Snart's Saga, Part I Chapter 36
When Snart and Hiccup asked Stoick and Spitelout to join the next Academy meeting, they knew it was something important.
"We'll skip over the usual dragon stuff until later," Hiccup began. "Snart has been working on the fish problem, and he has an idea for us."
"Three days ago, Fishlegs and I flew up to Machen. While we —"
"It's a four-day trip to Machen and back!" Spitelout interrupted.
"Four days by sea, Spitelout. Dragons are changing our world, and not just by being our friends. We can fly off to any village we've ever heard of, and get there by lunch time. Anyway, while we were there, we sat down with their Chief, Germburg, and —"
"Who's this Germburg?" Stoick demanded. "I never heard of him."
"Machen's old chief was killed in a raid on Hulm last spring, along with all the men from the village," Snart explained. "Germburg was the leader of a nomadic band of survivors from Sag. He and his men joined themselves to Machen in place of the men who died in that raid. By strength of will, and by marrying their headwoman, Rainbit, he became the new chief. He's a hard man, but a fair one."
"How do you know all this?" Spitelout asked.
"Well... I kind of had a hand in it," Snart confessed.
"I see the Academy has been doing a lot more than just training dragons," Stoick mused, stroking his beard. "You will tell me all about this, later. Please go on."
"Here's the situation, put simply. Our fish have disappeared, so we need fish; Machen has plenty of fish. Machen still has hostile neighbors, so they need weapons; we have plenty of weapons. I suggest we send ships to trade with Machen."
Spitelout looked thoughtful. "That's a long way to go for a raid, and they've never bothered... wait, did you say 'trade'?"
"Yes, trade. Weapons for baskets of fish."
"Vikings don't trade! We take what we need." Spitelout burst out.
"Spitelout, one of this Academy's unofficial mottoes is that there's more than one way to be a Viking."
"How many weapons did you commit us to give them, Snart?" Stoick wanted to know.
"I haven't clasped hands on anything, sir. That would be your decision to make, not mine. All I've done is worked out what kind of a deal we could make. Whether we make the deal or not, and what the terms are, is for the chiefs to decide."
"Yes, it is," nodded Stoick. Astrid heard a small commotion outside the Academy and left to check on it.
"If they've got all the fish they need, why can't we just send our boats to fish in their waters?" Spitelout asked.
"I thought of that. Germburg said his village gets nothing out of that. And they need to be sure they have enough for themselves before they start trading away their extras."
"That's what I would have said, if I were in his boots," Stoick nodded again. "If we make this deal, when do we start?"
"As soon as you want to," Snart replied. "We can fly up there and tell them our ships are coming. When our fleet arrives, they'll have the fish baskets counted and ready, waiting to work out the terms with us."
"I suppose the real question is, will this deal be enough to feed us all?" Spitelout asked.
"I did some math," Fishlegs cut in, "and with one trade a week, I think the people will be okay through the winter. For the dragons... less okay."
"It will be plenty," Astrid announced as she burst back in. "I've got great news! We've found where the fish have gone."
"Where?" asked everyone at once.
"One of my Sea Dragons saw a school, running a lot deeper than they used to. He called it out to the nearest boat, the Hurricane Lamprey; that one has one of the younger captains. They did a quick job of doubling the depth of their net gear, and they're coming in half-full, which is a lot better than empty. If all the boats can do that, then between them and the Machen deal, we'll have enough fish to feed everyone and everything."
"So they're running deeper," Stoick mused. "I think I heard of that happening a long time ago. We probably can't reach them all if they're too deep, but anything is better than nothing." He reached a decision. "Astrid, tell your rider he's done well. Hiccup, Snart, tell Machen we'll have a trading fleet there in two days. You have also done well. Now I have to greet that fishing boat!" He and Spitelout left at a run.
"It looks like they're going along with it," Hiccup said to Snart. "Luckily for you. You took quite a risk, negotiating for the town without any authority."
"Somebody had to do something. I'm somebody," Snart replied.
"Fair enough. As soon as our trading fleet sets sail, you can fly ahead and tell Machen we're coming. I'm sure Stoick will go with them to do the negotiating, but you should stay there to do the introductions and make sure there aren't any surprises."
After the meeting was over, Hiccup motioned for Snart to stay behind. "You've saved the whole Academy this time, and maybe the whole village. I wish there was some way we could say 'thank you'."
"Actually, I'm working on something that might push your gratitude to the limit," Snart said quietly. "I've got some more facts to nail down first. When I have something solid, you'll be the first to know."
"You and your projects! I ought to be nervous, except you usually end up being right. If I know my dad, he'll have those trading ships ready to go very early tomorrow morning, so be ready to fly north."
"I'll do that, but you'll have to send somebody else to Norpi to check up on Wartfoot and Mallie this afternoon."
"I'll send Astrid," Hiccup decided. "That will be part of her training for her Master badge, whenever that happens."
"What are you waiting for, Hiccup? She knows at least as much as I did when you made me a Master."
"It's like you said, Snart. Being a Dragon Master should be something special. We've got two; if we add another one, that's almost half the Academy, and that won't be very special... wait a minute, I know that look in your eye! Don't tell me you've got an answer for that one, too?"
"I'm working on one of those everybody-happy solutions you've taught me about. Give me a little time."
As predicted, four ships left Berk harbor early the next morning, bound for Machen. The rest of the fleet stayed home to modify their nets; even the most stubborn, tradition-bound captain couldn't argue with the baskets-full of fish that came off the Hurricane Lamprey when everyone else came home empty.
Stoick and Gobber rode in the lead trading ship. Gobber was wearing his paddle arm instead of a weapon or a smith's tool. Stoick was enjoying a few days' freedom from a chief's responsibilities. "The last time we sailed together, Gobber, we were loaded down with weapons to take the dragons' nest."
"And now we're loaded down with weapons to trade for fish," Gobber nodded. "Times are changing all around us! And I hate to say it, but it's those dragon riders who are pushing us, kicking and screaming, into a new day."
"That's the truth, Gobber. I became chief because of how well I fought dragons. Our next chief will probably be the best dragon rider." They saw Snart fly overhead on his Nadder, brilliant green and easy to see even on a cloudy day like this one. The wind was picking up.
Snart reached Machen, and found their fishing fleet coming in after a busy night's work. They were full to the gunwales with fish; evidently they wanted to have plenty on hand to trade. He landed in the clearing next to Wizard, and walked to the waterfront.
Hildi was helping tie up the boats as they reached the docks. She had an oar in one hand to fend them off if a wave threatened to smash them against the dock. She straightened as she saw Snart approach. He stared for a moment, then began to laugh.
"Is this funny?" she demanded.
"The first time I ever saw you, you were in that exact same pose, except you held a spear instead of an oar," he explained. She smiled. "Hildi, I need to let Germburg know we've sent some ships up from Berk. When you're done here, I'd like to talk some dragon talk with you." She nodded; he left to find Machen's chief.
Once all their business was done, they met in the clearing and slowly walked in circles around it. Their dragons lay in the middle, watching them lazily. "Hildi, how do the people of Machen feel about dragons?"
"I guess they aren't quite as friendly as Berk is," she replied. "They like me just fine. They're glad to know there's a dragon handy if we get raided, and they like seeing me overhead. But up close and personal, Wizard makes them a little nervous."
"Mm-hmm. Have you ever considered training another rider?"
"I think half the young people in the village would become riders if they could," she answered. "Some of them would probably be good dragon trainers."
"But...?"
"But after the way my first student turned out, I don't dare take on another one."
"Hildi, your first student is quietly earning his keep as a bootmaker, and making huge progress on fixing the messed-up relationship he has with his dragon. The only reason we haven't given him his Dragon Rider badge is because he doesn't want a lot of attention. Tetnuss was an unusual situation; what he did wasn't your fault."
"Still, if I was going to try again, I'd want someone else nearby who knew his dragons, just in case."
Snart nodded, then looked around. "Change of subject. Those rocky islands off to the north — are they part of Machen?"
"Yes, but we don't do anything with them. One of them has a cave inside; we use it to hide our children and valuables if we get raided. The rest are just bare rock. We've tried grazing goats on them; even they can't find enough to eat there. Why?"
"Just thinking." He looked at the sky. "Am I mistaken, or is a storm blowing up?"
"It does look threatening up there. I'm glad our ships are safely home. Oh — you've got ships at sea!"
"Yes, headed this way, and headed right into the storm. Ever flown in bad weather, Hildi?"
"I try to avoid it."
"I think I need to check on our ships; they may need help. Will you fly with me?" She nodded. They roused their dragons, buckled their belts to their saddles, and rose into the wind.
At least it wasn't raining. That was the only good news. The winds grew stronger as they headed south, forcing them to zigzag rather than fly straight. They finally found three ships, tacking and rowing near the shore. "Follow me in, Hildi!"
Nadders were experts at riding air currents, and these winds were so strong that the dragons could actually hover in place. Snart flew next to the lead ship.
"We need to beach ourselves!" Stoick roared over the wind and waves, pointing to the shore.
"Where's the fourth ship?" Snart shouted back.
"She tried to beach! The wind turned her sideways and smashed her to bits on the rocks! The crew is safe on shore, but we don't dare try it again!"
Snart thought fast. "Pass me a line from your sternpost! We'll act like a flying sea anchor; we'll keep you pointed at the shore until you're beached!"
"That'll work!" shouted Gobber.
Snart waved Hildi in closer. "Watch what we do, and do the same thing for the next ship!" She nodded.
Skybaby had no trouble picking up the rope when it was tossed to her. But she thought she was supposed to pull the ship out to sea. "No, no, Baby! Fly slow!" A big wave hit the ship and jerked its stern to port. Snart nudged his dragon in the other direction to straighten her out. After two more such jerks, Skybaby understood what Snart wanted of her, and she corrected their heading on her own.
But the boat's mass was far greater than the dragon's, and they couldn't stop the lurching from the waves, only correct it. Snart hadn't endured such a neck-snapping ride since he first took off on Skydancer. He could see Wizard working with the second ship, having a slightly easier time of it because he was a bigger dragon.
Because he and Skybaby were facing away from the ship, they couldn't see how close they were to the shore. Finally, a heavy grinding noise told them that they'd succeeded. The Vikings jumped out, siezed lines, and pulled their ship all the way onto land, assisted by the waves. Five minutes later, the second ship grounded next to them.
"Hildi, I don't think Skybaby is strong enough to do that again. How strong is Wizard?"
"I think he's fine. I'll bring in the third ship." The dragon-and-rider pair turned and flew back out to sea, where the third ship was fighting the wind alone. Snart was worried for the crew, for the dragon, but most of all for the rider. One really good snap could throw her out of the saddle and into the sea, riding belt or no riding belt.
He watched them drift in, yawing from side to side, then straightening as Wizard pulled the stern around. For a moment, it looked like they would strike a sharp-looking rock that jutted out of the sea, but crew and dragon enabled them to miss it. They grounded on the other side of the first ship, and scrambled to pull it up higher.
The blue Nadder dropped to the ground. "Hildi, your dragon is —"
"He's too tired to go anywhere, I know." They approached Stoick. "Our dragons are too worn out to fly for a while. We'll stay here until they're rested, then fly back to Machen."
"We'll ride out the storm here," Stoick nodded. "Once they've rested a bit, could your dragons help us get a fire started?"
"Dragons are good for that, sir," Hildi answered with a twinkle.
About two hours later, the Nadders were rested enough to fly again. Hildi tried to get Wizard to light a cooking fire for the stranded sailors, but his super-hot fire blasted the firewood out of existence. Snart coached her in how to ask for a very short burst of fire, and Wizard's second attempt worked much better.
"The two of ye make a fine team," Gobber noted with a wink as they prepared to take off.
As they flew back to Machen with the wind at their backs, Hildi was very quiet. "Is something on your mind, Hildi?" Snart finally called.
She turned to face him, and he saw that she was crying. "It's not fair! Like Gobber said, we're a good team, and I like you, and you like me, and we do everything well together, and... and we don't have a future! I can't leave Machen, and you can't leave the Academy!"
"I can't?"
"No, don't even think it! I know it's romantic to leave everything for love, but... that's your home! All the good you do there, all the people you help... Snart, don't! If you do that... I won't speak to you!" She veered her dragon away to open some distance between them. The rest of the flight passed in silence.
When they landed, Rainbit ran to meet them, followed by Germburg. "Hildi, we didn't know where you were! We saw your dragon gone, so we thought you'd gone flying, but... in a storm? Where have you been?"
She explained what they'd done, with Snart nodding in agreement. She still had the power to tell a good story, he noted; he didn't have to add anything to her narrative. When she was done, Germburg nodded and walked away thoughtfully.