Ten years later

"AHHHH!" The girl yelled ferociously as she thrust her axe down with all her strength at the boy in front of her. He dodged and her axe wedged in the ground. Abandoning the axe she dodged his attempted to hit her with his shield and took his legs out from behind. She leapt back to her feet and pinned him to the floor grabbing the sword that had fallen to the floor and pressing it against his back.

"SURRENDER!" She yelled. The boy groaned and tried to shove her off but failed.

"Fine." He spat and she stood up turning around smiling proudly up at her father. He smiled weakly but then gave up and walked away.

"Urgh!" She groaned. "What do I have to do to get his approval?!" She snapped at the boy behind her.

"Stop making me look weak. I'm supposed to be his heir and yet you keep beating me and that's not great in his eyes!" She turned and glared at her brother. He had reddish black hair the same as their father and the same cold grey eyes. They were not yet as crazed as their father's but she knew that the older he got, the more crazed they would become.

"I don't want much, I just want him to be a little proud of me. To give me some sign that he cares a little about me and doesn't just keep me around for mum!"

"You know he does." Her brother responded brushing the dust off his armour as he stood upright again. "He only didn't kill you as an infant because she pleaded with him not to. So when she was killed he kept you safe, and raised you in her memory. He doesn't really care particularly..." He straightened his helmet up as she threw a punch at his face.

"He didn't raise me! She raised me! She loved me and cared for me, and protected me as best she could from him... Then they killed her and I was left with only you and father!"

"He'd have been more brutal if not for Savage holding her last wish close to his heart and protecting you." She raised her eyes to the walkway around the arena where Savage stood watching her after her fight with her brother. It was true, Savage had tried to protect her more from her father and his soldiers, because her mother's last wish had been that he keep her safe. She knew the truth of course, she'd learnt it when she was about five. Her mother had found her after a small dragon carrying her away from an island under siege had dropped her and she'd fallen into the sea. Her mother then sought to raise her as her own, alongside her son. Despite her father's uncertainty about it, he had allowed it as he felt some affection for her mother. Her mother had told her she never really loved him. She stayed for the love of her son.

"Would you stop punching me every time I remind you of the truth!" Vott snapped at her rubbing the side of his face where she had hit him. Scowling she turned to leave when she saw her father walk in, Savage and Levi behind him. Levi was his right hand man and often trained Vott and the other young Viking boys. She was not usually permitted to be trained with them. Savage though saw her potential and trained her himself and sometimes bought her to the training.

There were some things though, some things no one taught her. That she taught herself and kept secret for when she revealed such abilities initially, she had been punished with the whip.

"CAMICAZI!" Her father bellowed, "VOTT! I wish to speak with you both." Vott scowled at his sister. "You've got us into more trouble now." He hissed.

"Silence!" She stared into her father's hard eyes, she was not afraid of him. "Vott! You clearly are not training hard enough if she can continue to beat you so easily in a fight, and take your weapon from you!" Vott looked at his feet slightly ashamed.

"I am sorry father. I shall train harder."

"Good. Camicazi... You continue to show up your brother. You still disobey me and still have that infernal obsession with dragons! I have told you time and time again about fraternising with the dragons! They are wild animals that will kill you as soon as they look at you!" Some people might have mistaken this for concern and affection. Camicazi knew better. Her father simply hated anyone having any association with a dragon that did not involving killing it and cutting off it's head as a trophy.

"Dagur..." Savage began.

"Silence Savage! Leave us... both of you!" He bellowed back. Savage reluctantly left the arena behind Levi.

"For the last time father! Dragons will not kill you as soon as you look at them, they could even be trained I am sure of it..." She began. He stared at her for a moment then his eyes widened and he went, berserk.

"DO NOT SPEAK OF TRAINING DRAGONS YOU FOOLISH GIRL!"

"WHY NOT?!" She screamed back. Dagur stared at her for a moment, as if truly considering her for the first time.

"Because... Because there is an island where they train dragons."

"What?!"

"But the dragons are unhappy, they are never truly free. The chief even has one of the most majestic of the dragons as his own. A Night Fury. But he destroyed half of its tail so it cannot fly without him. I may not like dragons, but I would not see them held in such a way. The dragons are held in cages, and forced to do the bidding of their owner at the hands of a whip, axe or bludgeon. They do not trust those who hold them and so are miserable." Camicazi looked appalled as he told her about these ghastly people. "The only dragon I would allow to be trained here is a Skrill, the dragon of our people, I would ensure it trusted one of our own so we could harness it's powers enough to free those poor dragons who are enslaved."

"But what of the disabled Night Fury? It cannot fly without the Chief. What would we do for it?"

"I fear our only choice would be to put it out of it's misery. My daughter," He said, raising her chin gently to look at him. He never called her daughter, her heart lifted, maybe here was a sign that he truly did care, "My daughter. There is another reason I would use a Skrill, an army against these vile people. They are responsible for your mother's death. If not for that Chief, she would still be here. When you speak of training dragons, of them not being lethal... I remember those people, that Chief and his dragons and feel burning hatred. They have fought us for years, and they took your mother from us three years ago. My child, I was wrong. I was wrong to criticise your gift with such creatures, perhaps, if we can find a Skrill you can train it and at last we can punish them for what they have done. This could be your moment to shine, for glory. My child, will you take on this challenge?"

She felt the tears burn in her eyes as she thought of those poor dragons, of her secret, of her mother. She looked up into her father's face, her green eyes blazing like fire and nodded.

"I shall father. I am ready."