(written on August 11th, 2019)

(I had just done a marathon where I watched all three shows, all three movies, and all four short films in chronological order, and it has unexpectedly inspired me to write this. This is my first HTTYD fanfic, so I apologize if at times I seem too amateurish. I encourage comments but try not to judge me too harshly. Ha, ha! Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy this three-part short story!)

Dragons: The Greater Beyond

Part One

The long era of peace was complimented by the calm Nordic seas of the vast Archipelago. Dawn approached the boy unwavering, its colors beautifully vibrant and reminiscent of Aurvandil's Fire. He sat on the edge of a cliff towering over the clashing of waves below. Soon, he could spot the brightest stars from the reflection of the waters, even surrounding his moonlit silhouette. He stared at the dimming horizon as the absence of the sun's rays began to enclose his environment. Out there, he thought, there had to be more than his inconspicuous islet. There was a world after all, but it was a world beyond his fingertips, probably where earth, ocean, and sky cease to be distinct. Out there, he heard, lay a people, people who inhaled clouds and soared into the highest and most frigid airs. The stories and legends needn't introductions, for the unparalleled harmony of the faraway place became every man and woman's whispers. But unlike others who viewed the place as merely a heaven whose passage is sealed from mortals, the boy's curiosity always pointed him to the greater beyond. Out there lay all the sustenance to his cravings for exploration.

"Agmund! For Oden's sake, come inside before you slumber off the cliff once more!"

"Yes, Father," replied the boy. He grabbed his spyglass and jogged to his house a hundred yards away. His hefty father waited by the door, holding it open. He could see the long face on his son.

"Okay, son. What is it? Don't tell me you're thinking about the horizon again." Agmund sighed and entered the home. "Son, we go through this every couple of days now. Look, you can't go out. Maybe when you're older, you can come on one of my fishing trips, but you're too young. Stop trying to be an adult. Enjoy your finite childhood!"

"First of all, Father, need I remind you that I turned ten a day after last moon, and my friend Guthmandor says double digits is the gateway to manhood. Secondly, there is no childhood to enjoy. There's nothing here on this colony to do except go to school, fish, and then go to school, and then fish! Why did we have to move to this stupid hunk of rock?! I think Mother's gotten crazy!"

"Don't disrespect your mother, son. I may not have totally agreed on going to the colonies, but wherever she goes, we go. I understand she might be umm... a bit boulder-headed sometimes. Believe me, I know," his father assured. "But she's just doing what she thinks is best for our family."

"Fishing constantly is best for our family?"

"Not just our family, but the Berserker Tribe as a whole. As I've told you, a lot of the fishing lanes around our motherland have been deprived of the delicacy, Icelandic cod, that is essential to our nation's trade agreements. We work 'round the sundial to supply the fish. If your reality-challenged friend thinks you're becoming a man, then let's test your masculinity tomorrow. Let's see if you can handle the watery beasts in the open endless oceans you gaze at every evening."

"I don't want to be in the oceans. I want to go to new places! New lands!" Agmund exclaimed.

"Unfortunately, son, we neither have the time nor wealth to successfully do so. Besides, I don't want to run into trouble out there. We've had the longest uninterrupted peace in Viking history. Let's keep it that way. It's either we fish or you do nothing at all... which is unacceptable."

"I'd rather fly..."

"Fly? Have you gone mad?"

"No, father. Didn't you used to tell me how a battle raged over the skies of the motherland, and how a band of persons flying alongside fire-breathing animals saved it from utter destruction?"

"Apparently, I've said too much... You may think it's awesome, but it was war! It wasn't pretty. It wasn't beautiful. And it wasn't even that heroic. Honestly, if men never rode dragons, everyone would be better off."

"Dragons?! So that's what they're called!"

"Err... umm... You didn't hear that!" he asserted.

"I need to find one of these 'dragons!' Maybe they'll finally take me out of this dump."

"Ha, good luck, son. All the dragons have been hunted to extinction. Thank Thor none exist to terrorize his world no longer."

"What?! No!" the boy yelled. "That can't be true! I refuse to believe that!"

"Why do you think there's been peace for so many years?" he asked rhetorically. "There's nothing you can do. It all happened before you were born. Ironically, it was the guy who first started riding dragons who ended up hunting them all out. Hiccup, the Horrendous, I think his name was."

"I can't believe why anyone would do such a thing... I need to find this guy and kick him in his tush!"

"The only thing you need to do is go to bed, son. We have a fishing trip tomorrow! Get some sleep and clear your head from this dragon nonsense. You hear me? Your mother is coming back from the market tomorrow as well. She would be pleased if I told her you came on a trip with me."

"Whatever," the boy sighed as he left his father. He made his way up the wooden stairs to his room. He sat on the planks of his bed and looked out the makeshift skylight. A couple of weeks ago, he was angry and punched a hole through the ceiling, but he didn't mind the hole as it was his way to look outside. For some reason, he felt more comfortable and drowsy under the stars. He didn't want his cloth blanket anymore. All he needed was the breeze and the night to keep him company. The stars seemed so distant but felt so close. The skylight provided delight. The only thing he didn't enjoy were the noises coming from the yaks and sheep behind the house. Those noises reminded him of his boring life at home on a desolate colony island. He preferred the noises of something more natural such as puffin calls and rustling foliage. It soothed him.

But suddenly, before he was about the fall asleep, a bright shine flared above the skylight that seared his eyeballs. He woke up instantly and saw what looked like a comet shoot across the constellations. It was brighter than all the stars combined. He could feel the fire on his face, but he couldn't look away. Surprisingly, the object was mostly silent when it flew through the air, but Agmund could hear a small thud after the blaze went out of view. It was something real! The boy climbed through the hole and scanned the fields. Half a mile away, there was a flickering point of light near the cliffs. He wanted to investigate. He quietly jumped off the roof of the small house and fell into a pile of dead yak grass. There were a few cuts and bruises, but it was worth it. He ran to the source of light and found a smokey crater with something green off the edge of it.

It was a lizard-like creature with wings! Agmund couldn't believe his sight! It had two short crooked horns on its head, long hook claws as thick as branches, and two very large intimidating yellow eyes that glared at him. He was unsure if he should yell for help, but he was certainly curious. The creature was generally small, but its features were pronounced. Its green body might seem innocent, however, a red hue covered its spiky back and eyelids. It made the eyes appear bigger than they were! Soon, its iris began to tighten and smoke began to escape its huge nostrils.

It was a fire-breather, he thought! By Thor, this was a dragon!