Later - Kingdom of Dunbroch
"So what kind of weapon is this?" King Fergus asked Hiccup as the young blacksmith grabbed a Zippleback Bomb from the table in the Courtyard. Hiccup carefully removed it from the King's hands.
"This is a Zippleback Bomb. Very dangerous. Pull the pin and Zippleback gas is expelled from it." Hiccup answered as he pulled the pin. He tossed it away leaving a cloud of gas in his wake. Hiccup looked at the King and Queen to see their impressed faces when it exploded.
"Aye I remember that gas from your sword. Impressive gas." Fergus remarked and Hiccup felt pride in himself.
"Yes it is. Named after the Hideous Zippleback. A two headed dragon that pulls gas from one head and ignites it with the other. But they're more mischievous than destructive." Hiccup added trying to show that the dragons aren't monsters.
"It seems like your people had many dragons. All from the legend, you told us last night?" Queen Elinor asked and Hiccup nodded. They still didn't know that it was about him.
"Yeah, but they are still amazing creatures. What was once thought as monsters were just misunderstood, creatures." Hiccup replied as he spotted a smile on Merida's face. The sight made him smile.
"Either way, your inventory is still impressive, so I reckon this isn't easy to make." the King remarked not noticing the two while the Queen smirked.
"No, not really. The hardest is getting the gas inside the bomb." Hiccup replied as he handed the King a dead bomb. "I would price it at four Merks."
"Four Merks?" the King asked knowing it was a low price. He chuckled before slapping Hiccup's back almost knocking the young man over. "I say that is a worthy price isn't my dear?"
"Indeed." the Queen replied as Hiccup grabbed the last item for discussion from his pack. A simple shield made out of dragon scales.
"This is a Dragon Shield. Made out of hardened scales that are resilient to fire. The scales can be used for other things like armor. Light and strong as your best swords." Hiccup said as he handed King Fergus the shield. The large man examined the shield and Hiccup knew this would be the best tool for the peace. Merida looked at Hiccup insuring his confidence. Queen Elinor looked at the shield in awe.
"I can see why you praise this item. It does feel light and I can only imagine the promise you say for it." King Fergus replied and Hiccup nodded. "What is the price for this?"
"For that Shield five Merks. For armor with Dragon Scales, Ten Merks." Hiccup answered to the surprise of both rulers. They had noticed a trend of Hiccup's prices being low or equal to other blacksmiths despite the better quality of his goods.
"Hiccup, your inventory is superior to many of our best blacksmiths, yet you don't charge a large amount for them. Why?" Queen Elinor asked confused.
"Well, they aren't difficult to make and I'm not one to up the price for something that is easy." Hiccup answered and King Fergus chuckled.
"Well, guess we got the answer for that, but I noticed you don't have a crest on them. Why is that? A mighty forger should show off their goods." King Fergus asked and Hiccup rubbed his arm.
"I left home because I saved an enemy and using my family crest would attract my father here with a vengeance. I like to avoid that." Hiccup answered and Merida stepped up.
"Then make a new one. One that shows who you are." Merida suggested and both rulers smirked.
"Aye, that my wee lassie. A smart woman she is." King Fergus remarked holding his daughter close and Hiccup couldn't help but grin in agreement.
Later
Hiccup had joined Merida's family for lunch and her brothers asked Hiccup more of the legend of the Night Fury Rider who she knew was truly Hiccup himself. She smiled as he told of his adventures and the dragons he faced. She heard of them before, but she enjoyed every word that came from Hiccup. He was an amazing person. The best Merida could see. But then came on story that she never heard before. The Battle against the Red Death. "The Night Fury and Rider went to a volcano island where magma spills from the earth and the largest flock of dragons from many species lived in fear. Not for the humans on the nearby islands, but from the Queen of this nest. A dragon taller than the mountains and ruled with an iron claw. The Red Death. For centuries the islanders tried to find the island in vain, but the Dragon Rider was the first human to enter the nest." Hiccup said and Merida listened with a shiver down her back. "The Rider learned why the dragons raided the islands. They were gathering food for the Red Death. If they fail, then they would be devoured in one bite from the dragon."
"How big was its mouth?" Harris asked and Merida feared the answer.
"Bigger than this very room." Hiccup answered and the room chilled at the thought. "The young Rider watched as it chomped a Monstrous Nightmare whole. The Red Death knew that he was there and tried to consume him as well, but the Night Fury was too fast and escaped the Nest. Unfortunately for him, the Red Death followed breaking half of the volcano in the process. The Night Fury and Dragon Rider battled the Red Death luring it into the skies." Hiccup added and Merida hid her fear of the Red Death. "They vanished into the clouds and blasted holes in its wings. But the Red Death fired pillars of flames into the clouds blindly. When the Night Fury's prosthetic tail went up in flames, the Rider knew it was now or never. The dragons dove down luring the Red Death to its doom. When it prepared for another wave of fire, the Night Fury fired a plasma blast into the gas igniting the inside. When it realized what trap it fell for, its wings failed to catch the wind and it crash in an explosive blow."
"Awesome!" Hamish yelled and both Merida and her parents chuckled.
"But that is not all." Hiccup added gaining the attention of Merida. "They raced high above the fire, but the Red Death's tail knocked the Rider off unconscious." Hiccup said and Merida felt a chill down her spine. "The Night Fury raced to save his friend from being consumed in the flames. He succeed, but the battle had its cost. While the Dragon Rider and Night Fury won the day, the Rider lost his left leg to the flames." Hiccup added and Merida remembered Hiccup's peg leg. She now understood how he lost the leg. "It taught the Rider that not all dragons will change nor that peace will be easily achieved. But he knew that he had the undying loyalty and trust of the Night Fury. It was willing to die to save him. Now all the boy had to do was convince the rest of the world of that fact."
"Seems like brave men lose a limb in this world." Fergus replied with a laugh. Merida felt a sad feeling and couldn't eat the rest of her food.
"Aye. But he lived and continue on his quest to bring peace to both humans and Dragons." Hiccup added and the family finished lunch. Merida walked to the stable to ride on Angus. She wondered why Hiccup kept the battle a secret from her. He shared the dragons with her, but not the battle until now. When she reached the stables, she noticed someone was following her. She turned to see Hiccup. "I just wanted to say bye before I head back to the edge."
"Why didn't you tell me about the Red Death before?" Merida asked and Hiccup tubbed the back of his neck.
"I never like that moment. It was the one time I had to kill a dragon to save both humans and dragons. I never felt good about it. I told it today to help show that dragons aren't monsters. Toothless saved me that day. I hope your family can see it like that." Hiccup replied. "I didn't want to hurt, gods know I don't and I am sorry if I did that." he added before Merida hugged him. Shocked, Hiccup hugged her back. She enjoyed the warmth of his arms around her and the two looked at each other. Both look into the other's eyes. Merida leaned in and kissed him.
Elinor smiled as she watched Merida kiss Hiccup. She looked to her husband who was dumbstruck. The Queen chuckled as she escorted Fergus away from the sight of the sables. Merida was happy and that is all Elinor cared for. Years ago, she wouldn't want her daughter with a commoner, but Merida was always a free spirit. TheQueen is just happy her daughter found another free spirit. What the future holds is unknown to them, but Elinor was hopeful that Hiccup would be good for Merida.
One Week Later - Kingdom of Dunbroch
"Well this is the first order for the castle's defenses." Hiccup reported to Merida as he loaded the last crate of Zippleback Bombs. The Princess leaned on the wood of his forge staring at him. The wagon with the crates of weapons had a dark banner with Hiccup's Crest on it. A blue Night Fury with the symbol of the Strike Class Dragon on it. Merida was impressed with what Hiccup has done. He has done the work of dozens of blacksmiths in a week.
"My folks will probably send someone out in a few days." Merida remarked walking to his side. "Think this will help your cause?"
"I hope so." Hiccup answered and Merida leaned on him.
"Do you think someone might recognize the Strike Class symbol?" Merida asked worried that the Vikings might return.
"Maybe, but the Barbaraic Archepeligo most likely see these weapons. They're the ones who use the class system." Hiccup answered and Merida felt better. Her home means everything to her and she doesn't want to put Dunbroch in danger. Nor does she want Hiccup to choose between her or his family.
Stavanger, Norway
King Olaf II of Norway waited for the pagan warrior to arrive. Olaf has heard many stories of a Dragon Rider attacking his scout ships heading for the Kingdom of Dunbroch. While the King didn't believe at first, he could not argue for damage sustained in the battles. So he searched for warriors who didn't fear such a beast. None in Scandinavia nor the Continent were brave enough or believed in the beast. Except for Commander Vidar Thon who searched North of Dunbroch and Scotland to find a man who kill dragons before. Now they waited for what they think is a ship to sail forth. But a shadow in the sky caught the attention of the King and his guards. Then a wooden object came into view sending fear into the King as he saw four dark winged monsters carrying the object with a man standing in the center. When the object landed, the dragons walked to their master as he jumped from his weapon of war. The man gave a bow to the King.
"My King this is Grimmel the Grisly. The Night Fury Killer and Famed Hunter." Thon reported as Grimmel rose to his feet.
"A pleasure to meet the famed Christian King of Norway." Grimmel remarked and the King looked at the tall man then to his beasts.
"Enough with the pleasantries. I have a Dragon Rider problem that is shared with many other nations and I want it solved quickly." the King replied and the Hunter smirked.
"Of course my King. So where is this Dragon Rider?" Grimmel asked politely.
"Near the coast of the Kingdom of Dunbroch. We have drawings from what the survivors believed they saw, but it was fast and dark." Olaf answered as one of his servants handed the picture to the Hunter. To the King's surprise, Grimmel chuckled.
"It appears one slipped my fingers. The dragon is a Night Fury. The last Night Fury." Grimmel replied with a smirk. "It will be my pleasure to hunt the beast."
Okay, I made some historic references here and if I made any mistake then please let me know through review or PMs. I did my best in research, but if I made a mistake I would happily fix them.