Hello everyone. Welcome to my brand new story: Wings of Midgard!
I can't help but say how excited I am to write this. This story is a new approach for me in both dialogue and plot, and the Norse fantasy-myth setting in this story is something I never imagined that I would write about.
Also, if you're a fan of the Lord of the Rings, this story may be for you!
So for now, sit back, relax, and enjoy!
Mornings. Hiccup viewed them as his favorite time of the day, especially when they were early. There was no need for him to go out and deal with his heiringly duties, or to go out hunting with his Night Fury in the woods and mountains, or to chase off trolls and goblins that would come down from the hills and cause trouble. At this place, at this time, there was only peace and quiet. With a single lit candle, and his open window bringing in sunlight, the lad sat at his desk, looking down at his detailed but incomplete map of Midgard.
"Well, what do you think bud?" he asked, shifting in his chair to face his dragon. "Do you think there's still more to explore out there? You know- somewhere new we haven't been yet?"
Toothless, who laid in the corner of the dark room, briefly looked up at his rider, only to let out a huff of air from his nostrils before gently resting his head back down. Clearly the winged reptile was not interested.
Hiccup shrugged. "Nevermind I guess…" he sighed as he spun back to face the map, eyeing it with continuous admiration.
Midgard, once a world solely for humans, and now the home of many other races, was one of the Nine Worlds that inhabited the known cosmos. It was a world that was known for its open seas and its two great continents, both of which stood near its eastern and western ends.
To the east was the continent of Scalmodan, home to many human tribes and realms, as well as dozens of dwarven clans and kingdoms that migrated from Nidavellir.
To the west was the continent of Lardalor, where numerous amounts of light elves who came from Alfheim now resided, living in great woodlands.
And then, there was the Barbaric Archipelago, the place where Hiccup had lived his entire life. It was located in the center of Midgard, with Berk and several other islands acting as its main landmarks. However, unlike the other continents, Hiccup saw the Archipelago as anything but interesting. Ever since its golden days came to an end, it was no longer what it once was.
Thus the lad had remained on Berk, never bothering to fly out or to go exploring, for there was nothing left in the Archipelago...
...For a time, Hiccup remained fixated on the map, so much so that he did not notice the door to his room open... with someone standing outside. As the figure entered the room, Hiccup suddenly caught glance of it from the corner of his eyes, and in response, he jumped back from his chair, startled.
However, it was only a short moment later that he realized that the figure who came into his room was his father; the Chieftain of Berk, Stoick the Vast.
Hiccup let out a breath of relief, falling back into his chair. "Oh- hey dad. I- I thought you were someone else... Erm- do you need something?"
"Son," he began. "I have some important news to share with you. It's something you need to know."
The young twenty-one year old sighed in irritation. "Let me guess... another dispute with Alvin? Or maybe even with Dagur?"
The large viking shook his head. "Neither... This morning I've received word from two messengers that were sent by both kings Morgrim and Lornduil."
"You mean those dwarven and elven kings who accepted our invitations of coming to Berk?" asked Hiccup.
"Aye," he nodded. "The messengers told me that both Lornduil and Morgrim are going to be arriving at Berk today near noon, which is very soon. I plan on discussing the possibility of opening an alliance with them..."
"...But before then, I need to prepare the town for their arrival. While I do that, I would like you to go pay a visit to Snotlout near the forest's hunting grounds, and see what he is up to. I've received word that he is building an outpost there, without my consent."
Hiccup felt his stomach grind upon hearing that name. Out of all the people on Berk he had to check up on, why him?
"Dad, you can't be serious. You know Snotlout hates both of us... including the rest of Berk that has not sided with him. He still thinks that-"
"I know, I know. But right now, we have no choice. And besides, your mother and I have been too busy looking after our people. Or rather- the half that are still with us."
"I guess I can understand that, but how is there no choice?" he groaned. "Dad, you know well what Snotlout is like. He was the one who threatened to throw a quarter of our dragons off the island, and by force..."
"Can't you at least send Astrid and the others in my stead?"
"They were already sent out before you," Stoick said with a nod. "But I need you there. I don't want things getting out of hand, and I want this issue to be sorted out as soon as possible. Get answers out of him..."
"...Alright?"
Hiccup frowned, narrowing his eyes downwards. "Alright."
Stoick smirked as he gave the lad a pat on his shoulder, before turning around as he calmly walked out of the room. "Best of luck, son."
As soon as he had gone, Hiccup looked towards Toothless, nudging his head to the side as he stood from his chair and gestured him to follow, to which the Night Fury willingly obliged.
They both made their way out of the room, walking hastily down the stairs before marching out of the hut and into the light of the morning day, but not before giving a quick glance at the heavily populated town of Berk.
As Hiccup stared up at the cloudy, light blue sky, he gave off another frowned look. "Would be such a perfect time for a flight… but we have business to do. The others are probably waiting for us."
The lad swiftly proceeded to sit himself atop Toothless's saddle, attaching his prosthetic, as well as putting his right foot into place on the pedal, thus activating the flap for Toothless's prosthetic tail fin.
"Right then, let's get this over with. You ready Toothless?"
...
"There is nothing you can say that will convince me, Astrid! My base, my rules!"
True to the word, the dragon riders had already arrived at Snotlout's outpost, still in construction, and so far, the situation was anything but under control.
"You can't be serious, Snotlout!" exclaimed Astrid, stomping her way towards the Jorgenson. "You are building an outpost without Stoick's permission! When will you realize that it's HIS island!? You can't just go wherever you want and-"
"SHUT YOUR MOUTH ALREADY!" he bellowed, before switching his glance towards the workers building his outpost.
"And you men! On the tower! Work faster! I want that thing up by noon!"
"Aye sir!" a worker called out as he and the other workers picked up their pace, hammering and sawing swiftly as if their lives depended on it.
Astrid lowered her brows. If there was anyone on Berk that half of the island despised, it was Snotlout Jorgenson.
It all started many months ago; a night that made him change forever.
A new foe came from beyond the sea by ship. Raiders, small in number, but shockingly well armed, and they raided Berk by surprise under the cover of darkness.
They attacked the village relentlessly, despite the significantly unfavorable odds, and were eventually pushed back. However, it was on that tragic night that they had managed to murder Snotlout's father, Spitelout, along with fifteen others.
Though it became clear that the raiders were at fault for killing Spitelout, his death caused Snotlout to go insane, and thus, the young viking threw the blame towards Stoick, Hiccup, Astrid, and all of the riders.
He claimed that they were the ones who left his father to die, and that it was for this reason that he passed. Through this, he convinced nearly half of Berk to switch sides, persuading them to follow him rather than Stoick, who he viewed as a failure of a chieftain. As such, a new faction came to be; Clan Jorgenson, and all who fought for it bore the grey and red colors of its house.
Though they were not Jorgensons by blood, they were from that point on considered as "family" by Snotlout. But if anything, the clan was like another individual tribe.
Following its creation, Snotlout threatened Stoick that if he were to ever try and re-convince any of his clansmen to return to his tribe, he would have his clan take Berk by force. In other words, it would mean a war for the island.
Not wanting a civil war, Stoick backed off, and thus, Snotlout went on to establish his clan's village. He even managed to take Hookfang with him, for not even the Monstrous Nightmare, who soon began to fear his rider, could defy him.
Yet as the months went on, the situation did not get any better.
More and more dragons migrated away from Berk as a result of Snotlout's actions, and the raids began intensifying. Berk was on the brink of sundering apart, and it was all because of the weak, "neutral" relation between the Berkian Tribe and Clan Jorgenson.
However, the relationship between Snotlout and the dragon riders was even worse. There they were, surrounded by woods of spruces, pines, and evergreens near a grassy mountain-side and waterfall, with the Jorgenson once again acting on his own accord...
"I'm telling you Snotlout," growled Astrid, clenching a fist in anger. "This is Stoick's island! His rules! Not yours!"
Snotlout chuckled, crossing his arms. "You forget that half of Berk belongs to me, you scum! I have the final say of what I do! No one else!"
"But your outpost is blocking the way to our hunting grounds! How will we get food for the coming winte-"
"I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU THINK! DEAL, WITH, IT!" he shouted, now screaming in her face.
As the two argued on, Fishlegs and the Twins, who stood nearby with their dragons, watched from a distance with surprised looks on their faces as the argument between the both of them continued escalating.
"Geez…" said Ruffnut. "Astrid and Snotlout are REALLY gettin' out of hand now."
Her twin, Tuffnut, replied with a chuckle. "Heh, yeah. You know, this reminds me of that one time when Barf and Belch kept on biting at each other over a single salmon. It was hysterical."
"Oh yeah, I remember that," Ruffnut giggled. "And then they forgot about it in the end because we threw it into the sea, heheh."
"Huh? I thought we ate it," responded Tuffnut.
Fishlegs let out a muffled grunt, looking back at the Twins in frustration. "Will you two stop it already? You're not helping in making this situation any better."
"Well whaddya expect us to do?" questioned Ruffnut. "You said that Hiccup would be here to sort this whole dung-fest out. So where is he?"
As Fishlegs was about to respond, he once again heard Snotlout yell out in anger at Astrid, loud enough to where it startled both him and the Twins.
"I've had about ENOUGH of you!" he shouted, now boiling with anger. "You have two choices, Astrid! Turn around and fly back to your village, or I'll order my guards here to escort you back… by foot!"
Astrid's eyes widened. She took a few steps back, looking back at the ten armored Jorgenson guards who gathered near Snotlout in a threatening manner, causing Stormfly and the other dragons to start growling.
If she retaliated, then violence would break out, and that would be the end of any non-aggression pact.
And that was the last thing she wanted.
"You have GOT to be kidding me."
"Does it look like I'm bluffing?" he asked her, taking a few steps forward as he ross his hand, ready to snap his fingers. "So. What's it going to be?"
"SNOTLOUT!"
Hiccup's voice, along with the sound of Toothless speeding by from above, caught the attention of everyone from down below. As they all looked up, they saw the young viking fly in on his Night Fury, making a swift landing in front of Astrid.
The lad then proceeded to dismount Toothless, his feet landing atop the grass as he closed in on the crazed Jorgenson.
"Snotlout, what do you think you're doing?" he asked him.
"Ah, Useless! You came just in time!"
'Useless.' The name immediately made Hiccup's teeth grit together. He had not heard Snotlout call him by that name in years, and the last time he heard him use it, he was a much younger lad. But now that he had been using more often, it made Hiccup feel all the more uncomfortable whenever he was around him.
"In time for what, exactly?" Hiccup questioned.
"Your girlfriend here is misbehaving, Hiccup!" replied Snotlout, peaking past Hiccup's shoulder as he glanced over at Astrid. "Please, if you would, ask her to walk away, before I order my guards here to make her."
"...No." he responded.
It was then that everyone went dead silent, staring down both Hiccup and Snotlout, as if they were at a close stalemate.
Snotlout rose a brow. "...What did you say?"
"I said no, Snotlout!" responded Hiccup, raising his tone. "None of us are leaving until you tell us what in Midgard you are doing setting up an outpost near our hunting grounds, and without my father's permission!"
"Pfft? What's it to you, Useless?" chuckled Snotlout.
Hiccup clenched his fists. "First of all, I'm the heir of this island. Since this is my dad's concern, it also makes it my concern. Secondly, you're blocking the path leading to the-"
"The correct term is guarding. Something you barely do, Useless!" taunted Snotlout.
Hiccup arched a brow. "Guarding it from what?! Trolls and goblins?! My father is worried for Berk because of what you are doing!"
"So what? What Stoick cares about is not my problem! You want answers? Go back to that large drunken keg and tell him that this outpost is for Clan Jorgenson's food storage. You and him know well that winter will be here in a few months, and we need as much food as we can store."
"Is that all you have to say?" asked Hiccup. "What about Berk? Our tribe? The village needs food as well you know."
The Jorgenson smirked. "If they want to hunt for food from the hunting grounds then they may get it as they please… mmm- with my consent. These grounds now belong to me! If you want it back, feel free to declare war against me!"
The guards behind Snotlout lightly chuckled, giving off ugly and wicked grins before quickly returning to their positions.
Snotlout's eyes then gazed back towards the workers on the foundations of both structures. "GET BACK TO WORK!"
"You heard him, back to work!" one of the workers repeated.
Hiccup sighed as soon as they were back to working on the outpost. He looked back at Astrid, shaking his head with a frown on his face. How was his father going to react to this?
The lad made his way closer to her, placing his arms on her shoulders. "Are you alright?" he asked her.
She gave a nod. "I'm fine, babe… just a little bit shakened."
"Hm. I can tell..."
...
Within Gobber's forge, Hiccup and the others all sat around a table as the blonde blacksmith circled around them, pouring drinks for them.
"So," he began, filling their tankards with mead. "Snotlout once again pulls yet another stupid move?"
"Yup," sighed Hiccup. "It seems like everywhere he goes, he wants trouble to start brewing... My dad isn't going to be happy about this, at all."
"Well, he's Snotlout," shrugged Astrid. "And Snotlout will always do what he wants. You know well he'll want trouble wherever he goes."
"True. But still, I don't understand why he continues blaming us for Spitelout's death; especially my dad. It pained me when I was forced to kick him out of the Dragon Riders, but now look at what he's doing... Hel, something tells me that Hookfang doesn't want him as a rider anymore..."
"...Oh gods, I don't know what to do."
"Eh, don't stress about it too much, laddie. One day, he'll get what's coming for him, and he'll regret it," said Gobber. "Though I really do hope the trolls come down from the hills to wreck that blasted outpost."
Astrid nodded in agreement. "Still Hiccup, you did the right thing," she replied, reaching out to hold his left hand, resting on the table. "...But next time, be there in time, will you? Or else I'll kick you in the shin again, and I won't miss."
The young viking chuckled. "I will. Right now though, I just want to get the thought of Snotlout off of my mind."
"...Umm, what about those elven and dwarven kings that are coming to Berk today?" spoke Ruffnut. "Shouldn't we like… get ready or something?"
"Oh yeah, that's right! The meeting!" gasped Fishlegs. "I hope king Lornduil will like my alf's foil plants!"
"Well let's just hope that this meeting goes by better than the last one with the Outcasts and Berserkers," sighed Astrid. "Berk's state is bad enough as it is, and both those tribes have begun starting disputes with us over resources, almost as if we were never their allies..."
"...Old hatreds are boiling."
Tuffnut chuckled, moving his hand in an announcing manner. "Well I don't know about you, but my guts feel like they're boiling. I mean, you can feel it right? It's down… here-"
"No wait- I mean here…"
"Bro, that's not where your guts are. That's your stomach!" snickered Ruffnut.
"Ugh, I don't need you telling me what's what, sis!"
Soon Gobber, Fishlegs and the Twins had gone off topic, discussing random things that were to their best interests. However, Astrid who sat near Hiccup glanced back at the lad who was leaned forward in his seat, thinking deeply to himself while he held his tankard in both hands.
"Hey, are you alright?" she asked him.
He shrugged, rolling his lips. "To be honest Astrid, I don't even know what is or isn't alright anymore. Always I ask myself, why didn't it work? Why couldn't we make Berk into a utopia? A utopia for both humans and dragons. A raid comes one night, and now look at what's happening..."
"...Berk's on the verge of tearing itself apart, all because that thick-headed Snotlout still blames us for his father's death. But what could we have done that night? Not even Gothi's magic could have saved Spitelout."
Astrid sighed, cracking her knuckles. "...I guess the gods have something planned for us that we don't know about. Maybe the runestone in the village plaza could give some answers?"
"What answers could I get out of a magical rock?" he asked her, shaking his head. "Besides, only Gothi can communicate with it. You saw what she did to make it work, remember?"
"Yeah. With a touch of her hand, she made the runes glow with her fiery magic. But maybe the stone doesn't need magic to work. Maybe there's a way to-"
Like thunder from the sky, her voice was suddenly cut off as a pair of horns sounding from the sea blew out towards the island of Berk. Almost immediately, the vikings could tell that one was a booming dwarven horn, and the other a piercing elven horn.
Hiccup stood to his feet, looking out the window to his right towards the ocean as he spotted two ships in the distance sailing closer and closer to Berk.
"Looks like they're already here."