A Dragon's Promise Chapter 1: cinderhall, a how to train your dragon fanfic

CHAPTER 1

Hiccup watched as in front of him the road they were traveling on flattened out; as they emerged from the mountains. Next to him he felt Aria shift slightly. "Finally. The trek was longer than I remember it being in my time. There weren't nearly so many hills and valleys." Hiccup shrugged and sped up to keep in line with the small caravan they were traveling with. In front of them Hiccup watched as a family coaxed a set of oxen along. It had been almost 10 days since he'd left his home, and 4 days since they'd been following the trail towards the settlement Aria called Cinderhall. Walking along the ancient stone roadway Hiccup wiped a few beads of sweat from his forehead. Above them the sun shown directly downward, making their shadows follow their bodies closely. As they trudged along the road Hiccup spoke; as he wiped more sweat off his forehead. "remind me again, why we're not just flying to this lord Brayon's castle?" Aria rolled her eyes.

"you can't just turn into a dragon, fly to lord Brayon's castle land, change back into a human and expect to speak with him. You'd be arrested for witchcraft. Besides the dragonknights have been gone for centuries. It's possible he doesn't even know what a dragonknight is." Hiccup nodded. "ok. So why are we going to cinderhall?" Aria sighed and shifted the pack on her back slightly. "for a few reasons. The main reason is because they're used to be a dragonknight outpost in the forest near the town. If we're lucky then the charms crafted for the dragonknights might still be in the fortress. Once we have those we can present them to lord Brayon and that might convince him to believe us." Again Hiccup nodded. "ok. But why would the charms still be there? The fortress is hundreds of years old surely it's been picked over by looters and scavengers."

Aria nodded. "I expect it has been. But the charms would have been kept in a special container, one only a dragonknight or someone of great power could open. I'm hoping the container is still there, and still intact." Hiccup looked sideways at her. "and if it's not? Then what?" Aria stopped and adjusted the pack again. "then we'll have to figure something else out." Hiccup nodded and watched as in front of them the wagon they were following stopped. Slowing down slightly Hiccup walked up next to the wagon and spoke to one of the men who was clambering down and off it. "everything ok?" the man nodded. "yes. the oxen grow weary. They have traveled far today. We'll set up camp for the night; and continue onward tomorrow. Will you and your companion be joining us?" Hiccup looked to aria who nodded. "yes. I think so. I'm in no rush to return to cinderhall." The man nodded. "my wife feels the same way. She fears for our daughters' safety." Aria chuckled. "she is a wise women.

LATER

Hiccup watched as the last of the sun's rays dipped behind the mountains, ushering in the night and the cold. Shivering slightly Hiccup tugged the jacket he wore closer to his body as he turned his attention back to the camp. He and the family on the wagon were no longer alone, at least 3 other wagons had joined them and had formed a ring around the large bonfire which had been set ablaze. Even as he watched a man from one of the other wagons stepped up to the fire and threw in several logs to keep it lit. leaning back Hiccup settled in and watched as the families around him began setting up their wagons for the night. The women had gone off to bathe in a nearby river; he could hear the water splashing. Digging into his pack Hiccup pulled out a small blanket and wrapped himself in it. It was odd; in birk he had always been cold, but now after leaving it he found that the cold no longer seemed to bother him very much. all around him the men were dressed up in thick furs and pelt, and he wore his normal thin shirt pants, and vest. Laying his head down on the blanket; hiccup looked up at the stars above him. they shown downwards at him like gems just out of reach in the sky.

His moment of reverie was broken however when a vice called his name. "Hiccup!" looking up Hiccup smiled as one of the men; a tall, lanky man with a beard waved to him. "come join us." Smiling Hiccup got up and moved to join the group; who laughed at a joke another man had just told. Sitting down in front of the fire Hiccup found a mug of ale pushed into his hand almost at once. "drink Hiccup. Tis a fine night to celebrate. After all tis Yorvask's day!" at these words a round of applause erupted and all the other men drank down some of their own ale. Putting the cup to his lips Hiccup drank a few small mouthfuls, swallowing them down and feeling them land in his stomach. For a moment he felt a warm kind of heat erupt into his stomach. A second later Dremven's voice spoke in his mind. 'hmmmm. Mortal fire water.' This had happened a few other times but he was pulled from it when another man spoke.

"So tell us Hiccup. Where is it you and your companion travel to? We know you seek to stop at cinderhall but then were to?" Hiccup shrugged. "Aria and I are making our way to lord Brayon's castle; we have….business there." The men nodded. "a fine destination. I wish you well on your business." Hiccup nodded and drank a bit more ale before responding. "I think you. but tell me what is your destination?" the men dove into their explanations. Some were traveling back to their homes to see their families, while a few others were heading north to do trade with the tribes that lived up there, and in one case going to a shrine to pray and complete their pilgrimage. As they all took another drink the bushes next to the camp began to shake and rustle. Almost at the same time all the men's hands went to their swords or daggers. But they relaxed as the bushes parted and the women returned from their bathes.

Hiccup smiled as Aria sat down on the ground next to him and took the mug from his hand before downing some of the ale herself. "hmmmm. Not bad. Needs some honey in it though." The men laughed. Slowly the group began to disband many of the men returning to their wagons with their wives to sleep. Soon enough Hiccup found himself and Aria alone. Looking back up at the stars Hiccup spoke. "shall we go to bed?" Aria smiled and nodded before finishing off the mug of ale; and setting it on a nearby crate. Moving away from a camp a little Hiccup watched as Aria stepped into the small tent them had constructed so she could get changed. Stepping away from the tent Hiccup to began to disrobe, first pulling off his shirt, then his pants, and gloves leaving him in only his underwear. Turning back to the tent Hiccup found that Aria had reopened the tent and was allowing him to come inside. Laying down on the ground Hiccup paused for a moment as Aria caught his attention. Her skin had darkened since they left birk; giving her the look of someone who worked out in the fields.

Her clothes from the day were folded and sitting at the foot of her sleeping bag, meaning she too was in only her underwear. Trying not to let that last thought take hold of him Hiccup turned so he was facing away from Aria before closing his eyes and allowing himself to drift off to sleep; and a dream where he had allowed his last thought to take over.

THE NEXT DAY

The first sign they were getting close to cinderhall was the lack of trees. As they came to the top of a hill Hiccup felt his eyes widen as he found that almost all of the trees had been cut down and cleared away, giving way to a large plain that stretched on for several miles. Continuing along the dirt road Hiccup could not help but notice other signs of a human presence. Some large piled of rocks and boulders that did not belong in the middle of a field, the crumbling remains of an old cobble stone fence, a few rusted old tools layed down and abandoned on the road. As they moved on Hiccup felt himself shiver. It was…unnerving. Walking over another Hiccup Hiccup felt Aria tug at his sleeve and point. Following her gesture hiccup found she was pointing to a large structure off in the distance. "it's an ore crane. The miners use it to haul up the ore they dig out of the ground." Hiccup nodded.
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"so….what is cinderhall like?" it was something he'd been curious about for a while; and now seemed as good a time as any to ask. Next t him Aria sighed and began walking again. "to you and me it will seem….like a prison; but it's more like hell. The miners are forced to work long hours, when they aren't working they're either asleep, or try to buy supplies for their families. But the price of the supplies varies on an almost daily basis, so they have no way of knowing if they have enough money to buy the food for that night's meals. It's not uncommon for people who are desperate to resort to theft to make ends meet." Hiccup felt his heart clench. "why don't they just trade with the traders who come through; like we are?" Aria shook her head sadly.

"their money has no sway to outisders." When Hiccup looked confused she elaborated. "the money you and I have is struck from gold or silver. They're precious metals that will always have value to others. The miners are paid in copper bits. They can only spend them at the stores in the camps. And even if they did find a merchant willing to trade with them; it would take more bits than a miner would earn in a year; to have anything of value to an outsider." Hiccup nodded sadly. "who would agree to that kind of life?" again Aria sighed. "most of them were tricked. They're immigrants who were brought over here by the mining corporations. They were told they have to pay back the cost it took to bring them here; but they weren't told how much that was. They also have to pay for lodgings, and all their supplies. At the end of the month most people are still short money; so they have to stay in the camps and keep working. It's a hellish life. Even in my time this was going on."

Hiccup looked away from Aria not wanting her to see the furious tears that were welling up in his eyes. quickly wiping them away he spoke; willing his voice to not shake. "why didn't you put a stop to it? The dragonknights I mean, why didn't they do anything about it?" Aria shook her head. "where do you think our power comes from? Yes we have magic, but we cannot act on the land without the king's permission. And he did not grant us power in cinderhall. We did what we could; set up financial aid to those who needed it the most; offered healing and concealing, and even smuggled people out who were desperate. The only problem is that in cinderhall, everyone is desperate." Hiccup opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by a loud echoing ringing sound. Covering his ears Hiccup waited for the bell to stop tolling before speaking again. "what the hell was that?" Aria smiled weakly. "the traveler's bell. The guards ring it when they spot a traveler on the roads. This way the guards can watch them and be sure they aren't trying to smuggle workers out, or bring in contraband."

Coming to the top of another hill Hiccup stopped as the town of cinderhall came into view; below them. Dozens of large wooden cranes dotted the hillsides. Next to the cranes enormous pits had been dug which Hiccup could only guess were the mines. And all around the mines buildings had been crammed in; each one looking as though it pressed right against the others for support to stay upright. Moving down the hill Hiccup watched as the main gate of cinderhall loomed in front of them. coming to stop in front of it, Hiccup and Aria joined a small group of people and wagons who had gathered in front of the large metal doors. After a few moments a voice from above them shouted down at them. "STAND BACK! WE'RE OPENING THE DOORS!" doing as they were told the group moved away from the door. Hiccup flinched and clamped his hands to his ears as the heavy metal doors slowly swung open; grinding and squeaking as they did so.

He wasn't sure what he had expected to see when the door opened up, but what he did see was a line of men dressed in armor blocking their path; a halberd clutched in soldier's hands. After another moment a man in a silk tunic stepped forward and began to speak to them in a rough voice. "I am guard master Tow. I report directly to Hurleximus Roach himself; the high lord of cinderhall. I am the law in this town. If you break the law you will be imprisoned, and if you continue to break the law you'll be put to work in the mines to pay off your debts. Does everyone understand?" the group let out a murmur of understanding. "good. Now there are 5 main laws here in cinderhall follow them and we will not have trouble. 1. DO NOT STEAL. Anyone caught will be instantly imprisoned. 2. STAY IN DESIGNATED OUTSIDER AREAS. If you find yourself lost seek out a guardsman and they will direct you back. but do not wander off. 3. DO NOT DEAL WITH THE BLACK MARKET. If you find, or hear of someone dealing with those criminals you are to report them at once. 4. DO NOT INTERFEAR WITH THE MINER'S WORK. 5. SMUGGLING ANYTHING IN OR OUT OF CINDERHALL IS A CAPITAL OFFENCE. You will be put to death if you are caught. UNDERSTAND?"

Again the crowd murmur it's understanding. Tow smiled; Hiccup suppressed a shudder as he did so; his teeth looked horrible. "good. Now follow the guard procession. They'll take you to the inn where you'll be staying." Falling in line behind Aria Hiccup slowly trudged through the streets of cinderhall. He could not help but continue to to feel unnerved. It felt…wrong; very wrong. Unlike the road they had been traveling on Cinderhall's roads were dirt, yet it did ot feel like dirt when they're feet hit the ground; it felt like mud, and not just any mud but mud that gripped your foot when you tried to pick it up. every sound the group made seemed to echo off the buildings which rose so far above him that they seemed to almost press down on him; making him feel very small. But the worst thing was the emptiness. The streets seemed to be completely abandoned. Beside the group they were in and the guards leading them there seemed to not be another soul traveling. Every now and then Hiccup would catch a glimpse of a face in a building window; but that face would vanish before he could even focus on it. Surpressing another shudder Hiccup turned his attention downward and focused on putting one foot in front of the other until they reached the inn.

As they came to a stop one of the guards spoke. "if you have animals they can be stabled in the back. for now go in and make yourself comfortable; the mines will be open for another 3 hours, if you have any business to take care of do it before they close. There will be guards posted here at the hotel to ensure you are following our laws. Remember you are our guests; it is our duty to keep you safe and be sure you're following our laws. Following Aria Hiccup stepped through the creaking wooden door and into the inn. The first thing that grabbed him was how dreary everything was. Grey floors, grey walls, eve grey ceilings. The room they were in was some kind of bar. Tables and stools had been set up; in 1 corner a few musical instruments had been left for anyone with the skill; to play them. Moving through the room Hiccup noted that every step they took made the wooden floor creak as they made their way to the main counter where an old women stood waiting for them. as they neared her Hiccup felt his eyes widen. She looked half dead Her skin was a pale grey color; in fact it seemed to match the room. Her eyes were dull and her hair was pulled back into a bun in an attempt to make it look presentable; a feat that was lost by all the split ends, and fly aways that stuck out.

"can I help you dearies?" Hiccup looked down at the floor. Even the women's voice sounded depressing; as though she was resigned to the fact that she was stuck here. Aria leaned over the counter. "I'd like to rent a day." The women nodded. "would you like one bed or two?" Aria smiled at her. "1 please." The women nodded and pulled out an ancient dust covered tome; that would have not looked out of place in ignorance's library. "sigh the registry and then that'll cost you 3 gold pieces." Aria nodded and smiled as the women handed her a quill to write with. A moment later aris handed the women some gold coins only to have the women drop a rusting old key into Aria's hand. Hiccup could not help but feel a bit sad to see the gold go; he'd traded one of the men on the road his dagger for that gold. As Aria handed him the key she continued to speak. "my friend and I are fond of spirits. Any place in town that we could get a strong drink?" the women looked at Aria for a moment before speaking.

"the iron mug down the street. It sells the strongest spirits in town." Aria smiled and shook hands with the women before leading Hiccup out of the room and up a small narrow spiral staircase. Finding their room wasn't hard, the floor above the bar seemed to hold all the guest rooms and soon enough Hiccup was dropping his pack onto an ancient looking bed; that creaked and looked like it might fall apart from the pack's weight. "don't get to comfortable." Hiccup looked up at Aria; who was gazing out the grimy covered window that looked out over the empty streets. "the moment the mines close the workers are gunna flood the streets and we'll make a break for it." Hiccup cocked his head. "a break for where exactly?" Aria jerked her head out the window. "out of the designation area and into the slums and housing sections of cinderhall." Hiccup felt his eyes widen. "the guards said to stay here. Beside what's in that section that isn't here?"

Aria shook her head and looked at him. "no, you don't get it. So long as we stay in this section of the city the guards can just watch us until we leave. But what we need is information, and it's not the kind that you can get here. If we can get into the housing section of cinderhall we can stay with one of the families there and search for the information we want; while at the same time avoiding the guards and even help out those that are stuck in this hell hole." Hiccup stood up and moved over to the window. "how can we help them?" Aria sighed. "because we can pay them to house us. The gold spent in this section of the city goes straight into Hurleximus roach's pocket. Where as if we spend it in the slums it will stay there and hopefully help them. Does that make sense?" Hiccup nodded. "so what do we do until then?" Aria shook her head sadly. "there's not much we can do. The guards are watching the hotel, if we leave they'll follow us. That's why we need to crowds, so we can lose the guards and move around unseen. For now…..meditate. it's about all we can do right now.

And with that Aria pushed away from the window moved over to the center of the room and sat down while closing her eyes. sighing Hiccup gave the window one last look before joining Aria on the floor in meditation. He had just closed his eyes when he felt Aria's fingers work their way between his. looking at him she spoke. "thank you, for being here with me. I don't like being back here. It makes me sick to my stomach. I hate what goes on here, that no one does anything about it. There will be times you'll have to stop me from reacting, and times I'll have to stop you. just know that…..just my being in here we've given it's people hope. There's more free gold in the city now then there was yesterday. Ok?" Hiccup nodded and closed his eyes. he expected aria to let go of his hand. He was very happy when she did not.

AN: WELL FOLKS. IT'S HERE. I HOPE YOU'VE ALL ENJOYED THIS FIRST CHAPTER AND I HOPE TO GET LOTS OF REVIEWS AND COMMENTS. (HINT, HINT)

I HOPE I DESCRIBED CINDERHALL WELL. WE'LL GET EVEN MORE DESCRIPTION IN THE NEXT CHAPTER.

FOR THE RECORD I KIND OF PICTURE IT LIKE AN OLD WEST TOWN BUT WITHOUT THE GUNS AND COWBOYS.

THIS IS NOT MY MAIN STORY SO I CANT SAY HOW REGULARLY UPDATES WILL COME. I'M ALSO JUGGLING TRYING TO GO TO COLLEGE, WORK AND PERSONAL LIFE.

pLUS I'M TRYING TO KEEP EVERYTHING ORIGINAL AND NOT 'BORROW' FROM OTHER SOURCES.

HOPE EVERYONE HAS ENJOYED IT AND I HOPE TO SEE SOME COMMENTS.

HA I GOT IT UP BEFORE THE WORLD ENDED! (12/21/2012)