CHAPTER 19

"Hand me that hammer, will you?"

Hiccup picked up the hammer and handed it to Nraseri who began hammering away at the bent sword Gertrude had dropped off earlier that day. He grumbled to himself, holding up the sword to inspect it. "That woman needs to invest in a door stop. I'm tired of fixing this."

Gobber let out a bark of laughter. "Good luck telling 'er that. I'm sure she'll appreciate the criticism."

Hiccup hid a smile and went back to his sketching. He and Nraseri had finished the Gronckle Iron shield that morning. The last thing he had to do was decide on the design he wanted to paint on it. He'd sketched out a few designs, but none of them fit. He had contemplated painting the Hooligan emblem on it but discarded the idea immediately. He flipped through the journal, looking for inspiration and found himself, as always, pausing on one of the Night Fury sketches. It was the one he'd done on the sea stack a few days ago of the Night Fury napping, its tailfins splayed like a sail.

He didn't think his tribe would appreciate him walking around with a Night Fury painted on his shield. He could already hear the cries of outrage.

He turned the page and looked at the saddle designs. His eyes flicked to the leather that had been stacked on top of a spare barrel. Somehow, he'd have to make it without raising suspicion. He had no clue how to do that, especially with Nraseri around. He'd have to tell him eventually. Maybe after training when they embarked on their adventure, he'd bring up the idea and hope for the best. They could always take some of the leather with them.

A horn sounded from the docks. Moments later, Hulf poked his head in. "The ships have returned. Looks like they have other tribesmen with them."

"About time," Gobber exclaimed, setting down his work. "I'm going to go help the chief unload. Hiccup, ye should come too."

Hiccup hesitated. His father was back. It wouldn't be long before he heard about the training. Would he see through his tricks or would he believe like the rest of the tribe that Hiccup was finally good at something?

Would he be proud?

He pushed the thought aside.

If his and Nraseri's plan worked, his father would probably go back to thinking he was useless. Hiccup had already come to terms with that. He probably wouldn't care if Hiccup went travelling.

Hiccup pulled his apron over his head and tossed it on its hook. "I'll be right back," he said to Nraseri who nodded, still scowling at the bent sword.

He jogged down to the docks to where a dozen or so villagers had already gathered. There were five ships, all of them battered and burned. One of the ships had a different crest painted on its sail: the familiar symbol of the Bog-Burglar tribe.

Hiccup pushed to the front of the crowd just as the ships docked. He scanned the female warriors for a shock of platinum hair. Camicazi spotted him first.

"Hiccup!" She hopped over the side of the ship before they'd even secured it to the dock and hugged him fiercely. "You're a sight for sore eyes!"

"What are you doing here?" Hiccup exclaimed. "Are you guys alright?"

"We ran into a wee bit of trouble. Your father'll tell you everything. Here he comes now."

Stoick had disembarked his large longship. Hiccup noticed that there were singe marks on the wood and a couple of the shields were missing. The villagers all clambered around looking for answers. The chief held up his hand. "Aye, we are a bit worse for wear. There was a raid during the meeting. Thankfully, there were no injuries. A number of us a search for the Nest."

"Did you find it?" Gobber asked.

Stoick shook his head. "Not even close. We lost a lot of good ships, but our number made it back in one piece. I need the Great Hall cleared for our guests. They will be staying with us until they can have their own ships arrive on our shores. Until then, dragon training is postponed."

The crowd broke out into murmuring. Hiccup would have to get the full story from Camicazi. His father barely glanced his way as he led the procession to the Great Hall.

Camicazi clapped his shoulder. "Don't let him get you down, Hiccup. I'm sure we got close this time. Now we have plenty of time to catch up. Tell me about training."

"It's been good. The village is finally noticing me."

"See? If the village can come around, then so can your father."

He doubted that.

"Oh," he lowered his voice. "I also shot down the Night Fury."

She stopped and looked at him wide-eyed. "Really?"

Hiccup nodded. "It appeared during the last raid a few weeks ago. I shot it down with one of my inventions."

"Did you kill it?" she asked.

Hiccup looked at the ground sheepishly. "No, it, uh, got free and flew off."

"Ah," she said, an odd note in her voice. "Better luck next time."

She brightened suddenly. "You simply must take a look at my dagger, Hiccup. I damaged it on my last expedition and you're the only one I trust to fix it. Besides its crafter, of course, but I haven't seen him in ages." She huffed angrily and pulled out the dagger in question for Hiccup to see.

He peered closely at the dagger and the long split that ran down the hilt, defacing the simple design in the leather guard. The hilt was also eaten away with what looked like acid burns and he swore he saw the gouge marks of dragon teeth. "What did you do to it?" he asked incredulously, "Or better yet, what didn't you do with it?"

Camicazi shrugged and flipped the dagger in the air and caught it. "I'll admit that I was a little—just a little—out of my depth on my last excursion. How was I supposed to know that they had dragons guarding their treasure?"

"Guard dragons?" Hiccup asked, now intrigued.

Camicazi shook her head, still twirling the dagger. "More like dragon slaves, really. They were chained outside the door. Looked like they hadn't had a good meal in a long time. So, I set them free."

"You set them free?"

"Well, I could hardly leave them there." She cast him a sidelong look. "We might be at war, but even I found it cruel. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, Hiccup. Besides, not all dragons want to kill you, you know. I've come across some pretty pleasant ones in the past."

Hiccup couldn't argue with that, not after the last few weeks.

Camicazi chatted the entire way through the village, complaining about how this tribe insulted this tribe and how the dragons around the bog were disappearing for weeks before appearing in flocks later.

"And you wouldn't believe what Thuggory said about the newest Bog-Burglar trainees—"

"Oh, look," Hiccup interrupted, relieved when the forge came into view. "We're here."

Camicazi paid no heed that she had heard him and went on talking. She tossed him her dagger and looked around. "He told me that…"

Nraseri poked his head out at the commotion, wiping his hands on a rag. Hiccup gave him an exasperated look as the young burglar chatted away, and Nraseri rolled his eyes and looked at her. His grin disappeared and began to back away very slowly.

He froze when the burglar turned to look at him.

Camicazi stopped mid-sentence and stared at Nraseri, for once at a loss for words. "Nraseri?"

Hiccup looked from his friend's sheepish look to Camicazi's unhinged jaw and felt the overwhelming urge to step backwards. He was glad he did, for at that moment, Camicazi, still wide-eyed, reached for her sword and swung it at Nraseri.

Nraseri stepped out of the way of the sword with a fluid motion but yelped as Camicazi flicked her wrist and stabbed at him again. He had just enough time to unsheathe his dagger and block before the onslaught of attacks came. Camicazi lunged at him, sword flashing and Nraseri dove for his sword balanced against his bench and raised it just in time. The blades met with a clang!

"Four years, you silly, scale-brained, dragon-breathed, idiot!" Camicazi screeched. "Four years and you didn't even visit! What kind of friend are you?!"

"I'm sorry!" Nraseri spluttered. If his two best friends weren't trying to kill each other, Hiccup would have found the entire situation rather funny. He'd never seen Nraseri so flustered at the sight of someone.

"No letter, no word on your adventures! You know I love stories, Nraseri!"

"Are you done, Camicazi?" Nraseri asked, exasperated.

Camicazi slammed her sword into the ground. "YES!" They glared at each other for a few seconds before they both grinned.

"Well, that was the best spar I've had in years!" Camicazi said.

Hiccup eyed the two of them. "So, you know each other, then?"

Nraseri nodded, breathing heavily. "I worked in the Bog-Burglar forges for a while. I trained with Camicazi."

Camicazi pointed a finger at him in accusation. "I haven't seen you since Merchant's Point four years ago. Some friend," she sniffed.

Hiccup frowned as an old memory surfaced. "Wait, Nraseri, you were at the Merchant's Port?"

Camicazi rolled her eyes. "Really Hiccup. You don't remember?" She puffed out her chest and raised her voice several octaves. "'I met the strangest person in the forest.'"

Hiccup scowled. "I don't sound like that." He stopped, his mind finally putting the pieces together. He turned to Nraseri, wide-eyed. "That was you?"

Nraseri raised a hand in greeting. "Hello, again," he said.

Hiccup stared at him, gaping. "You pulled me out of the forest? Why didn't you say anything?"

Nraseri suddenly found his sword very interesting. "Didn't think you'd remember me. It was a long time ago."

"Well now that you're here, you can fix my dagger," Camicazi said. Hiccup held up the dagger and Nraseri balked.

"What did you do to my dagger?!" he screeched, grabbing the dagger and inspecting it. He gave Camicazi a reproachful glare. "This wasn't even yours!"

Camicazi rolled her eyes, waving her hands dismissively. "Well, you left it the last time you were at the Bogs. I couldn't just leave it lying around for someone to steal."

"It was in my bag!"

"Exactly. Honestly, someone could have just come by and nicked it. You should be thanking me."

Nraseri threw his hands in the air in defeat and Camicazi stuck out her tongue at him.

"You know what," Hiccup said, "I'm going to tell Gobber that you're here. You know, in case your mother thinks you've wandered off again."

"Hah!" Camicazi said. "Since when have I ever done that?"

Hiccup rolled his eyes and walked off.

As soon as Hiccup was out of earshot, Camicazi's expression became very serious. "Does he know?" she asked in a low whisper.

Toothless shook his head. "About me? No."

"Are you going to tell him?"

"Eventually. I want to, but…it's a long story. Remember what I told you about the amulet. That I was supposed to find someone?"

Camicazi's eyes widened. "You think Hiccup's the one you're supposed to find?" Toothless nodded slowly. "He sees something in the dragons, Cami, he just hasn't figured out what it is yet. You should have seen him when he got into dragon training. He's started questioning the war between us."

She took a deep breath, mulling his words over. "He said he shot down a Night Fury, the one that's been spotted here before. That was you, then?"

He nodded. "He shot me down during the raid. I went looking for him and his bola hit me, and I crashed into the forest. I woke up to him about to kill me and instead he cut me free." He rubbed his arm briefly. "I'm telling you, he's the one. I felt it at the port four years ago and the past three years have strengthened my resolve."

Camicazi raised her eyebrow. "Hiccup didn't mention you when we saw each other two years ago."

"The cave network on Berk is large enough to stay in without being found. I told them I was travelling with the merchants and they offered me a place to stay." He fidgeted. "He's also seen the Night Fury up close. Multiple times."

"Isn't that risky? What, next you're going to tell me he's ridden a dragon too." He didn't say anything, and she gawked at him. "You're kidding. Nraseri, that's pushing it."

"Don't you start too," he sighed. "I know it's risky, but I have my reasons. I think the amulet's been warning me about something. Something big. I can't keep waiting around. I need Hiccup to trust me no matter what form I'm in."

"Why don't you just tell him?"

"I've already thought about that. I can't risk it. Not yet. I will, soon, don't worry. Just a little longer."

"He's in dragon training. What are you going to do if he wins?"

"He's going to sabotage it. He has no plans to win."

Camicazi sighed. "Fine. but be careful. He trusts you as you are now. Don't break his trust or I'll make you wish you'd never stepped foot on this island."

"Noted."

They turned as they heard Hiccup's footsteps. "Camicazi, your mother is looking for you," Hiccup said, poking his head into the forge.

"Oh, goody," the heir to the Bog-Burglar tribe grinned and clamped her hands on Toothless' arm. "You must say hello to Mother, Nraseri. She'll be so happy to see you again." Without waiting for him to argue, the three friends made their way to the Great Hall.

"Nraseri, it's been so long!" Chief Bertha of the Bog-Burglar tribe exclaimed, enveloping Nraseri in a bone-crushing hug. Just as he looked like he was going to suffocate, she released him and clapped her hands together and turned to her fellow chief. "Stoick, you didn't tell me you were sheltering one of my best students. I would have come sooner if you had told me."

"I didn't know you had met before," Stoick replied, amused with the turn of events. It wasn't common for the burglars to train outsiders, and Bertha wasn't the easiest person to get along with. He wasn't all that surprised to learn that their village guest had trained with some of the best fighters around, but he hadn't expected Bertha to have had a hand it.

"Aye," Gobber said loudly. "It looks like his good works have rubbed off. Hiccup is the best trainee we've got."

A round of cheers rang out. Stoick blanched. "My son?" He rounded on Hiccup who grinned sheepishly.

Gobber guffawed at his expression. "It's like he has a way with the dragons, Stoick."

He felt something ignite in his chest like a fire that had been nothing but embers for longer than he could remember. His son. His son was becoming a Viking. For the rest of the feast, Stoick the Vast, Chief of Berk watched his son laugh and chat with his friends, his heart swelling with pride.

Camicazi stood in front of the fire, the flames casting strange shadows across her face. Her wild hair glowed, illuminated by the fire, and her mischievous grin glinted as she faced her audience. "So, there we were, five tribes gathered for the first time in years. Obviously, I was there, but I only went because they said the Berserkers were going to make a show. They didn't, but that's why you don't put your trust in their word. Anyway, the adults talking and talking and talking, and just as I was getting ready to swim back home, wham!"

Camicazi threw a handful of stones on the fire, making the embers jump. "Dragons attack! We grabbed our weapons and fought for our lives as dragons swooped over us, claws ready to tear us apart." She flicked her dagger so that it caught the firelight. Fishlegs scuttled back. The twins looked absolutely enthralled.

"The Changewing cornered me, acid dripping from its mouth. I dashed forward, sword in hand, and attacked. It reeled back, acid flying everywhere. I ran at it, driving it back, and then, just as I was about to swing my sword, it vanished. I assume it ran away while camouflaged. Then, the strangest thing happened. The dragons just left. Dropped most of what they'd stolen and took off."

"They just left? Why would they do that?" Astrid's brow furrowed even further.

Camicazi shrugged. "Beats me. But some of us gathered our ships and followed, hoping that they'd lead us to the Nest. No such luck. Only days of travelling and fending off smaller raids. Lost a lot of good ships, but the good thing is that we're alive to fight another day. You guys had it easy staying back here for training."

"Well, I would have rather been there," Snotlout scoffed, and Hiccup, sitting next to Nraseri, suppressed a smirk as Camicazi turned to him.

"Really, Snotlout?" she said. "Well, considering the Nadder almost took a bite out of you yesterday, I don't think you'd last long."

He spluttered as the others chuckled. "How did you know that?"

Her grin widened. "I have my ways." She'd pretty much interrogated Hiccup and Nraseri for juicy details about training the moment they were alone.

"I remember the exact thing happening to you in training, Cami," Nraseri said with a smirk.

"That didn't count," she replied, waving her hand in dismissal. "I let it get close. No dragon or Viking can catch a Bog-Burglar. At least I didn't try to take a Changewing's egg."

"You did what?" Fishlegs squawked.

"At least I learned my lesson," Nraseri said.

"And that was?" Astrid asked.

"Don't take a dragon's eggs," he replied with a grin.

"Please tell me you're joking," Fishlegs said, looking sick. "Nraseri, please tell me you didn't do that." Nraseri shrugged.

Camicazi laughed. "you better believe it. That's not even the worst of it. I have six months of hair-brained schemes we cooked up."

The twins sat up, interest piqued. "Oh, do tell," Ruffnut said.

Camicazi smiled wickedly.

Hiccup caught Camicazi on her way back to the Great Hall, feeling only slightly guilty for leaving Nraseri to fend off the twins by himself as they interrogated him for more stories. "Camicazi, can I talk to you for a minute."

"Sure," she said, slowing her pace. "What's up? Oh, wait, let me guess. Nraseri?"

"How'd you know?" Hiccup asked, surprised.

She shrugged. "Just a hunch."

"You've known him for a while, right?"

She nodded with a smirk. "Sure have. I didn't even tell you guys half of it. We got into a lot of trouble in training. And not just there. With the dragons as well. I watched him try and persuade a Scaldron to give him its lunch. Didn't work out too well for him."

"Do you know who Nira is?"

Camicazi's smirk vanished, and she looked around with wide eyes. "Where'd you hear the name?" she demanded lowly.

Hiccup, taken aback by the harsh response stammered, "It was something Tooth—Nraseri said a while back. He seemed pretty shaken up at the time. Has he mentioned anything to you?"

The Bog-Burglar sighed. "It's not my place to tell you, Hiccup."

"Please? Something happened, Cami. We were training and he disappeared for a long time and when he came back, he looked like he'd seen a ghost. He shouted that he didn't need Nira's help and then ran off. I don't know if he thought I was someone else or what, but he's been acting strangely ever since. I'm worried about him."

"Have you talked to him?"

Hiccup nodded. "But I didn't want to mention it in case he lost it again."

The Bog-Burglar sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Fine. But you can't tell him I told you, got it? It's a touchy subject, but… has Nraseri told you anything about his past?"

Hiccup shook his head. "Only a few things. I know that his tribe was killed but not much else."

"Nira was his sister. She was killed when their family was attacked on their island. He told me that she gave him time to escape and told him to run." She blew a lock of her messy hair out of her face. "He still blames himself for not being able to save her."

By the gods. "That's terrible."

"Makes your blood boil, doesn't it? At least the attacking tribe was wiped out soon after that. Serves them right."

"Both tribes?"

She nodded. "Yup."

Hiccup's mind was reeling. "Where was this? How come we didn't know about two entire tribes being wiped out?"

Camicazi thought for a moment. "I remember him saying that he lived on the outskirts of the Archipelago. Somewhere near the Grimdel Isles, so, it's not too far of a stretch. Besides, that's close to the Grimsavages. They're not exactly invited to our yearly meetings."

Her answers only raised more questions. He was a little hurt that Nraseri hadn't told him about his sister, but he couldn't blame him. not after what Camicazi had just told him. In Nraseri's position, Hiccup couldn't say that he wouldn't have done the same. "That explains why he tries to do everything on his own," Hiccup said, remembering what Nraseri had said the night after the camping trip. "He's afraid of losing people he cares about because of something he does."

Camicazi nodded. "He's got some demons chasing him, that one. But he's a good person. And a better friend. There's no one I trust more."

"I know the feeling."

"Just…be patient with him, Hiccup. and don't pry. We've all got secrets. Some more than others. Nraseri will tell you when he's ready."

Hiccup sighed and nodded. He didn't know if he felt better knowing who Nira was. If anything, the thought of her made him sad. He couldn't imagine what he'd do if something like that happened to his father, and they weren't even that close. At the very least, knowing helped him understand his friend a little bit more, but it was only one answer among dozens of questions. Like the origin of the bracer in Nraseri's satchel and how he had discovered so much about the dragons.

He wasn't anywhere close to solving those mysteries.

There will always be one more secret, a small voice whispered. One day, Hiccup would know them all, but for now, he had to be content with waiting. Besides, Hiccup had a few secrets of his own.