a part of a bigger set, so to speak." Fishlegs asked and the rest nodded.
"Because if I could train you, I maybe would train you. No offense, but from anyone I've met on this village I am very much sure Hiccup is the only person in this village who could learn the Way of the Voice. At least without becoming a monk that secludes themselves from the rest of the world for the rest of their lives." Mikael explained calmly.
"How could you tell anyway?" Astrid asked.
"Remember, I am the Dragonborn. I have a connection with almost anything dragon related. I can feel that Toothless and Hiccup have a very strong bond. Their souls are connected to each other." Mikael explained.
"That makes sense." Fishlegs said.
"Anything else? We would like to presume on training." Mikael said and gestured to Hiccup.
"Nope. Train away my friend." Fishlegs said. "But can we stay? I wanna see how Hiccup is doing."
"Me too." Astrid said.
"Fine. Just don't get startled or anything." Mikael said and stood up. "Ready, Hiccup?"
"Yeah, as ready as I can be." Hiccup said.
"Fiik lo sah!" Mikael Shouted and yet another astral projection appeared, catching the observers off guard.
"Whoa...that kind of looks like you." Ruffnut said, pointing at the ghostly spectre in front of them.
"A very asture observation. Get out of the way, by the way. You don't want to be on the receiving end of that Shout." Mikael said.
"Or...do we?" Tuffnut asked aloud cupping his chin in his hand.
"Just move, please." Hiccup said exasperatedly to the Thorston male. Tuffnut moved out of the way so there was nobody between the projection and Hiccup, and behind the projection.
"Remember. Focus on what I told you. Push the world back more than it pushes you. Breathe and focus." Mikael said, sitting down and crossed his legs.
Hiccup took a deep breath and focused on what Mikael said.
"FUS RO DAH!" Hiccup Shouted and dispelled the projection with a massive and loud shockwave that echoed around the cave several times. Hiccup breathed heavily in and out for a while as well.
"Impressive. You've managed to learn this Shout in...what, two weeks? Fairly impressive for a non-Dragonborn, all things considered." Mikael said calmly.
"So...what's next?" Hiccup asked.
"You keep practicing that Shout until you can Shout about...two to three times in a quick succession without falling to your knees." Mikael said then stood up and jumped down from the rock he was sitting on. "You shouldn't learn any more Shouts until you've mastered this one very well."
"Allright. You're a good teacher, Mikael." Hiccup said.
"I'll send your thanks to the Greybeards if or when I meet them again." Mikael said. "Anyway, let's get back to town. I'm starving now."
"Starving? Didn't you eat a huge breakfast?" Fishlegs asked.
"Yes I did. I have lots of energy to catch up to if I am going to hunt down a lunatic across the archipelago any time soon." Mikael explained then mounted Qolokah. "Right brother?"
'Yes, you still need to rest more. But you're getting stronger.' Qolokah said to Mikael.
"Good. Let's get out of here, my huge lunch is taking a scenic route to my stomach." Mikael said and jolted to the skies instantly with blazing speed, leaving everyone awestruck except Hiccup.
"Just wondering...How fast Skrills are? I really want one." Tuffnut asked.
"Without lightning, their speed stat is 11. With lightning their speed is 19. In comparison a Night Fury is a..." Fishlegs explained but was interrupted by Tuffnut by holding a hand over Fishlegs' mouth.
"Ok, I get it. They're fast." Tuffnut said.
o~-~-~-~-~o
o~-~-~-~-~o
Tomorrow afternoon...
The impromptu Thing was over.
The most important businesses that the Thing was called for were discussed and settled.
The tribes were about to leave now. Most of the tribesmen and women still had to sail back home, but this time they have their chief and heir helping the journey back home. Mostly by pulling the ship.
The Riders were on the harbor to bid their farewells.
"It was good to catch up with you, Thuggory. And Dogsbreath." Hiccup said and shook the two heirs' hands.
"Likewise. But now we need to head back home and fortify our villages." Thuggory said.
"But thanks to you, we'll have a better chance on repelling Dagur." Dogsbreath added.
"No problem, guys." Hiccup said and smiled.
"But most of all, good luck to you Mikael. I hope you complete your destiny. Give that big douchebag of a dragon a nice asskicking for us all." Thuggory said and held out his hand to the Dragonborn.
"Thank you. And I will." Mikael and shook Thuggory's and Dogsbreath's hand as well.
"Oi, ye boys done ova there?" Mogadon bellowed from the skies on top of his green Thunderdrum, ready to pull his tribe's ship.
"Aye, we're wastin' time." Ug concurred.
"Allright, we need to go. Take care Hiccup." Thuggory said, mounted his Nightmare and flew to the skies while grabbing a rope to pull his tribe's ship along his father. Dogsbreath nodded and did the same.
Meanwhile on the other side of the harbor, Bertha was taking extra long talking to her daughter.
"Take care, me daughter. Make sure ta teach those Berkian men some manners, aye? So ye could possibly come back home safe an' sound, an' with an heir?" Bertha said and winked.
"Mum!" Camicazi exclaimed. "But I'll make sure those men will learn." Camicazi said and chuckled.
"I'm thinkin' you an' that Mikael fellow are a good match, aye? Strong children. One quarter o' a dragon fer a child shoul' be something ta be reckoned with." Bertha said, grinning slightly.
"Mum!" Camicazi exclaimed again.
"Aye aye, I'll git goin' back home. Be safe. I know ye will. But visit us sometime, aye?" Bertha said.
"Yeah, I'll try when I get the chance." Camicazi said, slightly frowning. She may or may not ever get a chance to visit her tribe in the near future until the Riders manage to capture Dagur.
"Aye. See ye soon, daughter." Bertha said and mounted her Nadder to pull the Bog Burglar ship out of the harbor.
Now the secondary group of Riders arrived on the harbor. They were a bit late so they chose to catch up with their assigned tribes. They had plenty of time because ships weren't that fast even when pulled by dragons.
"Lars, Nikulas, Katrine. You ready? Remember, your jobs are to teach the chiefs and heirs on training dragons in addition for helping for patrolling their territories and protecting the villages. Report immediately to us if you see anything suspicious." Hiccup asked from the three riders. Even when they were allied they still didn't a war to break out because of the sudden power shift.
"As ready as we can be. Me and Tempest." Lars said from on top of his Thunderdrum.
"Agreed." Nikulas said from his Nightmare.
"Yes...I think so." Katrine said, slightly nervous. Even with the encouraging words from Mikael the day before, she was still unsure for her future. However, living with a tribe full of Viking women could give her more time to think on that.
"You're ready, Katrine. Right Mikael?" Hiccup said, turning to the Nord.
"Agreed." Mikael said confidently and nodded.
"Okay...okay. Let's go then." Katrine said.
The trio took off and flew towards the ships on the horizon that were headed towards their homes.
"Allright. Mikael, how're you feeling?" Hiccup asked.
"I'm fine." Mikael said.
"Allright, we leave the first thing in the tomorrow morning." Hiccup said and turned to the rest of the Riders. "Pack your gear, and get well rested. That includes you, Snotlout."
"Rest is for the weak!" Snotlout exclaimed.
"We know. Now get some rest. We have a long flight ahead of us tomorrow." Hiccup said.
Tomorrow morning...
The Riders were now standing on the plaza with their dragons. They made the final checks to their gear and other supplies for the journey ahead, and to say farewells to the rest of the village.
"Be safe, my son." Stoick said and engulfed Hiccup in a bone-crushing hug.
"Dad, I can't breathe..." Hiccup wheezed while being crushed by his father. Stoick let Hiccup go after a second. "I'll be fine. I have Toothless with me."
"Ahem." Astrid cleared her throat behind Hiccup.
"And them...too." Hiccup stammered.
"And don't you forget it." Astrid said while pointing a finger at Hiccup.
"Allright, let's mount up." Hiccup said and the Riders mounted their dragons. Camicazi however is taking a ride from Astrid.
The Riders flew to the skies above, and started to hover near the village. Hiccup looked to the horizon, wondering what new lands and dragons they might find.
"You ready for this?" Hiccup asked from Toothless. Toothless cooed back at his rider.
"Blah blah blah. Why do you have to make a production out of everything? Let's just go already." Snotlout said.
"Okay, if anyone has any reservations-" Hiccup said but the Riders just started to fly past him.
"Into the Great Beyond!" Snotlout yelled and flew past Hiccup while shaking his fist in the air.
"Yeah, Great Beyond!" the rest of the Riders yelled.
"Okay, no reservations. Let's go bud!" Hiccup said. Toothless roared in agreement and started to fly towards the horizon. "Whoo!"
o~-~-~-~-~o
And now the real fun begins. At least I think so. Sorry for the kind of late update. Have been slacking off and combatting minor writer's block for the last quarter of this chapter.
And I'm gonna repeat this one more time. There is no set date when I upload the next chapter. I upload whenever I think it is satisfactory. And you people better deal with it as I have other things to do as well. Which admittedly I am slacking off at as well.
If only RTTE episodes 14-26 could get released faster. I want to include Vigo and Ryker from the dragon hunters but there is no information on them. I don't like to disobey canon. (Check them on HTTYD Wikia)
