The Prince of Dragons
Chapter 8: Toothless
Berk
Hiccup continued to run when he reached the outskirts of Berk. He made it to the brisk and lively brush of the forest. The Prince then went back to small fox hole where he'd left his helmet and armored plating. His first instinct of course would have been to put his armor and his helmet on, and relish again in the pride of being the Prince of Dragons. But Hiccup thought against this action, if anyone where to accidently catch him putting any of this stuff, he would most definitely have hunted down and killed. So Hiccup just decided to place his belongings inside the barrel with the fish, all except his sword for self-defense of course. The Prince continued to walk along a somewhat laid out dirt path, enjoying the scenery, that is until he heard a large thump. Hiccup instantly recognized this as someone throwing an ax at a tree. Sure, enough when Hiccup walked a few meters further, he saw Astrid practicing her ax throwing. The Prince whispered under his breathe with his face cracking a smile.
"The Lass with Sass…"
Hiccup watched as he leaned against a tree, begrudgingly Astrid tossed her ax from a fair distant toward a large oak tree. Each time she threw that ax, she hit her target almost perfectly. Almost. Her swing was either a little too high or too low. Sometimes a little too far to the right and other times the left. The Prince looked at her form her attractive form, and he could see that Astrid's form was a bit off. When she tossed her ax again, Hiccup then broke the silence and finally said.
"You're doing it wrong."
Astrid lost her concentration, and this time didn't even hit her target. The Hofferson Girl turned, she was both equally parts annoyed, surprised and angry.
"How long where you standing there?"
Hiccup smiled.
"Long enough to know your swing is terrible."
"Really?"
Astrid retrieved her ax and folded her arms. She tensed up.
"Ya wanta test that theory?"
Hiccup dropped his basket of fish and walked up to Astrid, cautiously and slowly.
"Calm your horses; I'm just trying to help ya out."
"I don't need your help."
Hiccup sighed, he took a deep breathe.
"Maybe it would be better if I introduced myself. I'm nameless so call me what you like
"A few names come to mind."
Astrid said annoyed, Hiccup then responded.
"Ya see, this right here, this isn't an introduction, ya gotta actually introduce yourself
Astrid raised her ax to Hiccup's neck. This was incredibly awkward for the Prince, the girl he'd practically proposed to the other day was now holding him at ax point. The worst part was he was nervous, almost as if he was putty in her dainty Viking hands.
"Ya haven't earned that yet."
Hiccup nodded meekly, he began to sweat profusely.
"So does that me you will…um...let me help you?"
The Prince said awkwardly, a girl had never held him at ax point before, well maybe once on the isle of the Bog Burglars. But in Hiccup's defense she sneaked up on him, and she was only four feet tall. Anyway, Hiccup carefully walked over to Astrid, he then put one hand on her back and another on her stomach. Caught off-guard, Astrid pushed her away.
"Get your hands off me! You filthy slug rash."
Hiccup grew puzzled, what had he done wrong? He only put her hands on her, it's not like he had stolen her mackerel or something. Astrid only grew more furious, how could he have been so stupid? How could that nameless Viking have been so naive? The Prince spoke his general confusion.
"Um, okay, what was that about?"
The Prince asked confused.
"Don't you play dumb, you know exactly what that was about!"
Astrid said furious as she tried to hide her embarrassment. Hiccup stepped closer, Astrid only raised her ax. The Prince then said.
"For Thor's sake, I was trying to loosen you're back, you're back is so stiff when you throw that thing, you need to follow through more."
Astrid was about to yell at Hiccup when she realized, that he actually had a good point. Hiccup then stepped forward, Astrid then eased up a bit.
"No funny business or else I'll cut off your hands."
Hiccup was cautious; he had never been this confused in his entire life. He had grown up with dragons that slept on each other like wolves, sometimes in huge piles. But apparently a human being can't touch another human being without it being threatening. So Hiccup walked over to Astrid again and then carefully arched out her spine. Astrid blushed slightly; Hiccup seemed confused by the whole matter. He then pointed to a nearby tree about hundred feet away, it was narrow and a tough to hit target.
"You see that tree, the skinny one?"
Astrid nodded and said.
"Yeah."
"Hit it."
Astrid looked at him like he was mad, but she didn't question him. As Hiccup walked away, she took a deep breathe in and closed one of her eyes. She took aim and then tossed her ax with all her might; it was a perfect swing that slammed right into the narrow tree. Astrid looked on in disbelief, she had hit it, and Hiccup smiled and gave a soft clap.
"Nice job…"
Astrid smiled; she then punched Hiccup on the shoulder. The Prince winced as he grabbed his arm.
"What was that for?"
"That was for touching me…"
She then stretched out her hand, expecting Hiccup to shake it. The Prince was confused by this gesture so Astrid had to literally grab onto Hiccup's hand and shake it for him.
"And that's for the advice."
The Prince smiled a bit, as he starred deep into Astrid's sky-blue eyes. They were like small little light-blue pools. Hiccup scratched the back of his head nervously as he then asked.
"So, have I earned your name yet…"
"Astrid…"
Hiccup nodded.
"Astrid, beautiful name."
The Prince said as he collected his things and Astrid then went to reclaim her ax, they both passed each other. Hiccup sighed, he had lost track of time, hopefully the Night Fury would understand. Astrid had to go home to; her parents were both out along with Stoic and his war party so she had to maintain the family hut. Just as Hiccup was a few feet away from Astrid, the blonde Valkyrie turned around and asked.
"Hey, you wanta do this again sometime?"
Hiccup stopped dead in his tracks, he turned back and simply said.
"Yes, I would."
The Prince then walked toward the cove, as the two finally departed ways.
THE HIGH SEAS
On the high seas of the Barbaric Archipelago, Stoic the Vast's ship the Lucky Thirteen, sailed along with three boats others beside it. On its mast there was a painted dragon, with a sword running through it. Stoic the Vast looked over a map and the uncharted territory of the nautical map. He had a look of pure determination on his hairy face. Spitelout then put a hand on his brother's shoulder.
"Stoic, a fog approaches…"
Chief Stoic got up, he raised his gaze.
"I can almost smell them. They're close. Steady…"
The helmsman steadied the boat slowly as they approached a dense fog bank as tall and far as the eye could see. It towered from the sky like a bruised, daunting curtain, beyond this point nothing was visible. The many ships from several different tribes had tried to enter this fog in the hopes of destroying the dragon menace, very few came out alive. The four ships drift alongside the fog, skirting its solid edge, looking for an opening. On the decks of every boat, the Viking crewmen looked nervous. All too aware of what Stoic was planning.
"Take us in."
The helmsman steered Stoic's ship into the fog. The men and women drew there various weapons, already they were sweating profusely. They prepared for the worst.
"Hard to port, for Helheim's Gate."
Spitelout muttered under his breath, he too was terrified of the dangers that a waited in the fog. The ships began to disappear into the whiteout, followed by the other three. Suddenly, a flash of light burst through the fog. The silhouettes of dragons hover above the water, the sounds of splitting and shattering wood plunge into the water, with another bright flash.
BERK
Hiccup continued onward through the brush of the forest outside of the village. He was almost to the Night Fury, the Prince could already hear the dragon's frustrated cries of anguish. The Night Fury had been trying to feel the joy of flight again all morning; the problem was obvious its tail was busted. Hiccup's heart sank the closer he got to the cove, despite his careless demeanor; he really did feel like this situation was his fault. He should have just left after he freed that Monstrous Nightmare, but no he had to be foolish and fight. Hiccup eventually made it back to the rocky crevice the Night Fury had unfortunately landed in. Once again the Prince made it to the isolated cove, he watched as the massive dark dragon attempted to fly. Hiccup's heart sank lower, he took away the thing that meant most to a dragon, the freedom of flight. Hiccup watched as the Night Fury struggled to get out of the cove. The Night Fury landed on one of the cove walls and made a poor attempt to climb it. But no matter how violently the Night Fury flapped it's violent wings, the mighty dragon still could not fly. The Dragon peeled away and landed roughly on ground, the mighty Night Fury was trapped. Fate truly is Artistic. The Prince looked on in misery, tears formed in his eyes, this was his fault. Hiccup then got out a leather bold book, remembering that he could fix this. That he would fix this. The Prince quickly sketched the dragon, making sure to record the image so that he could devise of a way to help the dragon. Hiccup glanced at his drawing, everything perfect except the tail. Quickly, Hiccup erased part of the tail. The Night Fury glanced upwards at Hiccup, now noticing him for the first time. Hiccup looked downwards; the Night Fury didn't give a cold look, but more of a peaceful, but frustrated look. Slowly the Prince began to make his way down to cove-side.
"Hey, Night Fury."
Hiccup said miserably in Dragonese as he got down from the mountainside. The Night Fury approached him; he sniffed the basket of fish on Hiccup's back. The Prince let go of the basket, after he removed his Prince attire from it of course and he allowed the dragon to feast. Neither of them spoke. Hiccup sat by the cove shore line and began to toss small stone into the shallow water. The Night Fury quickly finished, the dragon then glanced over at Hiccup, perplexed.
"Human, what is the matter?"
Hiccup put on a false smile.
"Nothing is the matter."
Hiccup said with a cracking voice, trying to force back tears. The Night Fury responded.
"You blame yourself don't you?
The Prince began to tear up.
"I do, none of this would be happening if it wasn't for me. We would be back at the cave, hibernating. Now because of me you might never fly again."
Hiccup said as he wiped some of the tears out of his eyes. The Night Fury then said.
"Where you the one who plunked me from the sky and destroyed my tail?"
"No, but-
"It's not your fault, get that through your soft head."
The Prince smiled, remembering the conversation from earlier. Hiccup glanced over at the Night Fury, it bore its trademark toothless grin.
"Thanks Night Fury"
"Anytime Human, we are kin after all."
"We are."
Hiccup said with a smile, he then starred at the Night Fury's toothless smile.
"Ya know, Humans like to give each other names so I hear…"
"Go on."
The Prince chuckled a bit as he tossed a rock into the cove.
"Oh it's nothing, just a silly idea happening in my head."
Hiccup said trying to down play where he was going. But the Night Fury's curiosity had been reached.
"What did you have in mind?"
The Night Fury asked. Hiccup then responded.
"Well, I was thinking, if I could give you a name, I would call you Toothless."
The Night Fury gave a perplexed look.
"Toothless? Why Toothless, I have teeth."
The Night Fury then retracted his teeth a couple of times. Hiccup grinned devilishly.
"Can you smile with your teeth?"
The Night Fury then attempted to smile with its rows of sharp teeth, they retracted just before the Night Fury could crack a smile. Hiccup laughed.
"Ya see that? You're Toothless."
"Fine Toothless it is…"
Toothless said admitting defeat, truth be told he actually kind of liked that name, but he didn't want Hiccup to know. With a devilish sneer the Night Fury then said.
"Now I get to name you."
Hiccup rolled his eyes, but grinned sarcastically.
"Oh, this ought to be good."
The Night Fury scanned his large reptilian eyes over Hiccup, examining the boy's traits.
"Well you're skinny, so how about Skinny, that's a good name."
"What? No?!"
Hiccup protested, he had some muscle underneath his tunic and clothes. Besides Hiccup was arguably more svelte than skinny. The Night Fury began to List off names that came to him with ease.
"How 'bout Harry, humans have hair."
"No."
"Fishbreathe?"
"No."
"Soft-sword."
"That's disgusting!"
Hiccup and the Night Fury sat there for a majority of the afternoon, just listing off names for the Prince. But Hiccup felt like he already had a name the Prince, that was his name. He only got that name nonsense in his mind because Astrid had, such a beautiful name…wait…No. It's because she wouldn't give Hiccup the courtesy of telling him her name to begin with that's all.
The Bottom of the Ocean
Meanwhile, just off the coast of Berk, at the bottom of the Ocean, something monstrous lie. Something impossible, a real Sea Dragon, one such Old Wrinkly had been describing, lay sleeping on the seabed. This Dragon was indescribably huge, even bigger than the Red Death herself. This dragon had been there, sleeping for so long, it almost seemed to be part of the ocean floor now. A great green mountain, covered in shells, barnacles, some of his limbs half buried in the ocean sand and rock. Generation after generation of little hermit crabs had been born and die, just in this dragon's ears. This Dragon had slept for Hundreds of years, because he had rather a large meal. The Sea Dragon had the uncanny luck of catching a Roman Legion camping on a clifftop, they were completely cut off and the dragon had spent an enjoyable afternoon scarfing down the whole lot of them. From commanding general to lowest private, Horses Chariots, Shield and Spears, the entire lot went down the ravenous reptilian . While things such as things such as Gold Chariot wheels are a good source of fiber for a dragons diet, they do take a while to digest. The sea-dragon then crawled into the depths of the ocean and gone into one of the infamous dragon sleep-coma's. Dragons can stay in this state of hibernation for decades, some even hundreds of years like the large Sea Dragon before you. Half-Dead, Half-Alive, buried under fathoms of icy cold sea-water. Not a single muscle of this dragon had moved for three or four centuries. But the previous week, a Killer Whale had chased some seals expectantly deep was surprised to notice a slight movement in the upper eye lid of the dragons right eye. An ancestral memory stirred in the mammal's brain and he swam away from as fast as his fins could carry him. A week later, the sea surrounding the dragon mountain which had at one point been teaming with life, was a great underwater desert. The only signs of life for miles and miles was the rapid jerking of both the dragon's eyelids, fluttering up and down as if the dragon had just now gone into a lighter sleep.
The Dark Brigade Marches, first they run, then they laugh, before they stop in the Valley of Saints.
They defile the land cry that both above and below that the Gods are dead.
But then the Legion comes to meet the Brigade. First, they clash, then they fight. The Legion Sings.
The Dark Brigade is dragged above not to heaven, but the land of Nightmares.
Now the Dark Brigade Marches on, first as men, then as revenants and finally as the First Dead.
-Translation from Rennoish Old Tongue, the March of the Dark Brigade, Scholar Riggs of Lumina