Chapter 14:

Hiccup finished Arkyn's saddle the following day, and coincidentally, that morning also provided the first dusting of snow to come for the winter. Overnight, Berk had been granted a thin blanket of white across much of its surroundings, fading quickly in the high afternoon sunlight, much to the disappointment of the teens.

Hiccup took it upon himself to gather everyone in the arena after lunch, along with their dragons, to help Arkyn with his first flight. They arranged themselves in a loose half circle around Stinger and Arkyn, after which Hiccup presented the boy with his new saddle and showed him how to properly secure it. In typical Haddock fashion, it was a perfect fit.

"Alright, so before you climb on, there's some things you should know." Hiccup explained once the saddle was fitted. "Stinger has never had a rider before, so chances are he won't be used to someone on his back. Be prepared for rough takeoffs and landings that the dragon is better suited to handle than you are. With more flight training you'll learn how to fly with your dragon, as opposed to just on your dragon. If Stinger decides to do any crazy maneuvers on the first go around, hold onto the straps here, and here." Hiccup indicated 2 leather handholds at the head of the saddle for Arkyn to see. "Don't forget to attach the tether. If it comes loose and you fall, one of us will be ready to catch you. Other than that…try and enjoy it. There's nothing like a first flight." This got all the teens reminiscing on the first time they had ridden their dragons. It definitely wasn't something they thought they'd ever do.

Arkyn nodded to him and patted Stinger on the neck. He then hoisted himself onto his dragon, being careful to attach the tether that Hiccup had warned him about, wanting nothing more than to remain in the saddle for the duration of the flight. Before attempting to take off, Arkyn turned to the other riders facing him. He felt he owed them a few words.

"Before this goes down I need to thank you all for being here." He started. "Not only here, now, but you were there for me even from day 1. I don't know where I'd be right now if Odin hadn't guided my boat to Berk. My guess would be somewhere far worse, both physically and socially. I've hit a few rough patches with some of you…. Sorry for punching you, Snotlout…" Arkyn briefly interrupted his speech to address the large Viking across from him, who didn't say anything, but nodded an acceptance of the apology. "But I hope today can reset those things. It would do us no good to stay divided, but anyway, enough of my sappy sentiments." He leaned down and tugged lightly on one of Stinger's harnesses. "What do you say we give this a try?" The boy whispered.

Stinger replied with a squawk and slowly stretched his wings to their full span for a liftoff. The rest of the dragon riders did the same in preparation. Before Arkyn knew what was happening, Stinger forced his wings down and his talons lifted from the arena's earth. They were airborne. Arkyn held on tightly as he looked down and saw Berk shrinking below him, quickly becoming distant as Stinger glided out over the open sea.

"Try and turn back in!" Hiccup yelled, now tailing Arkyn and Stinger on his own Night Fury. Arkyn grabbed the harness and pulled left, urging the dragon to face Berk once more, and thankfully, Stinger got the message. He huffed and tilted at an angle to correct his flight path.

Although Stinger was moving quite quickly, at least in comparison to what Arkyn had previously experienced, his flying was smooth and level, comforting the rider upon his back. Arkyn smiled as the weight of what he was really doing began to set in. He was really flying. Hiccup shouted another command, this time to attempt to move up and down, and Arkyn hurriedly pulled up on the straps in his hands- perhaps a little too hurriedly. Stinger glanced back briefly before shooting skyward at an alarming angle, flapping his wings in a power Arkyn had never witnessed before as the pair skyrocketed higher and higher in altitude. "Uh- okay…that's quite enough." Arkyn said, struggling to hold on now. "Time to go back down now." He then pressed the straps in, causing an unfortunately similar yet opposite effect.

The boy's stomach dropped almost immediately as his dragon pitched towards the ground, now gliding to avoid speeding up too much. Berk was getting closer much faster than Arkyn would have liked, and so in a hasty move, he let instincts take over and guided his dragon in a more mellow path to face the arena, appreciating the control he felt he was gaining as the flight went on. "How about you set us down?" Arkyn suggested, leaning into Stinger's ear. With another squawk the creature flapped it's wings in a forward motion to catch as much air as possible in order to slow down, and before Arkyn could even remember how the flight had started, he was back on the ground in the center of the arena once again. Even though it was a short experience, it was the greatest one the new Viking had ever known.

Arkyn dismounted quickly as the other riders landed around him, his first move being to treat Stinger to some extra fish for not totally killing him the first real chance he got.

"So how was it?" Hiccup inquired.

Arkyn was speechless. It had been so nerve wracking that he'd almost missed just how incredible it was. He looked up at Hiccup and simply said "a privilege", because that's what it was. He was one of less than 10 Vikings to ever experience such a thing, and it felt good. "I think I'd like to try again though, in a minute."

Hiccup nodded. Once you started riding you could never stop, but the first time was always one that required some rest afterwards, just as he had done after his first flight on the island with the terrible terrors.

The rest of the riders surrounded Arkyn and offered some quick commands and instructions as well as helpful advice ahead of his next attempt, such as the need to lean more when turning, and that a stronger hold on the straps would make Stinger's moves more decisive. The boy took a drink of water before mounting his Triplestryke again, thanking everyone again for their aid.

Although the second flight was definitely an improvement on the first, Arkyn was still going to need a lot of practice before he could consistently hang with the existing crew, but he was determined not to stay too behind for long. There was going to be a lot of flying for him on the horizon.

—

Arkyn spent long hours of the next several days training with different combinations of the teens, learning all the necessary ropes towards the skill of flight. Thanks to the knowledge they were able to impart, before long Arkyn had mastered all of the basic directions as well as some simple maneuvers. He found the process to be quite enjoyable and tried to fill as much of his schedule as he could with getting extra practice, hauling himself out of bed early every morning and using every bit of daylight possible to meet with Stinger; Arkyn wasn't exactly comfortable with night flying yet.

There was one particular morning that Arkyn found himself in the arena completely alone once again, being the only teen Viking with nothing to do that day. Hiccup was working in the forge, Snotlout was hunting with Spitelout, the twins were simply unaccounted for, Astrid was helping her dad move firewood from the market to her house, and Fishlegs was spending the day taking care of Meatlug. To put it in the boy's own words, they were having "special time" together…whatever the hell that meant. In any case, all the flying to be done today would have to be done alone. It would be the first time Arkyn planned to take Stinger out completely by himself.

The Triplestryke greeted him as it now did every morning- with a slow bow and a quick squawk of appreciation. I have got to get you out of these stables. Arkyn thought to himself as he approached Stinger, who in all seriousness was probably starting to feel cooped up there every night. Just about every fear of the dragon flying away for good had vanished now, and the Viking was starting to prepare for Stinger to make the move behind his new house. A little change of scenery every now and then couldn't hurt.

Arkyn quickly mounted his companion and made sure all the straps on the saddle were tight. It was time for the first flight Stinger and his rider would ever simply share between the two of them, and the dragon bucked excitedly as he waited for the command to take off, which Arkyn finally gave. Most of the previous days of training had been spent flying over the village itself, but the Viking decided today was the day he'd finally explore the rest of the island with a dragon's eye view. He started by gliding out over the eastern shores before following the edge of the island west towards the other end of it entirely, passing the cliffs he frequented which transitioned into the thick forest behind them. Thrilled with the new understanding he was gaining for his surroundings, Arkyn flew higher to better enjoy the new sights, not wanting to go back until he had covered every inch of the island.

—

Astrid walked behind her dad towards the town market under the high late morning sun, which unfortunately provided little relief from the ever colder winter temperatures. Moving firewood wasn't her favorite task, but it was one she had shared with her father ever since she was a little girl, so she couldn't just up and quit now. It took several trips even though her dad pushed a hefty cart along with him. He always purchased enough at one time to last for the whole winter season, Odin forbid they run out when the snow was thick enough to block their path to the lumberjack.

They finally arrived at the correct stand and began shifting the first load into the cart. Astrid sighed as she looked at the seemingly never ending pile of logs they had to move. It was going to be a long day…

—

Satisfied with his view of Berk's western shores, Arkyn steered Stinger back east along the Island's northern coast, taking note of certain landmarks as he went. One such landmark was the mouth of Berk's River, which flowed from the northern edge of the island through the forest close to the village before exiting back into the sea towards the south. Arkyn had never been able to get an accurate feeling for its path when visiting it from the ground, so he appreciated the knowledge he was able to gain from this expedition just in case it became handy in the future.

Nearing the harbor, and not far from that the place he had started, the Viking planned to set Stinger back down in the arena, but any plans for what would be done with his day after that were lost on the boy's mind. He didn't want to be bored, but all of his friends were either busy or missing and other than getting solo practice in, the truth was there just wasn't much for him to do around the village. At this point in his life Arkyn was simply existing.

Trying to think of a way to become useful, the boy thought back to what everyone else had said their plans were for that day. He figured his place was not with Snotlout on his father son hunting trip nor with Fishlegs and his 'special time', and the small forge had plenty of help with simply Hiccup and Gobber, which left Astrid…who was moving wood. What a riveting task. Although not ideal, Arkyn accepted the fact that it was either moving wood or sitting alone in his house by himself, and so it was: he flew off to the market to find Astrid, hoping there would be enough work for him to do that he wouldn't feel like the day was wasted.

—

Astrid grunted as she lifted the last 2 logs to fill the first cart load of firewood. She and her father had just barely managed to dwindle the pile's height down by about a quarter, and at this rate they would need 3 additional round trips to clear all of it. A 15 minute walk one way, the market wasn't exactly close to Astrid's house, making the job that much longer and more strenuous.

They were just turning to leave with the cart when a rather large dragon swooped down into the market square from above, startling several villagers who were milling about in the vicinity. Astrid immediately recognized it to be Stinger. Knowing the dangers of this particular species, the townspeople began to stare or back away slowly, never seeing one so docile before. Arkyn dismounted with a clank from the saddle and turned to face Astrid, walking towards her.

"Hey there." He greeted. "Um, do you know why everyone's looking at me so strangely? I feel…weird."

"It's your dragon." She responded. "The riders and I aren't the only ones who've had bad experiences with these things." Astrid explained. "Oh, and nobody knows who you are either, if you haven't noticed, so a 'weird' rider with all black clothing and a feared dragon showing himself off in front of the mass public for the first time might appear kind of concerning." She finished sarcastically.

Arkyn sighed. This had not occurred to him before. He'd subconsciously kept himself on the down low ever since he got to Berk, not interacting with more people than he had to, blending in amongst his friends in the great hall, and largely harboring himself in his home most evenings. The only people that really knew him were the riders, the Chief, and Berk's builders. "I see." He said, slightly embarrassed. Arkyn called out to the villagers. "H- hey everyone. I promise this dragon won't hurt any of you, so, uh, just keep doing whatever it is you were, uh, doing…" There was some murmuring amongst the crowd but business resumed soon after.

"So what are you doing here anyway?" The girl questioned, snickering at his poor public address.

"Well, I took Stinger out by myself for a fairly lengthy flight around the island, and I didn't want to spend the rest of the day bored, so I thought I would see if you needed any, uh, help."

"Well if you didn't want to be bored, you came to the wrong place." Astrid grimaced.

"It was either this or sitting at home." He explained. "Nothing for me there."

"Well, we were just about to take this cart back. As you can see we're not exactly close to done." She said, gesturing to the still large pile of remaining firewood.

Arkyn nodded. Just then a rather tall man ended his conversation with the lumberjack and approached the spot where the two teens were conversing. He eyed Arkyn hesitantly, not recognizing his face as anyone he'd seen before.

"Can I help you?" The man questioned in a low voice.

"Arkyn Stryerson." The boy introduced himself, holding out a gloved hand to the figure. "I need something to keep me busy, so I was just asking Astrid if she wanted my help moving any of this wood."

"Riftan Hofferson." The Viking spoke, grabbing Arkyn's outstretched hand in a death grip that nearly made him wince. "I've heard about you. Nice to see the face." Well that's reassuring. Arkyn thought, wondering what Astrid could have possibly been saying about him at home.

"Ah, so you're Astrid's father." Arkyn replied, his voice wavering slightly as he tried to suppress the pain in his hand. Astrid noticed and laughed internally. Her dad did this way too often, regularly leaving the people he met sore. Sometimes unintentionally, but sometimes he meant it. She couldn't tell which it was this time.

"I am." Riftan said, no sense of tone in his voice. He looked towards the Triplestryke. "That your dragon?"

"Yes sir." Arkyn confirmed. "His name is Stinger. He's quite a handful."

Riftan nodded his respect, but said nothing.

"Well…sir, if it's not a hindrance to the both of you I'd be willing to fly these logs to your house. Might make things go a little faster." Arkyn suggested.

Astrid kicked herself for not thinking to use Stormfly for this job, but seeing as it was her first winter with the creature the thought never came to mind. Her father looked skeptical. "I'd appreciate that. Just be careful not to lose any. This has to last my family all winter."

Arkyn assured him no material would be wasted and Riftan left for his house with the first cart load, leaving the two teens to deal with the pile that remained. Arkyn called Stinger over to the pile and he and Astrid began placing logs of the dragon's up curled tails.

"So how's that hand of yours?" Astrid joked.

"Gone." Arkyn laughed, flexing it tenderly. "Your dad's got some power."

"Yeah, sorry about that. He does that to everyone."

"I didn't think my handshake was that bad…boy was I wrong."

Astrid smiled sheepishly. She had a good father, but he could be embarrassing without knowing it. "So you really couldn't find anything better to do, huh?" She asked, changing the subject.

"Nope." The boy replied.

"What do you even like to do? Fish or something?"

"Do I look like a fisherman to you?" Arkyn teased. Of course he'd been before and knew how, but it was a solitary activity, and he didn't have a dad to take him out anymore. Doing it alone would practically be the same as just going home. "I was trained to be a fighter, but there's nothing to fight. To be honest, I just didn't feel like spending today alone."

"Well, you're not alone." Astrid pointed out.

"Hopefully that's true for a loooong time." He sighed.

They continued working, and with Arkyn and Stinger's help, the rest of the firewood made it to the Hofferson house in record time. It was the most enjoyment Astrid had received from the annual task since the first year she was dragged along to partake in it. Once the job was done, everyone parted ways for the evening, leaving Arkyn feeling satisfied that he had indeed avoided wasting his afternoon.

AN: Yeah yeah I know…this took me forever. Writer's block + preparing for a move will do that to you. I had the first half written for a little while but I didn't want to upload a tiny chapter so it took some time to fill it out. Hopefully I didn't lose too many readers in my absence. Take care as always.

Additional AN: should I start adding names to my chapters? Been on the fence about it. Let me know.