A/N: Hey guys!

I'm very sorry for the late update. I know I've kept you guys waiting long enough for this one, and I apologize that it is shorter than the usual ones that I write. Nonetheless, I am happy with the outcome of this chapter, and I do hope that you guys will enjoy it as much as I did writing it.

Chapter 21: Dragons!

"Hey…" She said. "Wake up."

The young boy had fallen back asleep, despite the circumstances. Man, what a dream... The blonde haired girl's face was covered in seriousness as she positioned it in front of his. Her hair fell upon his chest, and her eyes seemed a bit dim. Yet, Hiccup still couldn't shake the eerie feeling he had in his dream, and began to wonder if it really was a dream.

"Oh…" He felt his cheeks heat up. His face hadn't been so close to someone's who he didn't know all too well. "Hello."

She withdrew herself, smiling as she did so. "It's time for breakfast, Hiccup." She stretched her hand out. "We'll be having it with the chief." The chief… I wonder what he wants with me. Hiccup realized that he was staring at her hand and took it quickly.

"Thank you." He said, pushing himself to sit. The pain in his head had not subsided yet, he managed a small smile. I am in your debt… He thought, but didn't have the courage to speak it.

Hiccup threw the covers aside, and used his hands as leverage to stand. Beads of swart trickled down his face. Eliza, face full of worry, found his struggle to be necessary of her help. "Here," She took a hold of his arm. "Let me—"

"It's fine." Hiccup interrupted. "I can stand." He didn't know why he declined her offer. Somehow, it felt necessary that he stood up on his own.

Eliza gave the boy some space, and watched as he slowly found footing. Despite his skinny body, she noticed that he body a well placed sense of balance. She stared at him awkwardly, her eyes moving around, scanning his movements.

"Are you sure?" She took a step towards Hiccup, a concerned look on her face. "Yeah." Hiccup replied dismissingly. "I'm fine… I just need to…get a jumpstart. That's all."

"Hmm…" She pursed her lips. "Alright."

Hiccup slowly made his way towards the door while Eliza stood beside him, anticipating him to slip. Fortunately for her, he didn't. The young lad gripped the doorknob tightly, and put his weight on it for a moment, before opening the door.

The light was blinding, as if he hadn't seen it in days, and he quickly shielded his eyes from the bright light. The cold air attacked his body, making him shiver. The nostalgic smell of seafood and the bustling sound of a marketplace reawakened his senses.

"You won't see anything that way, Hiccup." Eliza chucked. Hiccup rolled his eyes but then realized that Eliza couldn't see him rolling them under his arm, so he slowly withdrew his arms, looked at her, and then rolled them.

He turned his head to look at the town, and his jaw dropped with awe. What he saw before him was something he really hadn't expected, nor was it something he would have deemed possible.

The scene felt too much like a dream. The village was situated in a small island, probably about twice the size of the cove. Large huts—five of them—were stationed in the center, and the markets and stalls were by the shoreline. Many small huts around the island stood on thin bamboo stilts above the waterline, and two wooden bridges connected the island to two larger ones.

"Welcome to Aria, Hiccup." She grinned at a merchant, and then turned to Hiccup. "We've got quite the display, don't we?"

"Yeah." Hiccup was still in shock by the landscape. There wasn't any information about this in any of the Viking map. He was still examining the area when Eliza spoke again. "We keep the dragons on the island to your right, while the other one is pretty much uninhabited."

"Wait, dragons?" Now, Hiccup was confused. "You've got dragons here?"

"Yup." She replied casually. "We've been using them to help us find food and other necessities for quite some time now."

"Wow." Hiccup said. "I never believed that there would be another Viking tribe to accept the dragons."

"Oh…" Eliza said softly. "Aria isn't a Viking tribe. It's mostly Greek, added with a little mix from other cultures. I guess you can call it a whole new culture."

"How are you speaking Norse then?"

Eliza turned her gaze upon the sky. "3 years back, Vanroy and I were on a boat towards the northern islands from our old home, Salvage. My mom wanted to expose me to some of the northern practices, and forced me to get on it. I didn't want to, really."

Hiccup listened to her intently.

"We were on the boat for 2 months already, and things were soon starting to settle into our systems." Eliza cleared her throat, and blinked. "But one day, as the morning dew had passed, our ship was sucked into this massive whirlpool."

"That's the same thing that happened to me and Toothless!" Eliza shot him a cold look. "Anyways, continue."

"I washed ashore here a few days later. They took me to an infirmary, and it was there where I saw Vanroy, and some…unfortunate other crew members." She paused for a moment. "Only we survived."

Could it be that it was the same whirlpool that we were sucked in to?

"Well, that's the same way we arrived here." Hiccup said, and this time, Eliza's face paled.

"Let's discuss this at the table." She said, her tone filled with panic as she grabbed Hiccup and dragged him towards a shady building in the distance.

"The stench was just awful." Hiccup recounted the encounter, and tried to sound as calm as possible. Something is definitely going on.

"I see." Eliza said, getting up from her chair. "Are you done with your fo—"

"Oh, and one more thing," Hiccup interrupted. "We flew south was to decrypt an ancient stone. The northern tribes couldn't, so we figured that we would try our luck with the ones down here."

"Anything else?"

"Well, it heats up every once in a while."

"That's odd." Eliza scratched her chin. "Actually, you might want to see the oracle."

"The… what?"

"Oracle." Eliza gave the boy a puzzle look. "You know, the all seeing, ever-wise being that resides at the top of the mountain?"

Hiccup didn't mutter a word. "Nope, I guess not." Eliza shook her head. "I'll put it like this: A person gifted by gods (or as they say) with future telling and wisdom."

"Like the elder then." Hiccup commented.

"Not quite," Eliza dismissed the thought. "Ah, you'll see when you get there." She walked towards the front door, and opened it gently. "Your dragon went towards the peak too, actually. You guys must think alike."

"Well, he's got the stone." Hiccup took one last sip from his drink, and got up from his seat. "When do I leave?"

She contemplated the question. "The fastest way up the mountain is by air, so I'll hook you up with one of our dragons for now."

The thought of seeing new species got Hiccup excited. I mean, there was so much he could learn from these people! Moreover, he could share ideas, designs, information and what not. The possibilities were endless!

"Alright." Hiccup said, and suddenly remembered that he didn't have much time. Toothless could be in danger. "Let's rush, shall we?"

Hiccup and Eliza, accompanied by Vanroy now, paced quickly. The long, wooden bridge, held above the sea water by stilts, was steady and firm, something Hiccup didn't expect.

Hiccup glanced at the sun. It's about half past two…

"Come on." Eliza said. Hiccup noticed that the blonde now had tiny droplets of sweat forming around her face. Maybe she isn't used to walking this far… wait, what am I saying? Of course she is! She's got to train her…

Then it hit him: Did Eliza actually have a dragon?

"Hey Eliza," Her name still felt awkward and dry in his throat.

"Yeah?" She replied cheerfully.

"Do you have a dragon?" The young lad's voice seemed to die down as the question came out of his mouth.

"Yeah." Eliza replied casually. "Her name is Silver, and she's a Boneknapper."

Hiccup cleared his throat. Boneknappers were large, fearsome dragons that had a covering made purely out of bones. It has also been considered a myth, since only very few people have seen it and lived to tell the tale.

"You're joking…?"

"Nope." Eliza replied. "We actually have a lot of species on the island. There are Scauldrons roaming around the island, some Changewings, a Timberjack here and there, and of course, the Skrill."

The Skrill…I've heard about it in stories. The Skrill was an elusive dragon with large, black wings and spikes all over its body. It has huge claws and uses electricity as its main source of attack. Legend says that if you get too close, you'd be shocked to death.

"You tamed one?" Hiccup asked.

"What?"

"A Skrill, I mean."

"Nope, it just flies around from time to time. Sometimes it steals fish, but we don't mind it. Doesn't hurt us too much anyways."

"I throw spears at it, but they never they never connect!" Vanroy exclaimed. Gosh, he was like a little kid in a grown man's body.

Eliza shot him a look. "What?" He said in his defense. The blonde didn't think that it was worth her breath, so she just rolled her eyes.

Hiccup chuckled. Somehow, it reminded him of his old home, back when he would roll his eyes. Home… I don't have one…

Hiccup didn't notice it, but they had already arrived at their destination. I guess I was too caught up with all the info about dragons.

They ended up in front of a large lake surrounded by a forest of trees. Small leaves and branches dotted the surface of the lake. In the center was a large, wooden ring. Smaller, wooden horns were mounted along the sides, and a long wooden bridge stretched from the shore towards the circle.

"What's that for?" Hiccup asked.

"It's for calling our dragons." Eliza said. "We built it over this lake so that it would be easier for the sea dragons the come. There's also an underwater tunnel that leads towards the ocean in case we need it."

"Nice." Hiccup said, "Could you show me it works?"

"Sure." Eliza said, and gestured her hand towards the ring. "Vanroy, if you must."

"Yes!" Vanroy ran over to one of the horns, positioned his mouth over, and shouted. "Nautilus! Come here, brother!"

"Brother?" Hiccup cocked his head towards Eliza.

"He likes calling his Scauldron, his brother." She said, using hand gestures in a quote and quote fashion. Hiccup chucked at this, and Eliza managed a faint smile.

Instantly, a large bellied, long necked, light blue dragon burst out of the lake, spraying water in many directions. It had large, round eyes, small flippers, and a huge triangular tail. The moment it saw Vanroy, it immediately tackled him into the water.

"Vanroy!"Hiccup was sent into a panic. The blow looked like it could have fractured a rib. Hiccup's body jolted forward, but Eliza held him back.

"Happens all the time." She said calmly, and instructed him to look. Hiccup turned his head to see Vanroy riding on the back of his dragon, no saddle or anything reins, just merely holding on to its long neck.

"Hey guys!" Vanroy waved at them as his dragon glided around the lake, like it was made out of ice. The Scauldron had such grace when it was in the water.

Eliza ran over to the horn. "My turn." The lass blew into the horn, calling a name. "Silver!" She exclaimed.

At first, nothing happened, but after a brief moment, the faint sound of the flapping of wings could be heard. Eliza raised her head up. "There she is!"

Hiccup had to admit. Silver was huge! The biggest dragon he had ever seen, by far. It was probably twice, or thrice as tall as Hiccup and wider than him by a large amount, an amount he didn't even want to count. The bones on its skin were just astonishing, as well as they were frightening, sending chills down Hiccup spine.

Eliza casually mounted the Boneknapper using a well placed rope attached to a saddle near its head. "Well," She said. "Now it's time for you to meet your temporary dragon, Hiccup."

A/N:

How did you guys find the chapter? Please leave a review, and don't forget to put suggestions in it too! They are always welcome. Anyways, see you all in the next chapter!

Ravenblack