Chapter 7 - The Unknown

Astrid's POV - Berk Village

It felt really awkward, walking through the village with Fierce-Eye. After all, I had wanted to kill him and chased him around Raven Point yesterday! 'Chief Stoick said we can't tell him that we spied on him yet, but I still need to work out how I'll apologize to him or it could end up in a no-win fight.'

With Fishlegs, if you're gentle to him, he'll tell you anything you want to know, especially about dragons. To shut him up, just act hard.

Tuffnut is a little crazy, but usually too busy fighting with Ruff to be a problem. When he's not fighting, he's too dumb to just keep his mouth shut.

Snotlout always tries to act like the old Viking standard was the ideal guy and usually made a fool of himself for it. At least he wasn't hitting on me anymore.

Hiccup was smart enough to listen to me and it was easy enough to stop his rambling. If only he'd wake up and realize how much I liked him.

I tried my best to act normal, but this guy was a total unknown, even to himself. One minute, we're talking about how to fight larger opponents. The next, he's fighting like a dragon defending it's hatchling! Another minute, he's blushing about having to take off his tunic, then he's totally getting in Gothi's face, still half-naked! 'He's got a short temper, that's for sure. Maybe his memory wasn't the only thing to get messed up. Where is Stormfly when I need some support?'

I showed him the armory. I thought it would be a big hit, given how well Fierce-Eye fought against Snotlout. Instead, he commented that every weapon he tried was too heavy for his tastes.

The food storage went even worse. I had forgotten that Stiildus was with us. When he saw the eels we raised near the entrance to deter larger dragons, poor Stiildus was off like a shot. It took an hour to talk Stiildus down from that rooftop. In the end, Fierce-Eye climbed up and carried Stiildus down on his shoulder.

An argument was echoing from up ahead. As I rounded the lane, I saw the twins on a roof, arguing with a man on the ground. Barf and Belch were watching bleary-eyed from behind the row of houses.

"Look, this is the third time you've said it's not clean," Tuffnut shouted at the villager, "We haven't had lunch yet and we've got another five houses that need to be cleaned from scratch. That crap is only going to get harder to remove."

"It's your fault it's there in the first place!" the villager yelled back, "The chief said you're not done until each owner says so, and I DON'T say so!"

"But this roof is clean enough to eat off of!" protested Ruffnut.

"No it's not," yelled the villager.

"We'll prove it!" Tuff declared.

"Barf, pass up the lunch basket!" instructed Ruff.

I watched in disbelief as the twins began to have a picnic on the villager's roof, who was ranting that they weren't done. Eventually, Ruff noticed me and called for me to come join them.

"Should we?" asked Fierce-Eye, "He seems kinda mad."

I smirked at the suggestion and shook my head. "We should NOT. It only encourages them. Those are the twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut, troublemakers extrordinaire."

"How'd the sparring go?" Tuff asked as we walked closer to their current cleaning project. The house owner, realizing that he was being ignored, went back into his house.

"Hiccup managed to beat Gustav, then he dominated Snotlout." I gestured towards my walking companion.

"Snot probably deserved it," Ruff said dismissively, taking a swig of cider, "What he do this time?"

"He made fun of Stiildus." Fierce-Eye answered as if it were a cardinal sin to all the gods to even think mean thoughts about his dragon.

"Stiildus?" asked Tuff, "That's a wierd name."

I closed my eyes at Tuff's stupidity. Stiildus hissed aggresively (or as aggresively as a five-pound Terror could). Fierce-Eye glowered at the male twin, demonstrating how he earned his name. Even with the distance and height advantage, Tuffnut swallowed under the searing gaze.

"You're right," Tuff agreed to the stare, "She's sorry."

Fierce-Eye straightened up in confusion and Stiildus went quiet again.

"The Elder named him Fierce-Eye," I called back.

"Fierce-Eye? What did he do to earn a name that cool?" Ruff asked.

"He stared down Gothi."

Both twins froze at that. I couldn't blame them. Fierce-Eye had done something that no one else had ever dared to attempt, and now, he was just standing off to the side, observing the Zippleback and whispering to Stiildus.

"What?" Tuff wondered at my declaration.

"You heard me," I re-affirmed.

"Do you have a death wish?" Ruff asked Fierce-Eye.

Fierce-Eye shook his head. "Just a short temper!" he called back, not missing a beat. I decided that was enough "twinsanity" for one day and led Fierce-Eye through the rest of the village.

When we toured the docks, Fierce-Eye seemed a little queasy. 'Maybe he's just nervous after being lost at sea a couple days ago.' Stiildus, on the other hand, delighted in weaving around the ships' rigging, earning some chuckles and applause from the working Vikings.

Eventually, Fierce-Eye and I stood on the end of a pier, looking out to sea. I noticed the sun was hanging low in the sky and realized we needed to start heading to the forge.

"Come on," I said, nudging Fierce-Eye on the shoulder, "Hiccup is expecting us." He didn't respond. He just looked out to sea. "Fierce-Eye?"

"Astrid," the young man asked, voice cracking slightly, "What'll I do if my memory doesn't come back? Or worse, what'll I do if it comes back and I'm an enemy of Berk?"

I took a good look at Fierce-Eye. He didn't seem like the ferocious fighter from sparring, the strong willed man who dared to glare back at the elder, or the easy-going kid who's been doting over Stiildus all day. This wasn't the brave warrior or the smiling boy.

He was terrified. He was scared to death that one of his scenarios would come to pass, and he'd have to live with it. At this moment, with his back turned to the dock-workers, Stiildus still playing among the ships' ropes, and no one else close enough to see his face, Fierce-Eye had dropped his emotional guard.

I had to be careful. "I'm sure Chief Stoick would welcome you into the village. With your talent with dragons, it wouldn't take long before Hiccup invited you to join the Riders. And even IF you WERE our enemy, so were the dragons a few years ago, and now we get along great!"

Fierce-Eye seemed to calm down and his breathing stabalized. "It still scares the crap outta me."

"So does my first few times flying," I admitted, "For my first flight, Hiccup basically gave me no choice but to climb on. Unfortunately, Toothless was mad that I scared him and hurt Hiccup moments beforehand." I shook my head at the memory. "Being that out of control, at the mercy of someone else, was one of the most terrifying experiences of my life. My second flight, I was nearly swallowed by the Red Death and almost fell to my death. But with everything that happened because of those flights, I'd do them both a hundred times over."

"It still sucks though," Fierce-Eye muttered as Stiildus fluttered over to his shoulder and crooned softly.

I nodded. "I know, but the gods must have a reason. You're a skilled fighter with a kind heart and a natural talent for dragon handling. I was impressed that you beat Snotlout that quick!"

Fierce-Eye snorted at my last comment and wiped at his eyes. "That was mostly a show," he confessed, "If he already knew how I fought, I wouldn't have surprised him enough to get the upper hand."

I laughed at the explanation. "So you're saying he could have beaten you?"

"Probably," the young man admitted, "If he kept his head in the game. That's why I ended the fight so quick, before he could shake the surprise. Don't tell the 'Lout."

"Mum's the word," I squeezed between laughs. 'I'll have to try that trick sometime.'

Fierce-Eye turned away from the ocean, giving me one of his easy smiles. "Sorry about dumping all this on you. You give a good pep talk." The guilt from yesterday started to boil again, but I was still forbidden from apologizing. "So, which way to the forge?"

Gobber's POV - Forge

Hiccup was busy making the parts for his fire fighting units, leaving me to work on some time-killing projects. 'It's a good project for him. I'll help if and when he needs it, though.' The sun had just touched the sea when Astrid led Fierce-Eye and Stiildus into my shop.

"Afternoon Astrid, Fierce-Eye," I greeted cheerfully.

Word about Fierce-Eye's new name spread pretty quickly around the village. Good gossip was hard to keep down on such a small island. Everyone'll know it by tomorrow morning. That still didn't keep Fierce-Eye from doing a double-take when I greeted him and Astrid by name.

"Hey Gobber," Astrid greeted back, "What're you working on today?"

"Just an extra set of tools," I explained, "Hiccup's working out how to mass produce those fire-buckets-on-a-pole-things."

"Well, it is a big order. Afternoon, Milady," Hiccup called back from the corner, making a gear mold out of wood.

"I was told you wanted another look at my stuff," Fierce-Eye said, watching Hiccup set aside his carving for the moment.

"Yes lad," I refocused my attention on the guest's sword, "I'd like to start with that blade on your hip." Fierce-Eye hesitated before passing me the blade. "Now, I know you've lost your memories, but do you KNOW anything about this sword."

Fierce-Eye focused on the sword in my hand, trying to squeeze out some details. "It's a reverse-edge wakizashi. The blade is normally on the outside curve. A Wakizashi is sometimes referred to as 'the sword that defends' or a companion sword." He shook his head. "But I can't remember anything about this specific sword."

'Except that Thor blessed it.'

"I've never heard of a Wakizashi," Astrid commented.

"It was in one of your journals," Hiccup reminded me. I set the sword on a table and began to rumage through my dusty books, some of which were written by MY mentor. "It was the one about far Eastern weapons."

I found the book and began to skim through the pages. Weapons from that far away were rare, so I never had to read this particular book. Eventually, I found something that might prove useful. "Apparently, information about a weapon is often inscribed under the hilt," I announced to the teens, "Things like the maker, the weapon's name, and the quality."

"Those might jog your memory," Astrid encouraged Fierce-Eye with a nudge.

The amnesiac just sighed. "Let's take a look then."

Hiccup helped me find and remove the locking pins and remove the hilt. The handguard turned out to be a separate piece and remained stuck on the blade. "There are markings on it," I decided, "but I can't make them out on this black material."

Hiccup grabbed some charcoal and paper, making a rubbing of the faint marks on both sides of the bare hilt. They looked like chicken scratches to me, but different scratches on each side.

"What do you think?" Astrid asked, passing the paper to Fierce-Eye.

He took the paper and announced, "Jusk." It sounded like he tried to say 'just' but replaced a K onto the end. Stiildus rumbled on Fierce-Eye's shoulder.

"What does that mean?" I asked, perplexed.

Fierce-Eye swallowed before answering, "It means Claw."

"Fitting name," Astrid complimented, "Especially the way you wield it."

"And the other side?" Hiccup asked.

"Ge-yol do fah-don-ma'ar," Fierce-Eye responded, slowly ponouncing each sound. I jumped as a tiny spark leapt from the black blade to my clamp arm. No one else noticed and I didn't say anything as I moved my metal appendage away.

Astrid flinched at the description, like she just heard a high pitched sound. "Translation?"

"Geyol do fahdonmaar means Spark of Friendship," Fierce-Eye explained.

'I think I know where that SPARK bit comes from.'

"So this blade-" I indicated the sword on the table, "-is Claw, the Spark of Friendship."

"You know," Hiccup muttered quietly, looking over Fierce-Eye's shoulder, "Those look a lot like the labels on your vials."

"What vials?" Fierce-Eye seemed perplexed.

"In your belt," Hiccup replied. Fierce-Eye handed Hiccup the rubbing paper while he patted his own waist. "You had a bunch of vials marked with 'writing' just like this."

I felt a small surge of panic, not wanting anything worse than a lightning waki-whatever in my shop. "Don't open 'em if you don't recognize them! Some things don't mix well at all and they must have been sealed for a reason."

Fierce-Eye nodded. He found said vials and pulled them out for a better look.

"It's the same writing all right," Fierce-Eye agreed before reading off the labels, "Rahgol, viidost, drem, yol, geviin, kun, faast"

"Either you're making that up, or you know two languages," Astrid decided.

Fierce-Eye chuckled. "It's the second option. They're labeled rage, venom, peace, fire, polish, light, and panic."

"Then you REALLY better not open any of them for now," I ordered, "Some of those sound like real trouble."

The amnesiac began to put away the vials while I studied Claw some more. 'There wasn't anything about the maker or quality. It's not made of metal. The wooden handle and sheath must be meant to protect the wielder from shocking themself.' I began to reassemble Claw's hilt, more curious than ever. 'Claw, Spark of Friendship. The claw and spark aspects are obvious, but why choose friendship as the third point? It's an odd virtue to associate with a weapon.'

My musings were interrupted as Fishlegs walked in. "Fierce-Eye, here you are."

Fierce-Eye smirked at the large book-worm. "Here I am. Did you need something?"

"Gothi asked me to bring these to you," Fishlegs explained, holding out a very old book and a small new one. "I read through some of the medicine books. Apparently, most forms of amnesia blocks the ability to willingly recall past events, but still let you UNwillingly remember them."

"Like dreams and when I'm stressed?" Fierce-Eye asked, examining the new, blank book first.

"Exactly," confirmed Fishlegs. "I suggested it to Gothi, and she gave me these books to deliver. The new one is to record any of those unwilling memories, but I think something happened to the old one."

'Stressed? He must be talking about when he fought Snotlout. Otherwise, he shouldn't have remembered how to fight like that.'

Fierce-Eye opened the old book and stopped moving. Hiccup looked at the first page and immediately turned to the rubbing in his hand. Curious, I brought Claw back over to it's owner and looked at the book. It was filled with charcoal chicken scratches.

"It's just like Claw and the vials," I marveled, "How does she do that?"

Fierce-Eye's POV - Borrowed House

Dinner was a relatively quiet affair after the day I've had. Fishlegs let me read through part of the Book of Dragons. I obviously wasn't trusted enough to read the whole book, so I took notes (in Norse) on Ember Claws in my new journal.

When Stiildus and I got home, I read a few pages of Gothi's Dovahzul book. It seemed to be the journal of another Dragonfriend, who hadn't written their own name yet, and someone (or some dragon) nicknamed Skychaser. I found it intriguing, but I'd had a long day and other things demanded my attention.

I rolled in bed and watched Stiildus dozing on the hearth. 'Stiildus needs teammates, perferably four, as soon as possible. Then, I need to work-out a training program so they'll stand a chance against teams that have practiced for much longer. The Koor Visk is nine days away. Gustav mentioned that Terrible Terrors, no, Ember Claws, are used as beginning partners for novice dragon handlers. If I could explain the situation to the villagers, I know some of them would agree to team up with me and Stiildus.'

'Explain the situation.' I sighed. 'That is another problem. The Academy Dragons want me to inform the Riders of the upcoming event. They don't even trust me enough to let me read a book unsupervised. Albeit a very important book. Predicting the Koor Visk before it happens would work, but defeat the purpose. How am I gonna earn that much trust in under nine days?'

'Word about my new name spread pretty quick, but there should still be some facts known only to the Dragons and their Riders. That might get a little embarassing for some people though. Some secrets are kept for a reason. Other secrets might have been guessed at by others. Stiildus mentioned that Hiccup and Astrid are attracted to each other, something about scent changes, but anyone who watched them together could tell that.'

'I will need some physical proof. The minor secrets thing can be a back-up argument. One piece of evidence could be faked. Several minor disclosures could be mere coincidences and forgotten mentions. Both together, that would be hard to dispute. At the very least, it would get me the benefit of the doubt and preparations to attend the Koor Visk. After that, no one would be able to deny it.'

I yawned. 'Tomorrow, I'll explain the secrets/evidence plan to the Dragons. Get them to start thinking up some minor secrets and brainstorming on how to create some evidence.'

'Yeah...Tomorrow...'

Stormfly's POV - Outside Astrid's Home

I waited patiently in my hutch. Astrid had gone inside hours ago, but I still needed to do one more thing before I could go to sleep myself. Meatlug and I had already spread our plan to the other Academy Dragons, who had agreed to have a similar chat before laying down for the night.

::So what do you want Stormfly?:: I raise my spines in surprise, only to lower them a moment later.

::Hello Sneaky,:: I greet kindly, ::Do you really have to do that every time?::

::Yes,:: answered the little green dragon, gliding down from my head, ::I need to practice every chance I get. You know the Riders are too busy protecting Berk to train us themselves, and the Koor Visk is coming up!::

::Actually, that's what I want to talk to you about,:: I explained, ::I know you've heard about the Dragonfriend in town...::

?'s POV - Underway Viking ship at night

"Let. Them. Go."

I was really hating this guy. Techically, I hated most humans I knew, but this one took the cake.

"Oh please," replied the arrogant little Viking, "I've lost five ships in the past week and another three tonight! I've laid siege to this place and you think I'm just going to let, them, go?"

I reached to my left hip and drew my two swords. The black sword in my left hand crackles with blue lightning. The white sword in my right bursts into red flames. The other Vikings take a few hesitant steps back. They're not as stupid as I thought, but their leader is too stubborn. My eyes dart to that hideous brazier, burning Calming Weed and forcing me to fight alone.

I was not meant to fight alone. I was meant to distract or ambush or come up with strategies. My clanmates took the front of a fight, and I supported them. Now, they were helpless, and only I could fight.

'If I can just beat their leader, these sheep will fear my vengance and surrender.' I lick my lips. 'Nelru's spell should do nicely here.'

BANG!

Fierce-Eye's POV - Borrowed House

I sat bolt upright in my bed, the dream still fresh in my mind. Stiildus has also woken and looks towards the door.

BANG! BANG!

Two more bangs echo from the door and I realize what woke me. I climb out of bed and make sure I'm presentable to my pre-dawn company. Stiildus decides to let me handle the visitor and starts to drift off again. My thoughts are still foggy from sleep.

'Hiccup wasn't this early yesterday. Is something up?'

::This better be the right house,:: complained a raspy voice, ::I'm getting a headpain.::

::Me too,:: agreed a second voice, ::Maybe we should start wearing helmets. The similars never seem to have this problem.::

::Don't worry,:: consoled a third voice, ::Toothless said it was one of the empty houses. I'm sure this is the right one.::

::That's what you said three houses ago,:: reminded a fourth, ::And that lady was furious that we woke her hatchling.::

When I open the door, I realize that it's not Hiccup. Instead, I find six Ember Claws looking up at me. Two greens, two dizzy yellows, a red, and a purple.

::I told you it was the right house!:: proclaimed one of the greens, the third voice.

::Good,:: replied the red Ember Claw, ::Because I was about to give up and find some fish scraps.::

I poked head outside and looked around. Thankfully, none of the other Vikings were out yet. ::Can I help you?::

::I hope so,:: the purple dragon called back, ::We heard you were looking to train an Ember Claw team for the Koor Visk!::