Chapter Five – Times of Change

Hiccup and Toothless were finishing the patrol of Dragon Island when they heard one of their subjects in distress. *Help! Somebody help!* a blue and white Spike-Tail shrieked up to the sky, fluttering her wings and rattling her spikes. Her mate, dark blue and green, clawed and snapped desperately at a crack in the ground. It grew into a crevasse as Toothless dived down to them.

*Alphas! Thank the stars, our Teala, she was playing and she fell down there!*

"It's okay, Syana, we'll get her out" Hiccup assured her, dismounting and crouching down on the edge of the crevasse. A tiny green and blue dragonet was crouched at the bottom, one wing trailing. *Teala! Can you hear me?!*

She peered up at him and screeched *I'm scared! And my wing hurts!*

*Okay, just stay still! We'll get you out* Hiccup promised. He stood up and looked around, taking stock of his surroundings. Turning to Teala's sire, he instructed "Eruza, up on the mountain there is a boulder with an X painted on it, and behind it is a hollow with a chain inside. I need you to go get the chain."

*Yes, Alpha-Hiccup* the drake replied, taking off in a flurry of wingbeats.

Toothless looked around at the dragons approaching to see what was going on. *All of you, find some boulders to cover this crevasse with after we've rescued Teala* he ordered. They all bowed and flew off. Toothless went to catch up with Eruza and help him find the chain, whilst Syana called down to Teala to keep her hatchling calm. Hiccup went and found a piece of straight wood for a splint.

Syana's mate returned with the chain – it was from the dragon hunter ships they'd captured after the war. Hiccup thought it a shame to let all that metal go to waste, so he'd repurposed as much of it as he could. Dragon-proof cages had now become climbing frames, nets were spread out beneath cliffs for safety, and chains were hidden around their islands for emergencies just like this one.

Hiccup unravelled the clanking chain and tied one end around the trunk of the nearest tree. Would it be long enough? Then he attached the other end to his flight harness. "I'll go down, splint her wing and then you guys pull us both back up" Hiccup explained. He was the only one of them who could fit – there were perks to being this thin. Carefully, slowly, he rappelled down the sheer sides.

When he reached the bottom, Hiccup craned his neck back and waved up at Toothless, Syana and Eruza, all peering down intently. Then he looked around for Teala, who had curled up in a ball, whimpering. "Teala? It's me, Hiccup. You're gonna be okay. Let me see your wing" he implored her, stepping forward. She hissed at him. Then her eyes widened and she whined apology.

"It's okay" he murmured gently, crouching down so he wasn't looming over her so much. "I know it hurts. Did you hit it on the rock when you fell down?"

She croaked miserably; her injured wing was trembling. "I can help. You need to trust me" Hiccup insisted, keeping his voice calm. Slowly, he held a hand out towards her. After a moment, Teala pressed her snout to his fingers. "Attagirl. Lay your head down, this'll help you stay calm." He scratched her firmly under the chin and found her sweet spot, making her go limp. "There you go, see?"

Now for the tricky part. It wasn't a bad break, as far as he could tell; okay, any break was bad, but it was clean. It seemed that she'd scraped or bashed it against the cliff face as she tumbled down, snapping the bone in the leading edge of her wing. Taking care to make sure he was out of range of her tail, Hiccup warned her "Sorry, sweetie, this is gonna hurt", and set the wing.

Sure enough, she cried out in pain when he moved it, her tail lashing back and forth. Distantly, he heard Syana's panicked cries and Toothless trying to reassure her. He had to work quickly. Hiccup fastened the makeshift splint on with some twine he had on him – he couldn't remember what he'd needed it for. "What were you doing so close to the edge, anyway?" he asked her.

Teala whimpered, but it was embarrassed more than pained or fearful. *I was chasing a butterfly* she confessed. Hiccup sternly told himself not to laugh.

Once he was sure the splint would hold, Hiccup brought Teala out of her daze and helped her to her feet. She whined pitifully. *Hiccup, my wing still hurts!*

"I know, I'm sorry" he said sympathetically, petting her. "C'mere, you, let's get you back up there with your parents. They're worried, y'know." Hiccup scooped her up in his arms, taking care not to jostle her splinted wing, and walked over to the cliff. He set his foot against it and tugged the chain twice to signal ready.

As it was pulled, he walked up the wall, awkwardly holding Teala under one arm whilst hanging on for dear life to the chain. It had seemed a lot quicker coming down. Finally they reached the top; Syana plucked her daughter out of his arms. Toothless hauled him out the rest of the way, and Hiccup panted. "Phew! Well, this has sure been an adventurous start to the morning" he remarked jokingly.

Whilst his mate nuzzled Teala fervently, crooning comfort and relief, Eruza looked at the heart bound pair, head tipped to one side to keep them out of his blind spot. *Thank you so much, Alphas* he chirped gratefully. *We couldn't have saved her without your help. Is there anything we can do to repay you?*

*Don't be silly, Eruza* Toothless replied, *Helping our flock is what we're for.*

"Exactly" Hiccup agreed. Then he added, "Do you guys mind if we take her over to Dogshead Island? Skulder will be able to mend her wing better than I can."

Before Eruza or Syana could answer, their daughter shrieked in protest. *No! I don't wanna! That human's scary – my friend says he plays with dragon bones and eats them!* she cried. Hiccup did laugh at that; he couldn't help himself.

"He doesn't eat them" he chuckled, "and he doesn't play with them, either. Skulder studies them, and he's using what he's learned to help dragons. He's really nice, I promise." Teala still looked doubtful, hiding behind her mother's legs. Then Toothless pointed out, *You need to get your wing fixed, little one, or you might not be able to fly properly when you're older.* Her eyes widened.

They made sure to get the rocks that Kunzite and the others came back with over the crevasse, so no more little dragons would get trapped down there. It was a wonder this hadn't happened before. The chain was put away, and then they flew back to Dogshead Island. Hiccup held Teala in his lap and talked with her to keep her mind off the pain in her wing, as well as her nervousness.

Skulder had set up shop – if by 'shop' one meant his Cryptid Museum and Dragon Hospital – on Dogshead Island for more space, and so Muddie could live in a swamp like he preferred. Once Hiccup was satisfied that Teala was in good hands, he and Toothless took the short flight back to Berk. Everything looked peaceful; well, aside from Adulfr gesticulating wildly at Fishlegs over there.

Toothless rolled his eyes and flew over to land nearby. "Are you guys okay?" Hiccup asked. He regretted it when they both answered at the same time.

"Yes."

"No!"

Sighing, Hiccup dismounted and questioned, "Alright, what happened?"

Adulfr scowled. "It's what isn't happening. Namely, that pest", he pointed at the Terror being held – or held back – by Fishlegs, "flying off and leaving me alone!"

Hiccup looked at the Terror again, and did a double-take. "Wait, is that Leo?"

"Yep. He likes Adulfr", Fishlegs said tonelessly, "but Adulfr doesn't like him."

That was odd. Not the part about Adulfr disliking Leo, that seemed a given, but the other bit. "Wait, why does Leo like you? Did you give him a treat or something?" Hiccup inquired of Adulfr, who looked indignant at being asked such an impertinent question, or possibly just at being addressed at all.

"Of course not. I don't know why he's pestering me – I just know that he is." Adulfr suddenly realised, "Aren't you two supposed to be the Alphas, or something? Why can't you just order him to go away and leave me alone?"

"Well, we can try" Hiccup shrugged. He whistled to get Leo's attention, and said firmly, "Stop bothering Adulfr." Toothless repeated the order, in thought-speak and with a bit of will behind it. Leo blinked at them, licked his nose, and stayed very still. Cautiously, Fishlegs lifted his hands away. The tiny dragon promptly darted out of reach and tried to land on Adulfr, who swatted him away, cursing.

*Come* Hiccup ordered, raising an arm for Leo to land on. "Would you excuse us a minute?" he said hastily, walking out of earshot. Then he looked down at Leo and asked *What are you bothering Adulfr for, hey? Surely you can tell he doesn't want you around. Can't you find someone else to play with you?*

*Not play. Bad human good.*

That's a bit worrying Hiccup thought to himself. *Yeah, he's trying to be good now, but Adulfr really doesn't like dragons. Why do you like him, exactly?"

*Like human! Old human gone. New human same* Leo explained…sort of.

Hiccup gave Toothless a doubtful look. The Swift-Wing shrugged and suggested, *I think he means Harald. Adulfr reminds him of his first human, somehow.*

*He does?* Hiccup asked doubtfully. Aside from both being lean, the two men did not look much alike. *You mean because they're both hunters? Or were…*

Leo chirped in agreement. *Old human gone. Miss him. Lonely* he whined.

"Aww…" Hiccup was ever a sucker for a cute face, but Toothless was not so easily swayed. *You can bond with another human if you want to, but not this human. It's not safe* he told Leo firmly, baring his fangs slightly to reinforce it.

*He's right. Adulfr could really hurt you. I don't know if you've noticed, but he kinda has anger issues* Hiccup pointed out wryly. He sighed, absent-mindedly scratching Leo between his wings. *It's a shame, really. If I wasn't worried about him hurting the little guy, looking after Leo could be a great chance for Adulfr to see that dragons aren't just mindless animals* he added privately to Toothless.

The bigger dragon snorted dubiously. *I don't think a Biter is the best dragon to do that with* he retorted. *Besides, if just being on Berk and around our flock doesn't convince him, nothing will.* Personally, Toothless was of the opinion that Adulfr would always hate dragons. Which was fine, he supposed, so long as the man wasn't hunting dragons. *We've been over here a while, you know.*

Hiccup nodded. *Leo, as your Alphas, we are forbidding you from going near Adulfr. We'll find you a new human somewhere, but not him. Is that clear?*

Leo snarled at them. Toothless snarled back louder. The minuscule dragon dug his claws into Hiccup's arm –armour, thankfully, not flesh – and flared his wings as wide as they could go, opening his jaws to breathe fire. "No" Hiccup said firmly, digging his fingers into the back of Leo's neck as a sign of dominance. Hissing in displeasure, Leo squirmed and tried to claw or bite at Hiccup's fingers.

That was the last straw for Toothless, who plucked him off Hiccup's arm with fangs hidden away and shook him a bit, growling. *Submit* he ordered, auricles vibrating. *You don't hurt Hiccup. You never hurt Hiccup, you hear me?!*

*Toothless, I'm fine! It's just a scratch, and you're hurting him. Let him go.*

With a grumbling whine, half-annoyed and half-guilty, Toothless released his grip on Leo. The purple Terror tumbled out of his mouth, landed, shook himself all over…then sprang into the air to shriek contemptuously at Toothless and fly over to hide behind Adulfr. Needless to say, the man was not impressed by this.

"I thought you were going to get rid of him!" Adulfr protested, indignant.

"We tried" Hiccup answered. Toothless had the decency to look sheepish. "Leo says he's lonely. You remind him of his old human…somehow" he explained. Adulfr rolled his eyes, and frowned at the Terror clinging to his shoulder.

Then he sighed. "You want something done right…" he muttered under his breath. "I suppose I could hack him" Adulfr commented idly. Leo hissed and flew over to hide behind Hiccup instead. Both he and Fishlegs looked appalled. "What?" Adulfr snapped, noticing their expressions. "Why are you looking at me like that? All I said was…no, not hack him to pieces. It's a falconry term, idiots."

They immediately looked relieved, not to mention curious. "You're a falconer?"

Adulfr shrugged, suddenly awkward. "My fa…Hauke liked to hunt with his namesake" he explained. "…When he wasn't hunting dragons, that is. It, ah, occurred to me that if I can't get rid of the little pest, I could try that instead."

"Yeah, but…try what, exactly? You're not going to hurt him, are you?" Hiccup asked warily. He didn't know a lot about falconry, or hawking as it was called, but something told him Hauke hadn't been one to train his hunting birds kindly. If he'd taught his son….Then the rest of Adulfr's words caught up to him. "Wait. Are...are you saying that you…want to train a dragon?" he asked incredulously.

Frowning and refusing to meet their eyes, Adulfr replied "I guess…look, it just makes sense. I want to earn my freedom, and the only way to do that is to prove I'm trying to change, and the only way to do that is – well, I'd prefer there be another way, but if this dragon insists on annoying me, then he can make himself useful. And no, I'm not going to hurt him. That would defeat the point."

Hiccup and Fishlegs shared a dubious look. Did Adulfr want to train Leo in order to prove he was changing? Or for some other purpose? After all, the Terror had been trained by his previous…Hiccup was reluctant to use the word 'owner', but it was the only one that fit – to be a thief. What if Adulfr intended the same purpose? Whether or not he'd harm Leo was only one of their concerns, really.

It didn't take long for Adulfr to guess what they were thinking. "You're not even going to let me try, are you? You think this is all just some big scheme, I know you don't trust me – but how am I supposed to prove myself if you don't give me a chance?" he demanded, sounding frustrated and genuinely hurt. To give Adulfr credit, if he was putting on an act, then it was a very well played one.

"It's not that" Fishlegs denied. "It's just – well, this is kinda coming out of nowhere. Until now you haven't wanted anything to do with dragons."

Adulfr huffed. "I still don't" he insisted, "but I can't get away from them here, can I? And it's pretty obvious that this one", he gestured to Leo, "isn't going to go away, if even his 'alphas' can't make him do so." The drawling contempt in his voice went ignored by Toothless and Hiccup alike. "I'm not going to turn him into some kind of….tiny winged accomplice, if that's what you're thinking."

"We weren't thinking…" Hiccup began to say, but when Adulfr glared at him he admitted, "Okay, yeah, we were. The thing is, Leo was already an, uh, accomplice – sort of – for Harald. We're just concerned that he might, well…"

"Fall back into bad habits" Fishlegs supplied. Hiccup gave him a grateful look.

Adulfr quirked an eyebrow. "So it's not me, it's him" he deadpanned. "Tell me, then. If you can't make him leave me alone, then what do you suggest I do?"

Truth be told, Hiccup didn't have an answer. Leo's refusal to listen to them was concerning, even if the Biter couldn't pose much of a challenge… "Okay, look" he said finally. "It's not that we don't believe you're trying to change, or that you shouldn't have a chance to prove that. It's just…we can't take the risk. But if Leo really is that determined to be around you, then…let him be. Just do that."

*Do you really think that's a good idea?* Toothless questioned. Disobedient or not, Leo was still a member of their flock, and as the Alphas it was their responsibility to ensure that none of their subjects were harmed, or healed if they had been. Hiccup replied *Not a good idea, just the best bad idea I've got.*

Brow creased, Adulfr demanded "That's it? You just want me to…put up with him. Fine. I can do that. Then will you believe that I'm trying to change?"

"We do believe that" Hiccup insisted. Toothless grunted doubtfully. "If you weren't trying, you wouldn't even consider doing this. The hard part is proving that you have changed…but not harming Leo is a start, at least" he explained.

Adulfr grumbled under his breath, then slowly held up his left arm. Looked at Leo and whistled. Chirruping in delight, Leo scrambled off of Hiccup's shoulder and glided over to perch neatly on Adulfr's hook. "You'd better not make me regret this, you tiny brat" the man informed him sternly. Hesitantly, he reached up and scratched a finger on the Terror's chest. Leo licked him and purred.

Relieved, Hiccup couldn't help but smile. *Don't worry, bud; we'll ask Dart to keep an eye on them* he added privately to give his other half some reassurance. "There, you see? He's not so bad. He just wants to be near you."

Forcing himself to stay still as Leo crawled up his arm to his shoulder, Adulfr said "Fine. But if he gets on my nerves too much, you've got to make him go away."

"Deal" Hiccup agreed, if only to keep the peace. "Right, if that's all settled, we're gonna go check on the kids. Oh, speaking of, how's Aegir getting on?"

Fishlegs beamed. "He's doing great! He's so happy about being able to think-speak. Except, Meatlug can only hear him if he's thinking with my voice…"

The two other men continued to talk. Adulfr stepped away, trying very hard to ignore the sharp teeth and claws of the Terror perched right next to his throat.

"...For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever, amen." Klaus finished reciting the Lord's Prayer with the rest of his congregation.

Father Oliver declared, "Let us offer each other a sign of peace", and everyone turned to shake the hands of their neighbours on the pew in a show of solidarity. Klaus shook hands with his mother first, and then with Mr Glenson on his other side. Although, the older man let go of his hand rather quickly, for some reason…he didn't dwell on it, because they were about to sing a hymn.

After the hymn and prayers, Klaus stepped in line with everyone else to receive Holy Communion. When he reached the altar, he crossed himself reverently before being given a consecrated wafer. Afterwards, Father Oliver blessed them all in the name of the Lord, and bid them go forth and live their lives by His example. The priest recited one more prayer, and with that the Mass ended.

Klaus made to leave the church, but his mother stopped him. "Aren't you forgetting something?" Rebecca asked sternly. He looked confused, so she clarified "You ought to confess, young man. If you're going to sin so flagrantly then you at least need to acknowledge it and beg forgiveness from Christ."

He sighed. Ever since Brannild had come to stay with him in Borgund, his mother had been urging him to confess to the sin of riding his dragon, petting his dragon, and just generally being around his dragon. Still, it helped put both their minds at ease, so he obediently approached Father Oliver. Klaus felt guilty, but not for the reasons he ought to.

Instead, it was because he didn't really feel like he was doing anything wrong.

Still, the lingering doubt encouraged him to confess, just in case. "I've been riding Brannild" he admitted, trying to sound remorseful. It was a bit hard, because thinking about riding Brannild made him think about how fun it was. The thrill of being able to touch the clouds, of seeing his whole town laid out beneath him with the fields and ocean for miles around…it was indescribable.

He heard a faint, disappointed sigh from the priest before Father Oliver replied, "You've done well to confess, Klaus. Only…this has been happening a lot, hasn't it? Really, I think it might be for the best if you promised not to do that again."

Klaus squirmed. He knew for sure that lying was a sin, so he didn't try to pretend. "But I like riding him. It's exciting; and I'm not just doing it for fun. Well, maybe a little…but I'm a dragon diplomat now. Jarl Laurence is counting on me. I can't let him down. Besides, I know Brannild looks scary and dangerous, but he's actually very sweet. Just the other day he helped me save a baby bird."

There was a moment of silence from the other side of the confessional booth. "It's good that you want to do right by the jarl. I just want to be sure you're doing right by the Lord, as well. Associating with dragons…isn't a good thing."

For the first time in his life, Klaus wanted to protest It is, I know it is. "The king says it's okay. He has a dragon of his own. They don't have to be damned."

"T'was a dragon that got the new king's father killed, remember?"

"And it was a dragon rider who came and told us what happened so soon after. I was there" Klaus insisted. "I'm sorry, Father. I don't want to give him up."

Again, there was silence. Finally the priest replied "May the Lord forgive you and have mercy on your eternal soul. All I ask, Klaus, is that you consider whether the path you've chosen is truly the righteous one. Remember, I urged you once not to let yourself fall into temptation…I fear that is what's happening here."

The doubts came back again. Klaus thought confessing would assuage his doubt, not make it worse… "I'll think about it" he agreed at last. He walked out of the church, mind racing. Everyone thought he was doing something wrong for riding Brannild, but he didn't. The Bible said it was wrong to be around dragons, but wasn't that just because it was dangerous? Brannild would never hurt him…

He just didn't know what to do. Who was he supposed to believe? Himself, or Father Oliver? He'd seen that dragons could be blessed…but what if it really was Satan tempting him into evil? It can't be he told himself, I'm not hurting anyone. The devil existed to cause strife, but what harm did riding Brannild really do? If Satan had corrupted anyone it was the people who tried to use dragons for war.

Thinking about that made him remember that the former king of Norway, Harald Hardrada, had already reached out to Hiccup and the Berkians. If King Magnus (which was a little confusing, for he thought of his friend back on Berk when he heard that name) had still accepted an alliance with the dragon riders, then perhaps the Archbishop had approved. I wish I could just ask him what he –

Klaus stopped in the middle of the street. He could. Brannild could fly him all the way to Nidaros in no time! Getting to see the archbishop would be a bit trickier – he was sure the man must be very busy – but if the archbishop of Norway knew that dragons could be blessed; oh, Hiccup must have already shown him, surely. In high spirits, Klaus ran to find his dragon. At last, no more doubting!

Five dragons stood in the courtyard of the royal fort at Nidaros, along with their riders. The diplomats were taking advantage of some mutual time off from attending to the new riders in King Magnus' court to catch up with each other. They'd been assigned to a rider each, and were supposed to teach them the ins and outs of dragon riding, as well as ensuring the dragons were treated well.

There were many courtiers. Many of them had no need (or love, it seemed) for dragons, but aside from the king himself, four others had been appointed one. Prince Olaf had bonded with a Colour-Changer named Rainbow; Garrett, the marshal, chose a Spike-Tail named Spisun, Chancellor Haakon now rode a Fire-Scale named Tiger and Huntmaster Cornelius had a Nadder named Snap.

Over the last few months, Brenda and her friends had been living the good life; or at least a fancier lifestyle than they were accustomed to, back home with their own tribes. In some ways it was luxurious; the biggest, softest beds they'd ever slept in, feasts with delicious food, the most beautiful clothes to wear.

On the other hand, life in a royal court, especially for an outsider, was stifling and downright dull. They had lovely rooms, but even the servants looked down their noses at the five no matter how tidy they tried (or not) to be. The feasts were always preceded by unfamiliar prayers that felt awkward to listen to, much less partake in. The fancy clothes were uncomfortable and complicated.

"I dunno about you guys, but I'll be glad to go home for the winter" Otto remarked, idly tossing rocks for Boulder to eat. The Rock-Tail crunched it up, tongue lolling in a grin. *Me too! The rocks round here don't taste nearly as good as on Berserker Island* he declared, gaping his mouth for another one.

Gurgle tipped his head in confusion, and stumbled a bit. *I can't tell the difference* he remarked. Rocks tasted like rocks, no matter where they came from. Some rocks tasted better than others though; he was quite partial to limestone. *I don't think you can either. You're just making that up* he added.

*Am not!* Boulder growled back. *Berserker Island has the best rocks.*

"It's true" agreed Otto, nodding sagely. "We have the best everything."

"Yeah, your rocks must be good if you can use them for brains" mocked Braun. Otto chucked a rock at him instead. He dodged it and grabbed his hammer, only for Firestorm to grab him by the back of his tunic and lift him off the ground.

Ignoring Braun's protests, Ashildr commented "Yeah, I guess I'm a little homesick too. Gotta say though, I'm glad that Cornelius and his huntsmen don't look down on me just cos I'm a woman" she added. Ashildr had expected leers and condescension, but the huntmaster was an honourable sort, and seemed rather impressed with her skill for tracking game, and sneaking around after it.

Margret shrugged. "I was thinking of staying, actually" she admitted. Part of the reason she'd volunteered for this had been to get away from home. "I wanna see what their traditional winter celebration is like. 'Christmas', they call it."

Braun scoffed. "Who cares? The Christians can celebrate however they want, but we Vikings have our own traditions this time of year. Bonfires and beer!"

He and Otto cheered and fist bumped – the girls, and the dragons, just rolled their eyes. *I don't know what you humans see in that 'alcohol' stuff. You know it's rotten grain turned into brown water, right?* Shimmer inquired of Brenda.

"It's an acquired taste" she shrugged, before turning to Margret and asking curiously, "What's got you interested in their traditions, anyway?"

Her brown haired friend fidgeted. "To be honest…I've been thinking about…I mean I haven't decided yet, but I might, y'know…convert. To Christianity."

In the silence that followed, one could have heard a pebble drop – much like the one that fell from Otto's hands before he could toss it to Boulder. Margret's cheeks flushed as they all stared at her, either curiously or incredulously.

"What?" she asked, defensive. "It's none of your business what I do! Some friends you are." It's not like she'd declared an intent to assassinate someone.

Brenda had the decency to look sheepish. "No, wait – we're sorry. You just caught us off guard, that's all." She smiled gamely. "But if you really want to…"

"Why, though?" Braun demanded. "I've got nothing against them believing in their own god, but it's annoying that they expect us to believe in him too. Wait, have you been pressured into this? Tell me who by, and I'll sort them out."

Sighing in exasperation, Margret retorted "You don't need to sort anyone out. Nobody's making me do anything, it's just…I mean, 'Viking' means 'raider', right? It's just kind of ironic that we were the ones being raided…no offence, guys" she added to the dragons. *None taken* Gurgle assured her.

Margret patted her dragon and continued, "but I mean, guys, think about it. Vikings are all about fighting and war, but our tribes have been at peace for years. Give or take the odd invasion. Can we really call ourselves Vikings?"

Her question gave them pause. "So, what are you saying?" Ashildr wondered. "You're thinking of converting…cos you don't feel like a Viking anymore?"

The other woman shrugged. "I guess so. What's holding me back is…what they think of me being a dragon rider. Something tells me that wouldn't fly – no pun intended" she added hastily.

"Would that matter, though? I mean, all the new riders here are Christians" Brenda pointed out. "Maybe you should just go and ask someone about it."

Before Margret could reply, Magpie called down from her perch on the battlements, *There's a Fire-Scale flying towards the city! I think he has a rider.*

Brenda mounted up quickly and went to investigate. When they got closer, she recognised the dragon-rider pair. "Brannild? Klaus? What are you doing here?"

The young teen looked relieved to see them. "I came to see the archbishop! But first, um…d'you have any food? This took a lot longer than I thought it would, and we're starving" he said sheepishly. The two dragons returned to the courtyard; Braun and Ashildr hurried off to get food for Brannild and Klaus to eat, whilst Brenda went to let the king know about their unexpected visitor.

That left Klaus with Margret. He explained to her, "Our priest says I shouldn't be riding Brannild, but I like it, so I came to ask Archbishop Tjodolf if he can persuade Father Oliver that the dragons we know are blessed. After all, Lord Hiccup must have shown him the truth, if he doesn't mind them being here."

"I'll come with you" Margret decided. She wanted to hear what this guy had to say – if he did agree that their dragons were fine, maybe she would convert. Klaus' request raised eyebrows, especially given his mode of transportation. There was a lot of complaining about "ignoring the proper channels" and "overstepping bounds", but eventually they were granted an audience with him.

The archbishop was an elderly man, dressed in fine robes and with a staff topped with a crucifix. "Welcome, children" he greeted as they were escorted into the church. Margret found that odd, but she supposed by his age people as young as they were would be like children to him. Or maybe it was an archbishop thing. "I hear you come seeking my counsel. What troubles you?"

Klaus bowed. "It's a great honour to meet you, your Excellency. Thank you for indulging a young peasant boy like me" he said humbly, "and I'm sorry for coming here unannounced, but…well, the truth is, I wanted to ask you about the dragons. I know the Bible says not to associate with them, but the ones here aren't demons anymore. I'm sure Lord Hiccup must have shown you the truth."

Tjodolf recalled how he'd adamantly protested the alliance. Pagans were one thing, but these people rode dragons, creatures of Satan. Who knew what sort of black magic they possessed? King Harald had refused to hear his counsel, and threatened to have him replaced with someone more co-operative. Since he wanted to retire, not be murdered in the night, Tjodolf begrudgingly agreed.

Then these dragon riders arrived in Nidaros. They seemed pleasant enough; a little uncultured perhaps, but what did one expect? Their dragons had certainly acted tame. Their leader, Hiccup, spoke of peace and turning the other cheek – Christlike words, but he was not a Christian, and so the doubt remained. If the Devil was known for anything, it was tempting one to sin with honeyed words.

This could be a chance to guide a stray lamb back to the fold, as it were. "I see" he nodded slowly. "And what brings you to our church, my dear?" he inquired of Margret, who had been waiting patiently to one side. "The dragons, as well?"

"Kinda. The thing is, I'm not sure I really feel like a Viking anymore… I want to learn more about your religion before I join, but I might…I just didn't think you'd want me, seeing as I'm a dragon rider and all" Margret shrugged. "And for the record, I'm not giving up riding Gurgle. She's my friend" she added stubbornly.

"Brannild's my friend, too" Klaus agreed. "Besides, I'm a dragon diplomat like you guys. I can't just give up on my new role – nobody else could fill it. Please, Your Excellency. You must see that the dragons mean us no harm" he pleaded.

Archbishop Tjodolf laid a frail, wrinkled hand upon the boy's shoulder. "You misunderstand, my dear boy. It is not harm from the dragons I fear, but from their corruptor. The Lord warns against associating with them, for they are of Satan, whilst man is of God. Try to think of it this way. What is more important? The pleasures of sin in the short term, or the fate of your soul in the long term?"

Klaus flinched. "I…but if the dragons aren't corrupted anymore, it's not a sin…"

"They were never corrupted to begin with" Margret insisted. Suddenly, she perked up as an idea occurred to her. "Your, err, Excellency? I know this might be hard to believe, but the dragons can understand us, and I can prove it" she offered. Klaus' eyes lit up. Thought-speak, of course! Why hadn't he thought of that? Maybe she can prove it to Father Oliver as well, if he's still not sure.

To their dismay, the archbishop shook his head. "That is a…generous offer, my dear girl, but I'm afraid I cannot take such a risk, given my position as leader of the Norwegian archdiocese" he declined. "I urge you both to turn away from this dangerous road and onto the path of righteousness. Especially you" Tjodolf added to Klaus. "The Lord will forgive you, if you go forth and sin no more."

The boy looked crestfallen. "So that's it?" Margret demanded, indignant. "You're not even gonna listen, just gonna stick your fingers in your ears and – forget it. Any religion that tells me I can't do what I love or to give up on a friend isn't one I want to join. What do you know?" she mocked, "I guess I am still a Viking, after all. Come on, Klaus, let's go." She spun on her heel and strode out.

For a moment, Klaus just stood there, his world feeling like it was falling apart. The last month with Brannild had been some of the most interesting and enjoyable of his life, even more so than his time aboard Trader Johann's ship. The archbishop tried to comfort him, but Klaus just shook his head and walked away. Tears clogged his throat and stung his eyes. What am I gonna tell him?