"My course is set for an uncharted sea." - Dante Alighieri – The Divine Comedy
Ambassador
The village took the news of its Elder's passing quite well considering recent events. It had not been truly surprising since everyone knew that she was getting progressively worse and was confined to her bed. The ceremony was different from that given to fallen warriors though. The tribe gathered in the middle of the village as Gothi's body was carried on a stretcher by four bare-headed men.
The procession, complete with a strangely silent gaggle of Terrors following in the treetops, walked out of the village and made its way toward the base of Thor's Hammer. A network of caverns extended deep into the solid rock, and it was in one of these caves that the Elder was burned according to tradition.
The pyre was stacked with kindling, and Gothi's tiny, frail form was laid on top along with various herbs. The ceremonial words were spoken and a fire struck. The entire group left the cave to allow the burning in an honorable fashion. The glow from inside the cave flickered in the evening light and the smoke seeped down the ridge from the mouth of the cave. The Terrors sat at the edge of the cave and did not make a sound.
Celebrations normally followed such a momentous event. This one was far more subdued than Stoick remembered. There were many toasts and many mugs of mead, but a certain gaiety was absent from the Hall that night.
He walked back home alone with one problem on his mind.
There was no clear successor for Gothi. She had been the obvious wise-woman when the previous Elder passed. But there was no such figure in this case. The last year had changed so many minds and traditions that the elderly figures once thought to be fitting to take over as the Elder were no longer so. Many of them were too set in their old ways despite not having been part of Mildew's revolt.
He closed the door behind him and turned just in time to see Hiccup lift his head from the table. Hiccup had a pencil clasped in his paw and paper at the ready.
Stoick sat down and rested his elbows on the table and cradled his head in his palm.
"She was an amazing person you know. It was a good thing you did for her, being there near the end."
Hiccup nodded solemnly.
"She helped a lot when we got back from Dragon Island. I can't say how many times she reassured someone that the dragons would not hurt anyone. And she didn't even need to say anything. She had… a way with people."
"I'm not sure what will happen about the Elder now. I don't know, we will figure something out though."
Hiccup bent down and hastily scribbled.
You wanted to talk
And I am hungry
"Oh, yes as usual. Let me get the fish, then we'll talk."
He left to go into the kitchen.
"Toothless, fish!" Hiccup shouted.
As he figured would be the case, Toothless had appeared out of nowhere and joined Hiccup on the table.
He brought out the plate of carved fish and let the two dragons dig in.
He wanted to tell Hiccup about the arrangement with Johann. To tell his son that there was still hope that everything could be made right again.
Do I tell him? What if I tell him and nothing happens?
"Hiccup, I…"
Hiccup swallowed the bit of fish in his mouth and looked up at him.
"I…"
Sigh.
"Can you really talk to him?"
Hiccup gave him an obviously-confused look and nodded once.
"I know you said that before, but I don't understand it. It just sounds like noise to me."
I think humans cannot hear it all
Then Hiccup tapped his own head with a paw.
I feel something in here
"So he actually talks? To you?"
Yes dad
He is as smart as me
"And… are all dragons that smart?"
Maybe
I cannot talk to others
"Why not?"
They might speak differently
Or not be as smart
"I don't really know what to think, Hiccup. Can you tell him to do something so that I know he actually understands you?"
Hiccup nodded eagerly.
"Ok, how about tell him to…"
Smile
"Sure, that."
Hiccup turned to Toothless.
"Toothless, sire want you show you talk."
"What? Why he care?"
"He want know you not small-head."
Toothless turned to Hiccup's sire and nodded.
"Show him you not-teeth."
"Why?"
"Do. That what I say you would do."
Toothless looked back at Hiccup's sire and showed him his teeth-not-out mouth. Why exactly two-legs showed teeth to be friendly, he could not fathom.
Stoick felt himself getting lightheaded when Toothless smiled a toothless smile at him. This was far too eerie.
"Tell him to… sit by the fireplace."
He watched as Hiccup growled back at Toothless, who did not seem especially impressed with being ordered about. Regardless, the dragon got to his feet with a huff, ambled over to the fireplace, and sat down.
There was no chance that could have happened by coincidence.
The dragon was aware and intelligent beyond a common animal.
It… he was...
Stoick closed his eyes to absorb this revelation. It explained why the Night Fury… why Toothless… had been so disruptive in the previous raids. Instead of dumbly snatching at food or looking for fights, he had always targeted the torches and defensive towers. He had a strategy and planned his actions.
I should have known…
How was he supposed to think about this small dragon as an intelligent, aware person? It was unthinkable.
As were the ideas that a human could become a baby dragon and the beasts that once killed and snatched livestock could now peacefully meander about the island.
"Hiccup… can you tell him that… I am sorry for what I did to him. For trying to kill him and tying him up."
Hiccup blinked in amazement that his father was actually apologizing for something and that he was apologizing to Toothless no less.
"Toothless, my sire say he sorry for trying hurt you. And for trapping you."
Toothless huffed in anger at the memory. He came to rescue Hiccup from the angered-fire-scale-kin, and Hiccup's sire fought him, and Hiccup was absolutely stupid, and then he was trapped by two-leg vines.
But the sire had freed him from the trap under the water when he did not have to.
He reluctantly considered Hiccup's sire again. The two-leg had changed in the seasons that he and Hiccup had lived in the cave-den. And now he was trying to make atonement for past wrongs. True, he was not presenting a gift of atonement, but this way must be two-leg custom.
"Tell him his head was filled with bad-wrong-snake-fish-waste and I thought his life-organ was cold-rock-water. But now he is not very bad."
Then he turned tail on the other two and ran down the hall.
"Well, what did he say?"
Hiccup fumbled nervously with the pencil while deciding how to answer.
He said you were stupid
But he accepts your apology
"Good, good. Does he understand me? Understand what I'm saying?"
Easy Norse words like his name
But he never learned others
"No, of course not, how could he have?"
Why did you save him?
After you pulled me out of the water
Stoick shuffled in his chair and was silent for several moments as he collected his thoughts.
"You were right about him and the other dragons. You tried to tell me, and I did not listen. I saw you dive into the water to try to save him. You did not have the… strength to break him out."
"I didn't know what you… what anyone… could possibly do against that monster. But I knew that you needed your dragon to be able to fight… or to be able to escape."
A minute of silence passed between them.
"Hiccup, are you sure that you don't know how this happened to you? No guess at all what happened to you and Toothless?"
It was again Hiccup's turn to shuffle anxiously. He had to prevent his tail from swishing in unease. He could not let his dad know the truth. Knowing the truth would not change anything since the power Toothless had supposedly used was gone as Toothless explained it.
He shook his head without looking at his father.
"Ok… you are being very brave about this son. I… won't give up on finding a way to make you right. Oh, and I got something for you from Johann."
He pulled the bottle of ink out of his pocket and showed it to Hiccup.
"He brought it for you as he always does. Good thing too since we were running low on ink."
Hiccup nodded.
"Would you also tell Toothless that I will try to be nicer to him?"
Another nod.
"Ok, thanks. And let me think about getting you to talk to other people. We just need to figure out how to do this so no one suspects anything."
Thanks dad
Stoick stood up and left after gently patting Hiccup on the head. Hiccup simply lay flat on the ground and wondered at everything that had just happened.
Wow, we actually talked about something. I hope he decides to let me talk to everyone soon. Not surprising that Johann brought the ink for me as he always does. I wonder what he thought about Berk now.
He picked up the vial of ink and hopped down from the table to carry the vial into his room. Toothless acknowledged his entrance with a nod.
"What did your sire say?"
"He say he be nice now."
Toothless groaned.
"I do not know about him. He is much chilled with me."
"No, he was sad I dead. And he not know why I kin. Chilled because he was scared."
Toothless thought about Hiccup's answer. There were certainly kin that acted angrily because they were scared or unsure about their surroundings. And two-legs were not so different.
"He is not very bad. It will take time for me to trust him."
"That is good, Toothless."
Toothless wondered about something he had seen done recently.
"Hiccup, why did your nest burn the dead and old female?"
"It what two-legs do for dead. They put bones under dirt or mountain. Shows… think good of the dead and remember dead."
"That is what the kin-light-in-sky means."
"What?"
"The light-in-sky that only burns in cold. My sire and dam said that is the breath of kin dead. Say it is where kin go when they die."
Hiccup thought he knew what Toothless was describing.
"What colors are light-in-sky?"
"Green, blue…"
Auroras.
"You think real?" he asked.
Toothless gave a noncommittal grunt in response.
"I do not know, how could I? It is only a story to make kin happy."
Toothless looked outside at the dimming light.
"Hiccup, we should go fly next sunrise."
"Good, we fly then."
"I will teach you more flying, and you need to fly more for strong wings."
"I also talk with Astrid. She and Storm-Flier will fly other two-leg nests."
"Why?"
"Stop two-legs and kin from fighting. Make more two-legs and kin live in mixed-nests."
"That is good. I will sleep now."
Toothless climbed inside the blankets and curled up. Seeing no reason to do otherwise, Hiccup nodded off as well after replaying everything his dad had said to him. It had been the longest and certainly the most substantial talk they had had since his life had changed last year.
"Are you sure you are ready to do this?" Stoick asked.
She held herself proudly before the combined gazes of her parents and her Chief.
"Yes sir, I am ready."
Stoick nodded seriously but also proudly.
"I'm not surprised at all. Sigurd, Vídarr, I am very proud of your daughter. She is the pride of Berk."
All three of the Hoffer family blushed at the copious praise.
He pulled out a rolled-up scroll and handed it to Astrid.
"Everything you need to know is in there. This also has your formal status as herald of Berk. Remember Astrid, any offense to you is an offense to all of us."
"I'm not worried about that sir. I will have Stormfly with me. I will still be careful though."
"Good. If you do not return by the third of Heyannir, I will send others to find you. If any of them do… hurt you in any way, we will make them regret it. Who do you recommend to take your place in the Academy while you will be gone?"
"Fishlegs sir, the rest are not… responsible enough yet."
"I agree. I should go and tell him so that he has some warning. And I'll see you off tomorrow."
"Thank you Chief," Sigurd and Vídarr both answered.
Stoick left them in peace.
"Well, I should pack my things," Astrid said as she got up from the table.
It was so sudden that she was still slightly in shock.
Tomorrow… does it have to be so soon?
She grabbed a candlestick and walked into her room. It had become gradually messier as she took on more responsibilities. Old weapons lay on the ground and contrasted with the dragon saddles also strewn about and in need of repair. On the chest which held her traveling gear was a small stack of drawings, mostly of Stormfly. But a few of the pieces of paper held halted outlines of a much smaller dragon, as though she had started drawing a little Fury but gave up minutes into the sketch.
The papers were carefully stacked away and she started stuffing various pieces of clothing into the bag that she would carry with her for the next…
How long exactly?
She sat down on her bed and unrolled the scroll.
Astrid, you should know some things about each of the tribes; Volsung, Vaina, and Berserkers. The Berserkers, oddly enough, should be the easiest for you to work with since their Chief, Osvald, helped me a lot and he is very agreeable. Save visiting them for last. The Vaina mainly fish for food and don't care for any fighting with people. I think their Chief, Svana, already approves of you. The Volsung are warriors who have done a lot of fighting down South. Their Chief, Edgaras, wants to use dragons as weapons. You will have to change his mind and all his tribe as well to get them to be good to dragons. The last thing we need is a tribe that can make dragons into weapons. Go to them first. The treaty says that you will need to take as much time as it takes until they have their own dragons. The enclosed map shows where each of the tribes can be found. Flying there should only take a day for you and Stormfly. Keep yourself safe and remember that you represent all of us.
She briefly looked over the map and then sighed deeply.
Knock, knock.
"Astrid," Sigurd whispered.
"Yes, father?"
"May I come in?"
"Sure, I was just packing."
Her father walked in and looked around the room fondly.
"I remember when you first got this room of your own. You were so happy. Now you are all grown up."
"Dad…"
He could not help himself and walked over to embrace his daughter.
"I'm worried for you. All alone out there among all the men from other tribes."
"I'll be fine, dad. I can take care of myself."
He released her and stepped back.
"Just in case though, I want you to have this."
He unhooked a hilt from his hip and lay it in her open palm. Her breath caught as she recognized the symbols carved into the hilt. It was her family crest. She slid the weapon within from its sheath and, sure enough, the dagger shared the crest. The dagger was a burnt black color and very clean, almost ceremonial in appearance. But her warrior's eye saw that its blade was still very sharp.
Fishlegs did not sleep at all that night. His Chief had come to speak to him about taking over the Academy while Astrid was out representing Berk.
It was a huge honor and he was determined to make his parents proud. But he was also anxious. Astrid was much better at dealing with both people and dragons than he was.
Gronkles were very easy-going and almost never caused trouble. He did not have the same experience with calming angered Nightmares or showing nervous villagers how to approach a dragon that was sitting on their property.
He got up early that morning since he wanted to meet with Astrid before she left. She was indeed in the Hall eating an early breakfast when he arrived.
"Astrid."
"Oh, hi Fishlegs. Did the Chief talk to you about what I have to do?"
"Yes, he did. I'm not sure I'm ready for this."
"You will do fine. It's not that hard. You know how to treat the dragons, and most of us here on Berk do not need much help now."
"I guess so. What about you?"
"It will be strange going to the other tribes, but I think I am ready. I'll have Stormfly with me too. It will be nice to see other islands and new parts of the world."
Fishlegs almost dug into his breakfast, then he remembered one thing he meant to talk to Astrid about.
"I finished the Book."
"Really?"
"Yep, everything we know about every dragon we know of. What they like to eat, pictures, how they like to play, and more. Well, I left room for each of them for when we learn more of course. And we will have to wait for the little Furies to grow up before I can put much on their page."
"Wow Fishlegs, that is very good."
"Do you think it would help to take with you?"
"Maybe, but there is nothing in the treaty that says we have to share everything with the other tribes. And we have the only new copy, right?"
"Yes."
"I think we should keep it here."
"Ok, that sounds like a good plan."
"And I'll tell you about any new dragons I see," she added.
She downed the last of her soup.
"I have a bit of stuff to do before I leave."
"Ok, bye Astrid. And stay safe."
"I will Fishlegs, good luck here."
She left the Hall and returned home. She went straight to the stable built behind the house and rubbed Stormfly under the chin to wake her up.
"Hi girl, you might want to get some fish. We have a lot of flying to do today."
Stormfly chittered happily and hopped up to stretch. Then she pranced out and headed for the nearest fish station.
Astrid took a few minutes to bring her backpack and other bundled supplies down to the stable.
What am I forgetting?
.
Hiccup… I should let him know that I am going soon. I wonder if Stoick is gone yet.
She walked across the village and knocked on Stoick's door.
"Sir? Chief?"
There was no answer. But there was a scrambling behind the door.
"Hiccup?"
He barked once and she let herself in.
"Hiccup, I don't have much time. I am leaving now."
He blinked in surprise and hopped onto the table.
"I'm not sure how long I'll be gone. You did a good job with flying by the way."
She thought he looked bashful at hearing that.
"How hard is it?"
I needed lots of practice
But it feels very good
"I bet so… I should go so your dad doesn't find me."
Bye Astrid
She hesitated, not being quite sure if it would be right do. A hug felt appropriate to give to a friend she was not going to see for a long time, but it felt very strange to do so with him.
"Do you…"
Sigh.
"Don't worry about me. I'll tell you all about it when I get back."
He nodded in resignation and watched her go.
She finished packing the last of her supplies, some dried and salted pork, cheese, and bread, and said a final farewell to her parents. Then she walked outside and found her dragon waiting for her.
"Hi Stormfly, are you ready?"
Stormfly hopped over to her and nuzzled her cheek.
Of course you are ready, why do I need to ask?
Then she crouched down and waited patiently as Astrid strapped her things into the saddle-pack.
Snotlout, still wearing his morning clothes, ran up to her.
"Astrid! I didn't know you were leaving."
"I only found out yesterday that I was going."
"And why didn't you tell me?"
"Why would I? I needed to pack and do other things."
"Well, I'm going to… miss you."
That sign of tenderness was very surprising coming from him. Snotlout did not have the reputation of being an emotional or tender sort.
"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."
She looked around the small gathering that now included her parents, Snotlout, Fishlegs, and Gobber as well. It was bittersweet knowing that she would not see them again for a long time.
"See you all soon!"
They all gave her a cheer.
She hopped on Stormfly and they were aloft in moments. Stormfly took her direction and started flying south.
She looked back at Berk as the island fell away behind her. The village gradually became smaller until it was not even visible on the island. Then even Berk itself was gone, and she was out over the open ocean with nothing in sight. It was both terrifying and exhilarating.
I've never done anything like this before.
Hiccup watched sadly from on top of his house as Stormfly flew away from Berk.
Stay safe Astrid. I'll miss you.
The tiny dot finally disappeared from his sight, and he looked out over the village.
"Toothless!"
A distant roar echoed from far away and above. Toothless flew in and hovered over the house. He was still wobbling a bit from the exertion of staying stationary, but it was clear that he was getting stronger.
"Hiccup! Fly!"
He spread his wings and jumped from his house. One loop and he was aimed right at Toothless.
"I get you!"
Toothless roared happily in challenge and flew inland with Hiccup in pursuit.
"You are slow Hiccup!"
That gave him a bit more motivation, and he pushed his wings harder. But Toothless did the same. Hiccup could not make up any of the distance between them.
He finally gave up when his wings and shoulders started aching and he was short of breath. He sought out the nearest treetop to land on and landed on a barren branch.
"Stop!"
Toothless heard him, turned around, and landed next him.
Hiccup wondered in amazement.
How is he not out of breath?
"You are flying better. What is eating your liver?" Toothless asked.
"Astrid and Stormfly flew away."
"What? Why?"
"They show other two-legs that kin are good. Are friends."
Toothless did not say out loud that he was glad that Astrid was away. It would give him more time with his egg-mate. With his friend.
"Hiccup, what do you want to do? What should we do?"
"We could fly, see your old nest."
He checked the weather and considered the distance of such a flight. Getting back down would be a simple matter of gliding if only they could make the flight up the mountain.
"Fly now! Follow me!"
And they were off. There were only a few other dragons out on the currents and none of them came to investigate.
Toothless started doing rolls and spins in the air while roaring happily. They reminded Hiccup of the treatment Toothless had given Astrid.
That looks fun.
He tucked his wings in tighter and angled his tail-fins. He immediately started spinning wildly while beginning to fall. Only a couple seconds of this were enough to leave him dizzy. He threw out his wings and righted himself. He looked forward just in time to see Toothless completely limp and falling toward the trees.
"Toothless!"
He dove as fast as he could. He had no idea how he could possibly catch Toothless or hold him in the air. All he knew was that Toothless was going far too fast and was headed straight for a quick death.
"Stop!"
Toothless pulled up and recovered with barely any room to spare. Hiccup growled and beat his wings harder to catch up.
"You! Small head!"
"What Hiccup? This is fun!"
Hiccup grumbled and said nothing. Toothless had just been playing, and he had fallen for it. But that moment when he thought Toothless was in trouble was terrifying. The worst part was his feeling that he had been powerless to help him.
They continued on until they were finally above the base of the mountain. He looked up at the snow-capped heights above.
But he started being buffeted by strange winds which kept throwing him off his balance. This was nothing like flying over the village or even over the forest. It was like the air was flowing up, down, and across within seconds.
Toothless felt the near-mountain winds as well and thought little of it. They were a bit stronger than he remembered because he was smaller, but nothing was too difficult for him. Hiccup on the other paw…
Hiccup was struggling and getting knocked around by the wind.
"Follow me Hiccup!"
He banked away from the mountain and flew into the open air. The winds tended to swirl around the mountain itself, but the open air was more predictable. He glanced back and was glad that Hiccup was still following.
They both escaped the twisting winds around the mountain and kept flying higher. Hiccup could not help but glance down, and he felt a slight twinge of fear. He was so high up and there was nothing keeping him in the air but his own ability. He was almost at the same level as some distant clouds. The air around him was also starting to feel cooler.
Toothless finally spotted the place he had been looking for, a clearing nearly halfway to the top of the mountain. He had chosen that place many season-cycles ago because it was completely hidden from view on the ground and because it did not look like two-legs would ever have a reason to climb that high. He had always been careful to leave or return to his den when doing so would not be seen. The most appealing aspect of the place though was definitely the cave.
The pair dove for the clearing and landed smoothly.
Hiccup looked around the rocky clearing. There were a few small pines on the edge of the clearing. He saw the mouth of a large, dark cave in front of him. It was set deep enough that it was invisible from below the clearing.
So this is where Toothless lived.
Then he turned around and stared in awe.
The rock fell away sharply in front of him, revealing a green vista which stretched out to the ocean. The chill winds churning around the mountain were calming now that he was on the ground. It was beautiful.
Toothless ran on ahead past several old bones and stopped in front of the cave. The boulders on the side of the path, the basin where the rain always pooled, and the faint echo from inside the cave, all were familiar but also foreign at the same time. The cave was massive to him now and most of the rocks that he had once easily shoved out of the way were now very large.
And there were signs that the cave was not abandoned. A pile of four-leg bones lay in the corner and there was an old pile of waste just outside the cave entrance. He bristled when the smell of two-head-gas-breather reached him.
It took my cave!
"Is this cave yours?" Hiccup asked after joining Toothless.
"Grr, yes. It was, but a two-head-gas-breather-kin nests here now."
Hiccup cautiously walked forward into the cave while looking around. It was easily large enough to hold fully-grown Toothless. A large overhang perched out on the right-hand side of the cave and provided an ideal view down the mountain and to the ocean.
He could also smell the Zippleback which had apparently taken up residence in Toothless's old home.
"Sorry about cave. It very good."
Toothless turned to face him and rolled his eyes with a grumble.
"Thank you for saying that…"
"Where you sleep?" Hiccup asked.
"Up there," Toothless looked at the ledge on the side of the cave, "It let me see when other kin would try to take food."
"And you go shoot two-leg… rock-throwing things."
"Yes."
"You lived here alone?"
"Yes."
"Why not live with other kin on fire-island?"
"Bad place. You saw the Monster eat other kin. And the Monster tried to do something to my head."
"I not understand."
Toothless fumbled with trying to figure out how to explain the experience.
"When I was near that place I felt… I heard bad hissing, like there was talking in my ear. But no one was there. The sound wanted me to go, nest in the mountain, and bring back food. But I said NO!"
Toothless waited a minute before continuing in a subdued voice.
"I did not want to hear those hisses, even though they felt good and warm. They were… hunters to my thinking."
"But what about other kin? Why they not leave fire-island?"
"I do not know. Maybe they were not strong like me. Maybe they liked the hisses."
Hiccup wondered at these references Toothless was making. Hisses? Imagined sounds?
Was the Monster making those sounds?
He looked toward the darkest part of the cave where there seemed to be a tunnel. Intrigued, he ran back to it and peered inside. The opening was wide enough for a man, but definitely too small for a dragon.
A full-grown one at least.
"Toothless, what is this?"
Toothless bounded over and peered into the blackness. It was completely dark even to his sensitive eyes. A twisted idea entered his mind.
I can explore this now!
"I could not go in there before."
He took a deep breath and shrieked, only for Hiccup to jump in alarm.
"Why you do that?"
Toothless remembered that Hiccup would not know about the sound-sight.
"Night-Fury-kin can see with sound."
Hiccup just stared dumbly at him.
"Close your eyes and listen. Do not think."
Hiccup did so.
Toothless made the same noise again and Hiccup saw a flash in his head. It was as though a picture of all the entire surrounding space suddenly appeared in his mind. Toothless in front of him, the rocks around him, the cave entrance, and the downward-sloping passage before him which opened into a large chamber.
Hiccup opened his eyes in surprise and stared at the blank void before him. He could not see anything inside.
How did… What!
"How you do that?"
"Your ears can see in the dark."
Hiccup wiggled his ears in bewilderment. His ears could see? That made absolutely no sense, but he knew that he had seen something strange with his eyes closed. Maybe this was just one more secret that no one knew about dragons.
Toothless purposefully walked into the dark tunnel, his tail vanishing into the void. Hiccup could still hear the echoing of Toothless's footfalls on the rock from inside. He slowly followed Toothless inside and strained his eyes as the darkness grew and the path began to fall away.
"Toothless!"
Oddly though, he could not see anything around him after he shouted.
How does this work? How do I make that sound?
He had never heard Toothless make that kind of sound before and had no idea how to do so himself.
Toothless answered from in front and revealed the entire chamber. Hiccup focused on the resulting image and took in the features of the inner chamber: the icicle-like rocks hanging from the roof, Toothless's form in mid-hop, and the rectangular shape in the middle of the chamber.
Wait, what is that?
Blindly, he shuffled toward the middle of the room using a wing to warn him if he was about to bump into something. He finally did and his jaw dropped in surprise when he realized the thing's shape.
A chest! What is a chest doing up here? Astrid needs to know… oh right, she is gone…
"Toothless, we go out now?"
"Yes."
Another ping and Toothless bounded over to him. Even in the dark, he could hear Toothless's steps. They walked back up the narrow passage until Toothless scrambled up the path and Hiccup ran into a problem. The trail was very slick and he was having trouble getting a grip.
"Toothless, help me."
"Grab my tail."
Toothless held his tail in Hiccup's face and Hiccup grabbed onto it with his teeth. He pulled Hiccup out of the chasm and the light grew as they emerged from within. Hiccup dropped Toothless's tail and looked back into the void.
"Thank you Toothless. How do I make the sound?"
"Like flying, you need much practice. Shape your inner-air and you will make the sight sound."
Hiccup grumbled softly to himself. It was easy enough to practice something like flying where he could watch Toothless do it himself. But he had no idea what to do here other than embarrassingly try to squeak out different sounds and maybe get the right one eventually.
They walked together back to the ledge and jumped as one. Hiccup had a few nervous moments as he struggled to find the correct currents amid the twisting and swirling mountain winds, but he finally managed to stabilize his flight. Then they tucked their wings and dove.
The wind began rushing by as dozens of trees passed under wing in a matter of seconds. Toothless, being a bit of a dare-dragon swooped down closer to the treetops.
Then Hiccup jumped in alarm as he started to hear a whistling, a shrieking noise from behind him. He spared a quick glance and did not see a dragon diving after them. With a shock, he realized that he had to be the one causing that sound.
But, how?
It only happened when Toothless did one of his very fast dives.
Maybe it is because of the air rushing over our wings, like whistling.
With that conjecture in mind, he resumed the dive and listened for the return of the shrieking noise. This time it did not alarm him and he played with the angle of his wings to try to make the sound louder or softer.
He quickly had to abandon the experiment and pull up because he had flown down the entire height of the mountain and was nearing the treetops.
Both of them flew back into the village and headed straight for the fish. As usual, Toothless gobbled up his chosen fish, while Hiccup grabbed his and headed for home. He was met on the way by Fishlegs, who walked right up to him.
"Hi there little guy, where are you going with that fish? Going home?"
He nodded once.
"Clever little dragon you are. You are so amazing. I wish we knew a bit more about you."
He took a deep breath and reminded himself to not say anything as Fishlegs gently patted his head. Fishlegs was sure to babble if he found out anything remotely close to the truth.
So he wandered off toward home. It had been nearly half a day that he had been gone. He slipped inside and started working on his meal.
I wonder where dad went.
He did not have to wait long since his father returned halfway into his meal.
"Hiccup, I was wondering where you were."
He also brought over the paper, a pencil, and a towel for Hiccup to use to clean his fingers.
I was exploring Thor's Hammer
"Really, find anything interesting?"
Yes actually
A chest in a cave
"A chest?"
Any idea what it is
"No. I'll send… the Thorstons to investigate it. There is something else I want to talk to you about."
Stoick anxiously shuffled on his feet for a moment.
"I've been thinking about… your situation, and I think you should be able to talk to people."
That made Hiccup's jaw fall open in amazement. Did he hear his father right?
You really mean it
"Yes, it is not good for you to be stuck alone with no one but a dragon for company. But we still shouldn't let anyone know about… your secret."
That wasn't hard to manage.
How should we do this
"Well, I think we should start with just a few people, the more trustworthy ones."
Like Gobber
"Yes, he should do. I will tell him that I want to show him something amazing. That I have… trained you to write. You will have to play along with it. Do you think you can do that, pretend to be… I don't know, like a little dragon?"
Hiccup grumbled humorously.
I have been all this time
"Oh, right. Let's do it tomorrow then. I'll tell Gobber to come here and we can show him then. What about Toothless, can he write?"
Hiccup shook his head.
He did not want to learn
"Ok, we don't need to worry about that then. I'll let you know when I bring him over, ok?"
Yes.
"Good. I should go check on Fishlegs and see if he needs help.
Hiccup hopped down from the table and started to follow him.
They together left the house and started walking through the village. Toothless noticed them from his position sunning himself on the rooftop and launched into the sky to follow them. He gave a single roar of pleasure.
Stoick looked back just in time to see Hiccup also take off and start flying. It would not do for him to command Hiccup not to fly, but that Hiccup was such an apparent natural at flying was far too strange for him to seriously consider.
He finally entered the Academy arena and found Fishlegs patiently instructing a small crowd. As he listened to Fishlegs explaining the different characteristics and abilities of various dragons, he was struck by how different the explanations were and how different the reactions were to what was being taught.
"Is it true that dragons will fall asleep if you tickle them with Thorngrass?"
"Yes, Dagny. But don't get any ideas, any of you."
"Why not? It would be fun."
"Would you like it if someone made you fall asleep right now? What if the dragon falls on you? It would be very bad for both of you. The best time to use Thorngrass would be if they get hurt and you need to help them feel better. Oh look everyone, it's the Chief."
The entire crowd of youngsters turned to face their Chief.
"It's ok kids, I'm just here to watch."
"How long will Astrid be away Chief?"
"I don't know Joric, but I do know that she will do what she needs to do for the tribe. Now pay attention to Fishlegs. He knows dragons better than almost anyone."
Hiccup and Toothless chose that moment to come in for their landing. As he was want to do, Fishlegs stared rapturously at the two little Furies walking across the arena.
"Oh! I want one!" Dagny exclaimed.
"Now now… those are the only two Night Furies we know about and they belong to the Chief. Do any of you know what Night Furies used to be called?
"The Unholy Offspring of Lightning and Death!"
"Yeah, humph. Just look at them."
Toothless was busy chasing Hiccup's tail as they alternated chasing after each other.
"Unholy indeed, so terrifying…"
"Fishlegs, when will we get dragons of our own?"
"What do you mean Dagny? You already have Terrors."
"Real dragons, ones we can fly with."
"Not until after you show that you are responsible enough to take care of a Terror. And only after your parents approve… The large ones are a lot of work; you have to groom them, teach them how to behave, clean up any messes, and learn to trust something much bigger than yourself."
Stoick had heard enough to know that Fishlegs was doing well in his new task. That was a relief. He left the Academy with no concerns.
Except for those surrounding what he planned to do tomorrow.
How will they take it when they see Hiccup write?
Hiccup insisted that Toothless was just as smart as he was. He had seen Toothless understand and reply to what had to be Hiccup's words. It was undeniable for him, but not so clear for the other dragons. They certainly behaved like… not exactly like pets, but there was something different about them. It was hard to think of something that weighs as much as ten men as a mere pet. Still though, none of them ever tried to read, write, or seemed to have more complex desires.
What are they really? Are they… people? Why would only Night Furies be able to talk?
Even Hiccup had related that none of them seemed to speak.
He wandered around the village making idle small talk to those he met. All the while he kept pondering what exactly would change after tomorrow. At least nothing like Mildew's rebellion was likely since the dragon enemies were gone from Berk.
Gobber was headed home from finishing dinner when he noticed a black shape slinking around his house.
Thor's beard, if that is another of the Terrors…
It was not a Terror.
"Hiccup, come inside," he whispered.
Hiccup crept inside.
"Let me get a light."
Gobber lit a few candles on the main table and cleared aside some room for Hiccup to stand on the stool. Hiccup glanced at the table and then looked at him plaintively.
"Oh right, you need stuff to write with. One moment. Here… this will have to do."
It took Hiccup a long time to write with the strange pencil.
Dad will show you that I can write
Pretend you are surprised
"Really, he is going to tell everyone the truth?"
No
Not that I am his son
"Oh, at least he is going to let you talk to everyone. That is progress, I think. How about you go. I'll go along with it, don't you worry. It'll be good to talk to you tomorrow."
Hiccup nodded happily and slipped outside moments later. Gobber watched as Hiccup's tiny form vanished into the night.
"Well, Stoick, you are finally starting to come around, old friend. Took you long enough."
It came as no surprise to him when Stoick came to him first thing in the morning after he arrived at the forge.
"Stoick, how can I help you this fine morning?"
"Gobber, we have been friends for scores of years."
"Aye, how we managed that with everything we've been through…"
"There is something I want to show you. Something… amazing."
"Oh really, now you've got my interest. What is it about?"
"It's about the dragons. Actually, it is about one dragon."
"Well, whatever it is I'm sure it cannot take too long. I don't want to get behind on saddle-repair."
"Gobber, I assure you that it is worth it. Let's go to my house."
Gobber calmly put everything away and followed Stoick back to his house. It was strange to see how nervous Stoick was despite his best efforts at keeping his composure and to know exactly why his old friend was so tense.
This wasn't as simple as showing off a very smart dragon that had learned how to write. It wasn't as simple as letting the entire village know that they did not understand how smart dragons truly could be. It was that he was going to do that without letting anyone know who Hiccup really was.
The more that he had thought about that decision, the more it made sense. It was unfathomable what had happened to Hiccup and Nords, even well meaning ones, could do regrettable things when confronted with the new or the strange.
They entered Stoick's house and shared the customary mug of mead at the table before engaging in any conversation.
"So Stoick, what is this news you have to share. Something about a dragon."
"Yes Gobber. You are the first person I am going to show. I have… trained Hiccup how to write."
"Write, are you serious?"
"Yes, I am. Hiccup!"
Hiccup walked down the hall and hopped onto the chair at the head of the table. Stoick then handed him a pencil and set paper on the table.
"Hiccup, show him that you can write."
Hiccup clasped the pencil in a paw and set it to the paper.
Hello
"Stoick! This is amazing! You actually taught him how to… wait, does he actually understand you? Do you understand me Hiccup?"
Hiccup nodded and smiled. Gobber slapped Stoick on the shoulder with a hearty laugh.
"Well, how about that! Dragons can actually understand us. I'm not even going to ask how you managed to train him. Is it just him or are the others like that?"
"I don't know. I haven't tried, but I suspect that they are not as smart as he is."
"What about the other one, Toothless?"
"He… did not learn as well as Hiccup here."
"So… are you going to show the entire village soon? This is the kind of thing that they would all want to know about."
"I was planning on showing them later today. I'll have a full-tribe meeting at dinner. Might as well tell them after they fill their bellies and are in the best mood."
"Do you really think that would be a problem?"
"You know what happened with Mildew. I don't think anyone here would do anything like that, but learning that dragons can be much smarter than they thought could still be… unsettling."
"I suppose so. I wouldn't worry about it too much though. I'll get back to the forge now. Chief…"
He turned to face Hiccup.
"And it was good to see you Hiccup. You are one very smart dragon."
He gave Hiccup a soft pat on the head for good measure.
"Gobber," Stoick added.
"Stoick?"
"It is a strange world we live in."
"Indeed, but it is also wonderful. Whoever thought that we would have pet dragons, or that we could talk to a Night Fury and have him answer by writing? Uh… Hiccup… would be proud of you."
"Thanks Gobber, I… hope he would."
Stoick saw Gobber out the door and then sighed deeply in relief.
He only turned around when he heard scribbling.
"He took that well, perhaps I was being too suspicious."
What is the plan for tonight?
"Same as today, just show that you can write and understand me when I talk."
Ok
I really want to talk to them
"As long as you keep the secret."
Hiccup's look of patient exasperation was evident even on his draconic features.
The announcement at dinner went exactly as planned. Everyone stopped talking to listen to the Chief's announcement. There were many looks of confusion when he started explaining the situation, and then a great hush fell on the entire crowd when Hiccup hopped up onto the Chief's table.
Something about the way that tiny dragon was looking out at them seemed strange. Then it picked up a pencil and started scribbling on a piece of paper. At first, no one knew what to do about this incredible sight. Then Fishlegs, the Thorston twins, and a few others eagerly approached the table. They stared at the paper in amazement.
Hello
"Is… I mean… how did you? Stoick, your dragon can write!"
"Yes, I taught him."
The entire Hall exploded.
"Let me see that!" "Ha, even you can't do th…" "Night Fury intelligence factor is unprecedented!" "How much for him?"
Even Hiccup began to nervously shy away from the uproarious crowd.
"Everyone, stop!" Stoick roared.
They complied.
"One at a time now."
Fishlegs nervously walked over and stood next to Hiccup.
"Do you know what I am saying?"
Hiccup nodded for everyone to see.
Yes I know
No one could possibly deny what they had just seen.
"Wow. Chief, do you know what this means?"
"It means, Fishlegs, that we need to think a bit differently about dragons from now on. Hear that everyone? Listen up! My dragon can write. He is smart enough to talk, in his own way. Now, I cannot speak for other dragons, only my own, but it is possible that they are all smarter than we think they are."
He paused for a moment to let it sink in.
"I know that none of you hate dragons, and we have learned how to treat our dragons well. Just remember that any of the dragons might be just like mine here. They might have things to say, but not know how to talk to us. Remember that. Treat them well."
"Aye!" the chorus replied.
The rest of the evening was naturally taken up by everyone asking Hiccup every imaginable question and then waiting for him to write out his answer.
"Can you fly? Breathe fire? Do you only eat fish?"
Fishlegs naturally asked Hiccup to stretch himself out so that he could draw him properly for the first time. Stoick thought that Hiccup looked rather proud of himself, albeit a little bashful at the same time.
Near the end of the interrogation, Fishlegs stepped over to Stoick, and they watched as Hiccup entertained some of the little girls by sliding his teeth in and out and letting them pet his wings.
"I hope you don't mind my saying it Chief, but I wish Hiccup were here to see this. Even though he is in Valhalla now."
"So do I Fishlegs, so do I."
More than you know...
Both he and Hiccup returned home later after saying farewell to the crowd. They were both too tired to do much other than go straight to sleep. Stoick waited while Hiccup hopped up and burrowed into the covers next to the dozing Toothless.
"Hiccup, you did a good job out there."
Hiccup grinned and yawned sleepily. His dad blew out the candle he was holding and left the room.
Finally, I can talk to them. This changes everything. Ugh, Fishlegs will never let me have a moment of rest now.
Sigh. He glanced out the window before closing his eyes for the night.
What are you doing out there Astrid? Something fun I imagine.
She huddled as close to Stormfly's side as she could. Stormfly had kindly wrapped her in her wings, but that did not keep out all the cold rain or wind.
They had been forced to find shelter sometime in the afternoon upon spotting the incoming storm front. Without knowing how far it was to any other land, it would have been suicidal to try to fly through it. So they found the first desolate spit of land they could and hunkered down.
Astrid occasionally peeked outside her living tent and saw only darkness. This was her first time ever being properly off Berk, leaving aside those couple fateful visits to Dragon Island. It was scary, knowing that there was no form of civilization for leagues in any direction. She was completely alone in the middle of nowhere.
Except for Stormfly of course. The dragon was sleeping soundly after nearly a half day of flight. It was a strange thought that she would be completely stranded here if Stormfly were to abandon her for some reason. But there was no chance that would happen.
I guess we should get there tomorrow after the storm passes. Volsung first. I hope they have some edible food.
She lay back against Stormfly's warm side and fell asleep to the relentless patter of rain outside.
They were back in the sky and over the sea the next day. Stormfly naturally went fishing in the morning and was kind enough to bring back one of the fish for her human. Astrid checked the map she was given to make sure that she knew where they were supposed to go.
After a few hours of flight, they passed through a cloud-bank and emerged with a sight that made Astrid gape in amazement. The land before her was truly massive. Berk could be crossed in well under a day of hiking and only a score of minutes flying. The mainland though stretched from horizon to horizon with inland mountains that put Thor's Hammer to shame.
"Wow girl, just look at that."
What caught her attention just after the mountains was the sprawling village set slightly inland along with the docks and sloops in the inlet. It was exactly as her map had indicated.
The Volsung tribe.
Alright, it is time now. You can do this!
"Ok Stormfly, we need to go there," she pointed to the village.
Stormfly looked down at the village and chirped suspiciously. Astrid stroked her side in reassurance.
"Don't worry about them, they will not hurt us."
They flew down closer to the village while staying out of arrow-shot to be safe. Dozens of men started running about and pointing up at them. None of the men aimed any arrows as far as she could see, but they definitely were keeping their weapons close.
The men then stood aside and left a clearing in the middle of the village.
They were clearly expected to land.
This is it.
She guided Stormfly down into the clearing, and landed gracefully as always. Everyone kept their distance from the dragon, especially since it kept nervously looking around and its tail-spines were very sharp.
"Now that is something I never thought I would see."
She turned in her saddle to face the speaker.
He must be Chief Edgaras.
"You are Edgaras of the Volsung."
"At your service, little girl."
"I am Astrid Hofferdottir. And I am not a little girl."
"Oh really, you certainly look… well-endowed… for a boy then."
The men guffawed crudely at her. Astrid slowly unstrapped herself from the saddle and then hopped down from Stormfly. In the blink of an eye, she drew her knife from its hilt and pointed it in his direction. At the same time, Stormfly hissed dangerously and protectively stepped closer to her.
"You would all be dead right now if she was really angry with you."
Astrid then put her knife away and drew the scroll Stoick had given her. The crowd was stunned by how quickly both she and the dragon had moved.
"I am here because of the treaty my Chief agreed to with you. I will show you how you can get dragons to trust you and be your friends, like Stormfly here is for me. If any of you cannot take instructions from a woman, then you will not learn anything. Do you understand me?"
Edgaras recovered himself first.
"Stoick spoke truly about you. They will listen to you. And don't worry about being bothered by my men. None of them will try to do anything to you. Wouldn't want to get any of those Nadder spikes in your rears now would you boys?"
"No Chief," was the general reply.
"Good, now that the meeting is out of the way I must saw that it this is truly impressive. That you have tamed this beast and made it obey you perfectly shows how strong the Berk people are."
"Stormfly is not tame."
"Of course it is, it is almost groveling at your feet even now."
Astrid reached over and started to pet Stormfly's neck.
"Stormfly is a she, not an it. And she is not groveling before me. She is happy to be around me and wants to keep me safe."
"Why are you talking about the dragon like that? Like it is a person?"
"Because she is. That is something you must understand or you will never be like us. None of our dragons are tamed as you said. They are not pets like other animals."
"All you need to show us is how to make them carry us and fight for us."
Astrid closed her eyes and took a moment to calm herself down. The things that Edgaras was saying about dragons and how he planned to use them…
"I cannot show you how to make them carry you. I cannot make Stormfly carry me. She wants to have me fly with her, and she lets me get on her back. That would change if I started being mean to her, yelling at her, hitting her, or anything like that."
Edgaras silently fussed over her words.
"I cannot help you if you will not listen to me."
"You will fulfill your side of the treaty. They," he designated a group of his men, "are the ones you will teach."
She considered them. Unsurprisingly, they were all burly men with gruff expressions.
"Are you sure they are the best for this? They do not look… right to me."
"They are my best and bravest warriors."
"That is stupid! You do not need warriors to get a dragon's trust. I need people who can be gentle and patient."
Astrid turned from him and vaulted onto Stormfly's back.
"We will be back after we find some fish. Consider what I said and try to think about dragons differently. You will never gain their trust if you treat them as tools or weapons."
If Edgaras gave her any reply, it was lost in the rush of wings as Stormfly launched into the air. They landed on the shore well north of the docks, and Astrid removed everything except the harness. Stormfly then happily flew off and started diving into the ocean like a seabird. Astrid was perfectly content to watch and nibble on some of her bread.
"They are so idiotic! What am I supposed to do with them?"
Sigh.
"We didn't do a great job at first either though. I wonder where the wild dragons are around here. That first meeting is going to be a mess."
She thought for a long while about home and about her mission. She already missed her parents, the other 'riders', Hiccup…
Stormfly eventually caught enough and returned to her.
"Hi girl, did you catch enough fish?"
Stormfly trilled happily and nuzzled her.
"We should probably go back to them."
Warble.
"Don't worry about them, we will get through to them. I hope."
They returned to the village immediately afterwards. Stormfly took more interest in the buildings and people this time and caused more than a few people to hop away in alarm. Edgaras broke from the crowd and walked toward them both with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face.
Great…
"Have you thought about what I said?"
"I have Astrid. You are the dragon expert, and I will defer to your judgment."
"It might also be good if you include some youths in the group that I will teach. Dragons trust them more easily."
"Fine, fine. Arnor, Lewin, Jarli, your eldest sons will join the group."
Astrid just barely bit back a comment that no daughters were included. She was making slow progress but progress nevertheless. So she waited as the three sons were brought out and joined the group of men awaiting her instruction.
"Ok you all, ready to meet your first friendly dragon?"
"No." "Friendly?" "Not really." "I guess."
"That's the spirit! Now the first thing you need to know about approaching a dragon for the first time is to be respectful. Do not stare it down, do not yell at it, do not run at it with sharp things… you get the idea."
"The second thing is that it always helps to have fish. I do not know of a single dragon that does not like fish. Offering them food is always a good way to get their trust."
"But you don't have any fish right now."
Astrid held out a hand and Stormfly hopped over and nuzzled it.
"I do not need any now. She knows me and trusts me. She still likes it when I give her fish though. Sometimes she even brings back a fish for me. You, boy, what is your name?"
"Belethor, son of Jarli."
"Come here, you are going to pet Stormfly."
"Uh, I don't know what to do."
"Just follow me and do what I say."
Everyone watched with baited breath as the pair slowly walked closer to the dragon which had turned its gaze on the Belethor. But it made no move other than that. Belethor's eyes never left the dragon's massive spines running all the way from the crown of its head to the tip of its tail.
"Go on, stroke her side. She likes it."
Astrid noticed how one of Belethor's hands kept creeping toward his pocket.
"Stop! Do you have a knife in your pocket?"
"I… well…"
"You will take it out very slowly and throw it away so she can see you do it."
"But…"
"Listen boy, what do you really think a little knife is going to do if she wants to hurt you? She could kill you several different ways without even touching you."
Belethor had no answer for that. He reluctantly pulled out the knife and tossed it away. Stormfly, much to Astrid's approval, did not so much as flinch when she noticed the blade. He slowly crept closer and reached out a trembling hand to Stormfly's side which he then started to pet. Stormfly settled down and let herself be stroked.
"It feels… so smooth."
Astrid smiled.
"They are very smooth."
"But… I thought dragons have scales."
"They do, but they are not all as hard as other animal scales. They also only shed their scales one time each year. Their wings are very soft, but you do not want to try to touch them. They are very sensitive about their wings because of how important they are. I can touch her wings, but she will not let anyone else touch them."
She looked out over the rest of the group.
"Who's next?"
The rest of the group had varying degrees of enthusiasm and bravery. Some of the larger men brashly marched forward only to be hissed at in warning.
"Dragons are very good judges of character and intent. You need to be respectful toward them or they will not trust you."
"Buh… I warn't going to urt it."
"What is your name?"
"Ulg."
"Ulg, I don't think you are ready for dragons yet."
"Buh… I am. I've killed four of em."
"…Exactly…"
.
"Uh, how many of you think that dragons are mostly bad creatures? Be honest with me."
Most of their hands went up. Belethor and a couple others she did not know were the only ones who did not raise them.
This is going to be a long day…
The end of a long and trying day finally arrived, and she breathed a very deep sigh of relief. The last few hours had seen a good number of Edgaras' chosen warriors make absolutely no progress with Stormfly while some of the younger men seemed to easily gain her approval.
It clearly irritated Edgaras, who wandered away from the square early on in the process.
Then there was the one unfortunate incident that almost started a war.
She was busy explaining dietary habits when Stormfly lost interest and wandered off. She had no concern that Stormfly would do something bad since even little children ran about freely on Berk. Not even a minute had passed when a great screeching and loud yelling echoed from behind a line of buildings. Astrid ran, fearing for Stormfly's life.
She saw her dragon flaming a hut. A hut that had a Nadder skull decoratively displayed over the door.
"Stormfly! Stop!"
Stormfly looked wildly in her direction and then hissed at the men standing around them both. Men with weapons in hand.
"Everyone stop!"
"What is going on here!" Edgaras stormed onto the scene.
"It just attacked us!"
"No, she did not, she burned down a house because it had a Nadder's skull on it. Of course that would make her angry."
"Why can't you control your beast?"
She almost pulled out some of her own hair in frustration.
"Were you not listening at all! I do not control her! None of us do. You would be angry too if you found someone using a skull from one of your own as a trophy!"
"I will have its head!" the enraged hut owner yelled.
"No, you won't!" Edgaras countered.
"But it…"
"No one was hurt this time. Astrid, do not let this happen again! Or else!"
Astrid waited until Edgaras had left along with the man whose place had burned to the ground before she turned back to her charges.
"We are done for today. Be back in the square in the morning."
They dutifully obeyed and left her alone with Stormfly. Stormfly knelt at her side and started making sad cooing chirps. Astrid lay against her side with a great sigh.
"Oh girl, I wish that had not happened. Or else, indeed! You were only doing what made sense, anyone would do what you did if they saw something like that."
Chirp.
"We need food. I am hungry, and we definitely don't want you eating anything or anyone… Fish?"
Stormfly immediately perked up at the mention of fish.
"Let's go find the Hall."
It was not hard to find. It was the largest building in the village and was in the direction that most of the people had wandered off. Surprisingly though, there were armed guards at the front door.
"Stop! We won't have that beast in our Mead Hall. Chief's orders."
"Fine, she is going to have something to eat though. I assume that you have fish for her."
"Go on inside and ask, we don't know about that."
She eyed their weapons and nervous twitch.
"No, you go inside and find out. We will stay out here until you get back."
Their look of indignation at being ordered around by a woman was quite humorous. But the dragon at her back did a very good job of convincing them to swallow their pride and do as she requested. A small group began gathering behind her, too nervous to walk near the dragon in their path. She turned to face them.
"What are you afraid of? Go on ahead, she will not hurt you."
No one moved.
"Come on! Grow some spine. Or have you men lost your manhood?"
I shouldn't enjoy this so much…
"That is a fair question, Astrid," Edgaras berated them.
"Go on inside. The dragon will not hurt you, look at how docile it is," he commanded his men.
The men, women, and children nervously huddled together, the women shielding the children, and scuttled past Stormfly. Again and to her credit, she remained still and only watched as they shuffled past her.
"You need to understand how strange this is for them. The entire village would have been in arms against your dragon only a month ago. It was very strange when I arrived back and told them about what we would gain from the treaty. Some of them didn't believe me at first."
"But then?"
"Well, I made them listen. Amazing how a few choice words and examples can make people obey."
"I can't say that I like your methods, but it is your tribe."
"That it is. Good thing you understand that. I'll have some fish brought for your dragon, but it will have to eat outside."
"Even ours do that. But you know your people will have to get over their fears."
"And they will eventually. I doubt that your tribe adjusted overnight, now did they?"
"No, they did not. It took a long time and we even had to banish people who threatened to rebel."
That really got Edgaras interested.
"Did you now? You know why that happens. Rebellions only happen when the leader is weak or blind. Or, as you just put it, needs to grow a spine or has lost his manhood. He should have dealt with the dissent before a rebellion could even have grown."
He chuckled immodestly.
"You certainly are a fiery one. I think you will get plenty of marriage offers when people see how much control you have."
"I've told you before, I do not control her. I cannot make her do something she doesn't want to do. And don't think that I could ever be enticed by someone I do not want."
He wagged a finger at her.
"Don't be so sure that you will have a choice who you marry."
"We will see. As I understand the treaty, I am supposed to get you dragons of your own. Let's suppose that I do get this group of knuckle-brains to think the right way, I still need to find dragons for you. Any idea where they might be?"
"Of course I do. There are some mountains a day's march from here. There are a good number of Nadders and Nightmares up there."
A woman arrived carrying a basket of fish.
"Good to know. I'm going to eat something; do you mind if she waits out here."
"As long as it doesn't burn anything else down or eat anyone."
She bit her tongue to avoid saying something uncouth. Thankfully, he left her alone with Stormfly and she took her time giving Stormfly the fish.
"I can think of at least one person I wouldn't mind getting eaten. Ok girl, I'm going to go now. Don't get into any trouble."
Stormfly chirped happily and flew up into the sky where she started lazily circling the town.
Alright, time to see what slop they are serving here.
The chicken stew and hardtack were not bad and made her feel much better. She did not even mind the strange looks she was getting from everyone. Plus, some of them looked quite awed by her presence.
I am a dragon rider after all. Of course they should be impressed.
There was one table that had a good number of young men. Young men who kept leering in her direction.
Ugh, some things never change.
Edgaras had arranged for one of the larger stables to get cleaned out to house the island's strange pair of guests. It was nothing near as nice as what the dragons back on Berk were privy to. But at least it had a roof overhead, walls, and dry ground. She had politely refused the generosity of several intoxicated men who offered to share their bunks with her. Stormfly was perfectly willing to let her curl up under a wing.
She thought back to only a couple days ago when she was getting ready to leave Berk. It had seemed like it would be easy back then. Just show up with a friendly dragon, teach a group of people willing and eager to learn, establish peaceful contact between them and dragons, and everything else would happen on its own.
There was no way that she could have known that the people would fight her every step of the way. Though that should have been obvious in hindsight.
She snuggled up closer against Stormfly's side.
"We'll manage somehow girl. Heh, I'd like to see Edgaras yell at an angry Nightmare…"
She woke up early in the morning to Stormfly squawking in her ear. That could only mean one thing.
"No, I don't have any fish. You just ate yesterday."
A plaintive gurgle and nudge followed. Astrid just shooed the nose away.
"Go get some, miss bossy dragon."
Stormfly hopped to her feet with an indignant chirp and flew off after Astrid relented and let her outside.
While Stormfly was gone, Astrid gave a great deal of thought to the issue of how to get the people here to think properly about dragons. She kept coming back to one idea that seemed like it had to work. She knew from first-hand experience.
"Alright everyone, I have a new idea," she addressed her audience later that morning.
"Some of you are going to fly with me and Stormfly today."
"But we don't know what to do," Belethor objected.
"All you need to do is hold on," she explained as she hauled out the riding gear, much to Stormfly's approval.
"Belethor, thanks for volunteering."
"But…"
"And Stormfly likes you anyway."
Resigned to having been volunteered, Belethor stepped forward. Astrid vaulted herself up into the saddle and offered the young man a hand up. She handed him the ropes and he sat behind her.
"Strap yourself in with these and hold onto my waist."
He sheepishly did so and some of the other men whistled at him, which only made him blush even more.
"Alright girl, let's go."
Stormfly flared her wings and started walking.
"Oh no…" he whispered.
Then they were aloft. To his credit, Belethor did not scream, although his hold on her became so uncomfortably tight that she had to elbow him in the side.
"Look at it!" she shouted over the wind.
"Yeah! Yeah! Nice!" he stammered back.
"Open your eyes and see the world from on dragon wings!"
His gasp a couple seconds later indicated that he did in fact open his eyes. She let him wonder at all the sights around them both in peace. The whistle of the wind around them, the clouds passing on both sides, and the island far below, she could imagine what this experience must be like for him. Her first flight with Stormfly had been a very impromptu affair with Hiccup taking the initial lead.
"Hold out your arms!"
She demonstrated and reached as if to try to touch the clouds. She felt his arms disappear and glanced back at him. He too was holding his arms outstretched and his face had a look of pure awe. His gaze flew back and forth, drinking in the sights of the world beneath him.
"So what do you think?"
"It's amazing."
"You haven't seen anything yet. Hold on."
She leaned forward and whispered to Stormfly.
"Alright girl, let's have some fun."
Stormfly chittered happily.
"Oh no…" Belethor bemoaned.
By the end of the day, she had taken four others up into the air with her. Each and every one of them seemed transformed by the experience.
"Dragons are not mere beasts," she explained afterwards.
"As I have been trying to explain to you all, dragons are amazing and can be friends. But you need to think about them the right way. You do not use a dragon for anything. Think about that and tell everyone about today."
She watched her group of 'students' as they wandered off with their heads still lost in the clouds.
That has to get through to them. I just need them to start talking.
"Chief Edgaras, I am going to go up to the mountains and meet the dragons up there."
"Alright, don't get eaten. My people are talking about yesterday. It seems you made an impression on them."
"That is what I hoped for."
She left with Stormfly not long after that. What was a full day's march for his men was under an hour's flight for her. The mountain's rock face began about halfway up its height. It was up there that she hoped to find where the dragons roosted. She found what looked like the right spot and hopped off after grabbing some fish she had brought.
"No girl, these are not for you."
She carefully tiptoed around, keeping an eye open for any sign of the dragons that supposedly lived up here. Stormfly kept very close and hopped from rock to rock behind her.
Then she spotted a yellow Nightmare lazing on the ground about twenty paces away. It had not noticed her.
Alright, here we go.
She took a deep breath and stepped toward the dozing dragon.
"Hi there!"
It bolted awake and fixed its eyes on her. Eyes filled with fear and anger. She held up the fish.
"It's ok, big guy. I won't hurt you. Stormfly, come here."
Stormfly cautiously walked over to her and stood next to her.
He must be very confused.
"You want this fish? Here, it's yours."
She tossed the fish to the dragon and it glanced between her and the fish for a while before gulping it down.
She started walking toward it again and it anxiously shuffled on its feet, but did not growl or back away. It took a bit of coaxing by both her and by Stormfly, but it eventually allowed her to approach and pet its nose.
The village was put on edge when she returned with a strange yellow Nightmare circling overhead. Her Nadder they had grown somewhat accustomed to and thought domesticated, but this one was clearly a wild dragon.
"What is it doing here?" Edgaras yelled.
"He wanted to follow me back."
She turned and waved to the dragon. It rumbled to itself and then dove down and alighted in the middle of the town. Astrid oversaw the introductions.
"Do you think he will stay?" Belethor asked her.
"Oh, that is up to him and you all. Keep treating him well and he just might."
"He is a bit of a small dragon. But he will do. How do I pair him with one of my men?" Edgaras asked.
"It doesn't work like that. You can't make someone into a friend just because you want it that way."
He looked completely exasperated with her.
"You just don't understand Astrid. You think that they are your friends. No! They are beasts. Good beasts, useful beasts I will grant. But you seem to think that they are just like us. Why?"
"You don't know them like I do."
"Which is? Do they talk? Why do they carry people away? Have you seen body parts left behind from an attack?"
He chuckled to himself.
"You see Astrid, you don't know them like I do."
"What is all this for then? Why did you even want me here?"
"I already told you. They are useful to have. They may be beasts, but I would rather they be my beasts."
She just stood there and stared him down. He was incorrigible.
"You cannot understand," she finally answered.
She stepped away from him and looked over the village, the place where she had lived for over a week.
I'm through with them.
She left and went to the stable to pack her things. Then she saddled Stormfly and walked out into the square where she hopped on Stormfly's back.
"We are leaving now Edgaras."
"What?"
"I mean that I am leaving with Stormfly and going to the next tribe."
His anger flashed for the first time.
"No, you are not. You are going to fulfill your part of the treaty or else!"
"I already have. I told you everything you need to know to… get your own dragons. You have to go out and do it now. You know where they are and how you must treat them. Oh, by the way, I do know a dragon who can talk, and he is far smarter than you."
She didn't even look to see if what she said moved him at all. Stormfly sensed her rider's wish to be gone from the place and eagerly launched them both skyward.
Astrid spared the village one last glance as it fell away behind her.
"I don't know about them. Some of them seem like they might learn but most of them are too…"
Stubborn. Confident. Manly.
Stormfly trilled her sound that Astrid had long since associated with suspicion and anger. It seemed that she was not too happy with the former hosts either.
"Maybe the next tribe will be better…"
With nothing to do but enjoy the flight, she allowed her mind to wander.
Belethor, Jarlief, and Skald seemed like they might understand. Maybe they can change their tribe with time.
Something that Edgaras had said was still bugging her though.
Body parts left behind in an attack…
She had never actually seen that. Death, she was sadly acquainted with at a young age and people going missing during raids used to happen only infrequently. It was a terrifying thought because Edgaras had seen the full extent of what dragons were capable of. Terrible though it was to admit, she had not seen it all like he had.
He probably cannot change by now. He has seen too much.
He was not open to being convinced of what she wanted him to learn. The best that she could hope for was that his way of thinking would drift away with time as more people came to know dragons as she did. It also struck her as somewhat hypocritical of him to blame dragons for killing people and attacking others. His own tribe led attacks on people farther south, took prisoners, and did terrible things to the women they captured.
Were dragons really any worse?
Alright, forget about them. Vaina… fishermen… Chief Svana Barrell-chest. I wonder what she is like.
Having already been through so many frustrations with the Volsung, she did not have especially high hopes for the Vaina.
It was pleasantly surprising how welcomed Svana made her feel and how similar the village seemed to Berk. Svana herself was, unsurprisingly, a massive woman whom she certainly would not have wanted to face in combat. Amazingly though, Svana asked a lot of questions of her. Intelligent questions. She also made a point of referring to Lady Astrid or Lady Hofferdottir. Astrid couldn't help but grin at the change in treatment from Edgaras's tribe.
Svana had apparently also instructed the village to be more accepting of a friendly dragon among them as several dozen people turned out to meet the dragon and rider. There was already a stable set aside just for them. Stormfly was very well looked out for with at least a couple people eager to give her a grooming whenever she returned, though she wouldn't let herself be handled by any other than Astrid.
The introductions to Stormfly and first lessons went very well. Svana had picked a mix of men and women, and then even brought in boys and girls at her suggestion.
What had finally won them over completely was her mentioning how much fish Berk was able to catch with the dragons' help. She even went on to demonstrate with Stormfly exactly how the dragons were able to help so greatly.
Svana was practically giddy with excitement as soon as they returned. She recounted how difficult the last few winters had been with poor catches leading up to the winters. Possibly doubling their catches would mean that no one would starve during the winter.
Finding dragons was a somewhat more difficult matter as there were not many dragons other than Terrors on the island they inhabited. It was completely by chance that she ran into a young Timberjack in the woods. The poor dragon was terribly confused at seeing her next to Stormfly and it took a lot of coaxing to convince it to follow her back. As soon as it entered the village, it proceeded straight to the docks and started helping itself to the basket of eels as though it had never eaten before. That quite confused her since Hiccup had said that dragons couldn't eat eel. She made a mental note to ask him about this when she got back.
She only needed a couple more days before the first peaceful interactions with the natives occurred. She and Stormfly were both present to oversee the event and make sure that nothing bad happened. Astrid let herself be smelled and nuzzled by them first to make a good impression.
Everything went smoothly after that. Svana happily approached her the next morning.
"Thank you Astrid! I think we can handle it from here."
"I'm sure you will Svana. Your people have been far more… cooperative than the Volsung were."
"Edgaras is very headstrong and enjoys fighting. Me, I am headstrong and want the best for my people. There is no reason to always be fighting the dragons."
"I don't know what your village will look like in the future."
"Don't worry about us, we can figure something out. Here, I want you to have this," Svana reached into a pocket and pulled out a necklace adorned with seashells.
"It is beautiful, thank you."
"It is a sign that you are a friend to the Vaina. You are welcome to come back whenever you want."
She snapped a finger and a fisherman came forward with a massive salmon. Stormfly had her gaze locked on the fish as soon as it appeared in Svana's hands.
"And this is for you Stormfly. Catch!"
Stormfly nuzzled Svana's side after catching and devouring the fish.
"That's one beautiful dragon you have there Astrid. Kind of wish I had one."
"Maybe you will. You should be able to get the trust of most dragons now. Just remember to treat them well."
"We will defend ourselves, but we will not look for any trouble from them. Who would ever think of being cruel to such glorious beasts now that we know we don't have to kill them on sight?"
Astrid walked over to Stormfly and mounted her.
"Alright girl, one more and then we go home!"
Stormfly took off with a happy roar to the cheers of the onlookers below. She pointed Stormfly in the right direction and relaxed in the saddle for a short nap as the wind whipped around her.
I'll miss them. Just the Berserkers now, this should be easy. Osvald sounds like a good man.