New dragon name for known speices is given in this. Dramatis personae will be updated. :)
Toothless spat a low-level flame. The queen looked at all the humans as the kindling caught fire and crackled with warmth.
[None of you flinched,] the queen said softly.
"We trust the dragons now," Hiccup said, smiling. "We know it was their fallen queen who was responsible for the war."
[Fallen queen?]
[Mother,] the daughter said moving to stand at her mother's side. [This is why I asked the young Spike-thrower who so zealously guards his alpha to come. He has a tale of life in his previous nest that may give context to the human alpha's story.]
The queen turned to the young Nadder. He stood straighter.
[Please, young one, give your tale that I might begin to understand all of this,] the queen said.
While the Nadder repeated the story he gave before they left, Astrid dismounted and walked over to join Hiccup, Gyda, and Fishlegs by the fire. Stormfly stayed near to the Nadder, as did Meatlug and Shadowfire. Hiccup suspected they did so to give the Nadder some moral support. Hiccup smiled at Astrid as she neared him. He reached for her right hand. She lifted an eyebrow but took his hand, then leaned close and whispered in his ear.
"We are talking when we get home."
Hiccup swallowed hard. He knew she had been annoyed by his requests that she not leave the young Nadder. He just hoped he had not annoyed her to the point she refused to have anything to do with him for several days. An occurrence Gobber said his mother did to his father just before they found out about his mother carrying him. Hiccup would freely and ,without shame, loudly admit that being in Astrid's presence was addicting.
She understood him in ways no one really did. Gyda had been right in that their minds often came to the same conclusion on things even though they took different paths to get there. She listened when things got difficult and his past seemed to grip him by the throat. She still pushed him to do his best every day, no matter if it was in the forge, in the Academy, helping his father, helping the dragons, or in his lessons with Mrs. Hofferson. She never let him settle for an even keel. He did not want that to end at all, much less for days at a time.
The Nadder finished his tale, prompting many Changewings to growl softly. The royal pair shared a glance and then the queen lowered her gaze to the sand, sighed, and shook her head.
[I had no idea she had fallen so far,] the queen whispered. [Nest leaders are bound though. We have been bound since civility laws were created. There was too much fighting and killing before and it was feared that we would lose all the dragons. Now no honorable nest leader can assault another nest unless they were wronged by the other nest. She never bothered myself or my nest.]
Toothless grunted. [I was Nest Protector,] he said. [It was my job to keep raiding flocks safe. My rank meant she somewhat trusted me.] He took a deep breath. [She was annoyed with the fact the food was becoming scarce from just raiding humans. She wanted me to scout other dragon nests for more food after the raid where my brother shot me out of the skies.]
The queen blinked. [Excuse me?]
Toothless sighed. [She wanted to expand the raids until all the humans and dragons near her were being attack and stolen from.]
[She ordered you to scout other dragon nests?] the king asked,
[Yes. I wasn't able to though. Brother knocked me from the skies and my left tailfin tore off in the crash.]
The queen blinked. [He harmed you and you still call him kin?]
[My brother was not accepted by the humans of his flock. Much less by the nest he lived in before it became the combined nest it is now. They wrongly assumed his small frame meant less strength and less power. To prove himself he created a thing to shoot one of those rock-rope things for him. It bound my wings and paws and I crashed into the trees.]
Toothless walked over and curled his tail around Hiccup and Astrid. He made sure that all who could were able to see the fake tailfin. He even flicked his real fin so they could see the other did not move.
[When he found me,] Toothless continued, [he pulled a tiny blade and held it up, declaring he would kill me, remove my heart, and take it as proof to his father. I accepted my fate. My wings, paws, and tail were too bound and I was in too much pain to defend myself even though my mouth was free to flame him.] Toothless curled his neck to stare at Hiccup. [My brother cut the ropes and freed me instead of killing me that day.] Toothless turned back to the queen. [I knocked him flat, roared in his face, and tried to fly off. I crashed into a cove and that's when I realized my tailfin was gone.]
[But a grounded dragon does not survive long,] the king said. [Even if there is food and shelter available.]
"Um," Fishlegs began softly, "can you explain why that is?"
The king turned to Fishlegs. [And you are?]
Fishlegs squeaked. "Oh, sorry," he said dropping his gaze. "I should have asked Hiccup if I could ask you. I'm Fishlegs. I…I love dragons and Meatlug and I are going to write down all the correct knowledge of every dragon."
The king tilted his head and then chuckled. [An Elder in the making then,] he said. [Those that can fly slowly die when they are unable to do so,] he added, a solemn tone to his musical voice. [It is not a pleasant or painless way to die either. They start off not wanting to eat or drink at all and then, well, I think you understand what happens after that.]
Hiccup winced. Toothless either felt the movement or knew his brother well enough because he shifted and laid the top of his head against Hiccup's frame. Hiccup, without thought, curled his right arm around Toothless chin, holding his brother close. There was silence for several heartbeats then Toothless lifted his head and turned back to the royal pair.
[My brother found the cove and me. That first day we just stared at each other. I did not know at the time why he returned and I was very confused. I thought I had made it clear he was to stay away from me.]
"Gobber said dragons always go for the kill," Hiccup said for the Changewing's benefit. "But you didn't. I wanted to know why."
Hiccup knew Toothless had not forgotten the images from Gyda's home. No one who saw them and regained their memories could forget them. The Changewings, though, did not know about them. Gyda's true origins were a more closely guarded secret than the fact that dragons could talk. Alvin the Treacherous knowing whatever Dogsbreath was able to tell him before dying was bad enough. No one wanted that knowledge available to just anyone.
[Who is this Gobber?] the queen asked.
"Our tribe's blacksmith," Hiccup answered.
The Changewings blinked.
"Uh, he makes the weapons that we use and well as other things the tribe needs for everyday life," Hiccup clarified. "He also was the teacher for the Dragon Training." Hiccup winced again. "That's where we learned to fight dragons."
[Sensible,] the queen said, nodding her head.
Hiccup's eyes widen. "But, uh, ma'am, we learned to kill dragons there. Whoever did the best won the honor of killing a dragon in front of the tribe."
The queen smiled gently. [Young alpha,] she said, [even now we train our young to fight against dragons. Civility laws are grand but, sadly, not all dragons abide by them. Given the tale the Spike-thrower and your brother have told, this fallen queen was one such dragon.] The queen paused and looked out towards the water. [Sometimes when the cold freezes the seas solid we are beset by a flock of arrogant Tail-stingers. Their leaders have always rejected civility laws.]
"Tail-stingers?" Hiccup asked. "I'm sorry, I don't know that one."
Sharpshot climbed up to sit upon Hiccup's shoulder. [Your old book showed them,] he said. [They are the dragons that can't fly and use a tail stinger to render their prey motionless.]
"Oh," Fishlegs squealed. "Speedstingers. They are bipedal and quick. We knew they traveled in packs. We didn't know they could walk over ice."
Fishlegs paused, looking around and Meatlug waddled over. She bumped him with her right hindquarters and Fishlegs smiled. He reached into the bag secured to the back of Meatlug's saddle then sat down in the sand near to the fire. He opened the journal Hiccup made for him and began to write. Hiccup watched the king walk around and look over Fishlegs' shoulder. Fishlegs, for his part, glanced up and shifted to allow the king to see the journal.
"I take notes all the time," Fishlegs said, "so I can add them to the new Book of Dragons. Hiccup will come along and we both refine the notes and Hiccup draws the dragon. Hiccup's a really great drawer. He drew Toothless with a stick."
The king chuckled. [Definitely an Elder in the making,] he said. [Only an Elder can speak that much that quickly and not loose breathe.]
[Should be careful our Elder doesn't hear you, Father,] the son said coming down from the cliff and joining his parents and sister.
The king snorted. [I am not afraid of that old female,] he said but immediately glanced around.
Hiccup got the impression the king was actively searching to make sure this Elder was not present. The queen snickered.
[Not afraid, my love?] she asked before winking at him and getting a snort from him and giggles from her children in return.
Kirika: Hehe, modern technology. Sometimes it works wonders. Sometimes you just want to hit it. Yep, but we can't really fault the son though. He didn't know when he introduced them. I fear for any hatchling with the twins around. I know that they will want to teach them all their prank-pulling ways. Which will give their poor mothers and fathers headaches