How to Train Your Dragon: Flame of the Isle
Chapter 7: Riders of Berk
With Astrid and Stormfly as guides, we flew through the clouds and the mountain air and sea breezes to a most lovely of villages. Although a dragoness is different from a mare, when entering a village one must know signals. Raising a weapon like an axe by a top haft near the head means: 'I mean no harm'. Raising it by the bottom haft means: 'attack'
I went with the first one. Hopefully, they will know my intentions are peaceful although I see a ballista aimed at me. Aoibheann glided down gracefully in the middle of the small village. The gusts from her wings may have frightened a few of the village chickens and sheep. The villagers looked a bit on edge as did the dragons. I moved my axe to my side
"I am Aisling, this is Aoibheann,"
"We come to your village with peaceful and good intentions, we have come to see one, uh...," I quickly looked at the note, and back to the gathered Vikings, "Hiccup Horrendous Haddock, is he present among you?" I would dare not besmirch his name. From the dense crowd of villagers came a voice, and I saw a waving hand in the back. I lightly smiled.
"I'm Hiccup," said a rather handsome fellow a bit shorter in stature than me, and with brown hair and brown eyes a bit lighter in color than my own. I gave him a hardy forearm shake, and I saw his dragon going up to meet mine, "this is my dragon, and my best friend, Toothless..." one can imagine the kinds of conversing going on between our dragons.
"If you're Miss Finnegan, then this must be Aoibheann, trust me, it took me some time to get it right," he jested, I lightly chuckled back. Gaelic can be difficult at times. Hiccup grabbed a small book bound in leather as he looked at my dragoness whose eyes are taking an interest in him, "let's see here, pure gold eyes, pointed snout, and straight horns"
"This is a Benbulbin Emerald, first time I've ever seen one, looks like I can trust this guidebook you sent me with your letter, Aisling," said Hiccup, and inspected her, "nice green scales, and she is a big one too, I'd say she's at least 200 years old or more," Aoibheann made a low groan, and gave him a 'dragon kiss' the same way a dog will. She likes him.
"Oh my...,"
Toothless acted like a shepherd dog seeing a she-wolf threatening the flock, "Hey, hey Toothless, it's okay, she's a friend," Hiccup pleaded with his hands out to his dragon. His low groan did not seem like he was convinced. Like he sees Aoibheann as a rival of sorts. Aoibheann's sound reflected her confusion. Like she says him as a friend, not an enemy
"They'll surely get along, it just takes time, I'm sure it's my big lass's first time seeing a Nightfury," I stated, my chainmail and plate armor clinked and rattled as I walked up to my dragon to get a nuzzle from her, "I know, I love you too," I giggled, and put a hand on my steel plate, and black leather clad hip "take as time as you need to ready yourself"
"Nice armor,"
"Thanks, I won it in a Dragon Joust," I replied to the Viking named Tuffnut looked confused, "Oh! apologies, Dragon Jousting is a sport among knights like myself whom are also Riders, like yourselves, the rules are simple: 'dragon can fight dragon' and 'rider can fight rider' weapons are made of wood, and the point is to score points," I explained to him,
"You earn two points for hitting the shield," I said with a light tap against my steel heater shield, "four points for breaking a rider's weapon, be it a wooden sword or lance, and finally six points for knocking a rider off the saddle, if a rider is knocked off his or her dragon, there's a special net carried by two heralds on dragons to catch them," I concluded
"I get it..." said another Viking named Ruffnut, "wait, no I don't" I chuckled a bit with a gauntlet-covered hand to my lips. I actually earned my knighthood on the battlefield, and the armor and sword at my side since my accolade two years ago. Though in battle, I prefer the battle axe as my first weapon. I pulled back my chainmail coif to reveal my curls
"Worry not, should you and your sister decide to come with me, I will treat you to a Dragon Joust, it's quite a good time," I promised them, it took time, but now my new Viking friends were ready to travel. The travelers include Astrid, Hiccup, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and another named Snotlot. I readied my pauldrons and gauntlets as I went out to meet them
Snotlot put a fist to my armor, "Ready?"
"Let's do this," he said, he's the biggest and brawniest of the group, but I turned to Hiccup as he's the head of the group. I'm the guide. It's a very long journey to not only see Ireland, but Scotland, England, Wales, and The Isle of Man. There are a few dragons I worry about with them like the Welsh Red, Mount Gabriel Copper, and Midland Red-Black.
It's going to be a treat to have them see a Hebridian Mountain King. I will have to teach them what to do, and how to act around 'The King' to keep them from getting eaten. I have seen one on a trip to Scotland to see a friend, and they are a sight to behold as the largest, and one of the rarest dragons of the Isle. This is going to be quite an adventure