Myths on Frozen Wings

Chapter 2

Air escaped through his teeth as the warm leather was wrapped around his aching limb. The heat did a good job chasing away the cold, but now it felt like needles were sticking into his skin. He hissed again. "Gobber...is this really necessary?" he asked. He lifted his leg off the floor and leaned back, trying to get a good look at the dressing.

"Well, if ya wanna lose the rest of tha' leg, then no. The winter spirit's icy grip is nothin' ta laugh about," Gobber said, reaching his hook under the boy's leg. Hiccup placed the leg in the curve, allowing it to rest on the metal. Gobber tightened the ties and patted the boy's leg with affection. "Tha's lookin' dandy, if I do say so meself." He paused for a moment. "In fact, I do say so meself." With a chuckle, he swung Hiccup's legs over into the bed. He winced with sympathy as Hiccup began to cough again and pulled the blanket up to cover the boy's legs.

"Now, how about some of my Nana's delicious stew?" the blacksmith crowed with obvious delight. He handed the sick teen a steaming bowl of foul glop from the bedside table. He sat down on a stool beside the bed with a huff and waited anxiously for Hiccup's reaction.

Hiccup sniffed delicately at the stew and had to hide a shudder that coursed through his body. The foul acrid stench filled the whole house and yet it still wasn't enough to prepare him being in close proximity of the steaming gunk. He stirred the spoon delicately, struggling to keep his expression neutral. "I thought Dad told you that you wouldn't make this for me?" he asked, desperately seeking an excuse to keep from eating the stew.

The blacksmith chuckled darkly. "Wha' Stoick dun't know won't hurt him, right Hiccup?" he said, tugging on his moustache. He dropped his hand and stood up suddenly. "Gettin' you settled made me ferget my own! I'll be back, Hiccup!" He limped towards the stairs and hurried out of sight. Hiccup waited for a few moments. He heard Gobber getting his own bowl before motioning to Toothless.

"Hey, bud," he whispered raspily. "You hungry?" He held the bowl out for the dragon to eat. The black dragon took a couple of cautious steps towards it, his eyes wide with curiousity. What happened next, Hiccup wasn't prepared.

Toothless let out a low shriek after smelling the bowl and growled at it. He snapped at it and gave Hiccup a rather betrayed look and turned his back on his friend.

"C'mon, bud. It's really good," Hiccup murmured, leaning as far from the bed as he could. Toothless swept his tail across the floor and slammed it down hard with a loud thump. Sensing that he wouldn't be able to change his dragon's mind, he pulled the bowl closer to him. "Yeah, don't blame you, bud." He lifted a spoonful out of the muck and turned it upside down. The glop slowly but surely succumbed to gravity and plopped back into the bowl. He searched for a way to get rid of the stew.

The stairs creaked and Hiccup panicked. He glanced over to the open window beside his bed. It was his only hope. Gobber was coming up the stairs! Sweat trickled down the side of his face as he struggled to reach. The blacksmith had wrapped the blankets too tightly around his legs. His arms weren't long enough. Just before the blacksmith's head popped up, Hiccup lifted his arm to throw with all his might.

"Hiccup! What're ya doin?" Gobber asked, closing the door to his room. Hiccup let out an exasperated groan at being caught before desperately coming up with a lie.

"I was..uh..stretching. My arms. Very sore. You understand," he said quickly and dropped his arm sheepishly. The stew gurgled in the bowl and Hiccup couldn't help but cringe. Gobber wasn't serious about him eating this, right?

The viking let out a loud joyous bark of laughter and plopped down on the stool he was sitting in earlier. The wood groaned from the weight. "Well, come on. Have a taste. Trust me, ya don't want it ta cool down. Almost impossible to eat when it does. Almost like mud." He stirred his own bowl and ate it, humming with approval. "Brings back such sweet memories of me Nana. Such a sweet woman...when she wasn't liftin' weights or ensnaring dragons wit' her bare hands."

"She...sounds like a wonderful woman," Hiccup muttered dryly. He glanced at Gobber who gave him an encouraging look. The teen lifted the spoon again, steam curling from the spoon like a warning. He blew on the hot stew as slowly as he could before slipping it into his mouth.

Almost immediately, tears of pain came to Hiccup's eyes. He struggled to swallow the foul food. He gagged as his stomach rebelled in protest. It slithered down his throat and Hiccup had to cover his mouth. He let out a muffled groan and nodded at Gobber, who was watching him carefully. It took a couple of tries, but he finally swallowed the muck. He forced himself to smile at the blacksmith.

The dragon let out a mocking growl that sounded like laughter and Hiccup shot him a glare. Toothless grinned at him and settled back down as Gobber's hand scratched the top of his head. The blacksmith grinned and drank from his own bowl, ignoring his spoon. "What did I tell ya, Hiccup? Perk ya right up, right?" he said, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand.

Hiccup gave him a plain look. "Kinda earthy..." He gagged again and pressed his tiny fist into his chest to keep himself from losing it. "And chewy." He ran his tongue over his teeth in a desperate attempt to get the taste out.

"Oh! Ya like that bit? Tha'd be from the grubs that live in me garden. Hard ta get to, this time of year." Balancing the bowl on his hook, Gobber fished out a slime covered grub and popped it into his mouth. He chewed it carefully and swallowed. "The trick is ta cook em carefully; otherwise, they're poisonous. It's how my Great Uncle Bork died."

Hiccup glanced at the bowl with a panicked expression and set it carefully on the bedside table. "That's...interesting," he said, wiping his hand on his long white tunic with disgust. He shot a mistrustful glance at the bowl and let out a rather nasty cough.

Gobber lifted his bowl again and drank greedily and noisily. He slurped the last of the soup and let out a satisfied burp. He wiped his mouth again and frowned. "Why aren't ya eatin', Hiccup?" he asked, reaching for the abandoned bowl on the table.

Hiccup gasped for breath and wiped his hand on the blanket, cringing at the state of it. "Not really feeling up to eating, Gobber, but thanks," he wheezed, giving Gobber a watery grin. The pain was starting to creep back into his chest. He noticed Gobber's look and reached for the bowl again with a sheepish grin.

"Eat. It'll keep up yer strength," the blacksmith assured, waving his hook towards Hiccup. He dusted off his leggings and placed his bowl on the floor. Toothless glared at the bowl with distrust and shuffled towards his bed.

He laid down on the black rock and stared at Hiccup, motioning for him to eat as well. He cooed in his throat and licked his lips, trying to encourage the sick teen. Despite the dragon's obvious distaste for the muck, he wanted Hiccup to get better.

Hiccup shifted uncomfortably in the bed and lifted the spoon again. The slop almost touched his lips before a brilliant idea came to mind. Eagerly, he set the bowl down in his lap and tried to give Gobber his interested look. "Hey, Gobber?"

The blacksmith grunted in acknowledgment, picking bits of leftover food from between his teeth.

"What's the winter spirit?" Hiccup asked carefully. "I've never heard of it before." He tried not to seem over-eager as he began to shift towards the opened window. If he could keep Gobber distracted long enough, he might be able to dump the entire bowl outside.

Gobber paused and flicked whatever he picked out of his teeth onto the floor. "I never told ya tha' story?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. He scratched his chin with his metal hook, lost in thought. Hiccup shook his head. "Well, alright then. It's a long story and I dun' feel like repeatin' meself."

The blacksmith cleared his throat. "Well, most people dun know this, but the winter spirit is the one who's responsible for the snowfall and the sea freezin'-"

"Wait, the winter spirit? I thought-" Hiccup grew silent from Gobber's look. He froze in his attempt to get closer to the window.

"Do ya want to hear the story or not?" Gobber asked gruffly, glancing at his hook lazily. Hiccup nodded with such enthusiasm that it brought another coughing fit. "Okay okay, settle down there now. The gods are responsible fer changin' the seasons, yes, but they only provide the canvas. The winter spirit is the one who brings the snow and ice and cold." He grinned at Hiccup, the dying sun glinting off his iron tooth. "They say tha' the winter spirit isn't a god at all."

Hiccup scratched his chest and tilted his head to the side. "Who says that?"

Gobber hummed with frustration and threw his hands up in the air. "Everyone says it. I say it. Does it really matter?"

The young teen tried to suppress his grin. "Sorry. Continue." He inched towards the window until finally he was able to put his arm on the window sill. Success! He tapped his fingers against the cold wood, rubbing the frost off.

Gobber grunted and scratched the side of his face with his hook. "Now..where was I? Ah! Yes, the gods provide the winter spirit a canvas by changin' the season into winter. Now, legend goes that the winter spirit was born as a human wit' unusual powers. He could create ice from his fingertips and freeze water!" The blacksmith held up his flesh hand. "His village was afraid of him. So desperately afraid that they chased him out when he was just a boy. He was an outcast, kinda like you were before ya had Toothless."

Hiccup stilled a bit, setting the bowl on top of the window sill. Gobber looked pleased with himself that he actually had the sick boy's attention. "Wh..what happened to him?"

"He lived to a fairly old age, alone and lost in the woods," Gobber answered somberly. "He built himself a home; but no matter what he tried, he could not get warm. He was so lost and alone wit' no family to keep the darkness away. The darkness festered inside his heart until finally, his heart couldn't take it anymore."

Hiccup gulped and glanced at Toothless for comfort. Could he have turned into something like the winter spirit without him? The dragon gave a low whine and got off his bed. With his claws scraping against the wooden floor, Toothless placed his head on Hiccup's bed and purred when the boy scratched his muzzle gently.

Gobber watched the scene with a tender smile before continuing his story. His voice got so low that Hiccup had to lean forward to hear it. "When his heart was consumed, the winter spirit was an old man. Bitter...and angry. With hair as white as the snow he created and with skin as blue as the winter sky, he left the woods in hopes of finding a family." Gobber leaned forward even closer. "But his old village was even more afraid of him. They called him a monster and cast him out of the village a second time."

Hiccup swallowed and got as close to Gobber as he dared. "What happened then?" he asked in a quiet voice. He felt Toothless nudge his hand again. Gobber tensed and so did Hiccup. He knew it. Somehow, he knew it. The winter spirit snapped.

"BOOM!" Gobber yelled, causing Hiccup to jump back and yelp in fright. Toothless growled at the blacksmith and shuffled his wings with annoyance.

"The winter spirit's heart broke and with it, an entire ice storm appeared out of nowhere," Gobber said quickly. He was talking faster now and making wild movements with his arms. "The villagers had nowhere to run! Nowhere to hide from the old man's wrath and fury! They froze to their deaths on the very spot they were standing." Gobber sucked in a breath and settled back onto the stool. He scratched his belly idly.

"What happened to the winter spirit?" Hiccup asked hesitantly.

"Well, after the storm was over, the winter spirit realized what he had done. When the villagers denied him a chance of finding a family, he made absolutely sure that no one had a family that day. Still, he was heartbroken and filled with regret. He wailed with grief and began to roam the wilds. For the entire winter season, he moved from village to village in search of a family...all of them meeting the exact same fate as the first one." Gobber shook his head. "Poor man, but he was too dangerous to keep around. His mind was gone. Soon, it came to the point that he didn't even wait for rejection. The moment he showed up to a village; the entire village would freeze."

"All because someone wouldn't give him a chance to show that he wasn't a bad person?" Hiccup said bitterly. Toothless whined at the back of his throat and jumped up onto the bed. The wood creaked and moaned violently under their combined weight until Toothless settled down.

Gobber gave the dragon a look before rolling his eyes. "Aye, Hiccup. But what would ya have done? Rumors of entire villages freezin' made people suspicious and afraid. His unnatural appearance gave them all the more reason to turn him away." He waved a hand with agitation. "Ah, nevermind. You'll understand when yer older." The blacksmith cleared his throat. "Anyway, it got to the point where the winter spirit gave up. He sat underneath a great big tree and sang to Odin for three days and three nights."

"Sang?" Hiccup asked, arching a brow.

"Aye, lad. He sang his prayers in a loud yet fragile voice. He begged Odin to take the curse away from him. To give him a chance for a home and peace. And on the third night, Odin answered his prayers. With a great flash of light from Thor, Odin appeared to him in the shape of a crow." Gobber deepened his voice. " 'I have heard yer prayers and I will give ya what ya desire,' Odin said, 'but first, ya must complete a task. If ya complete this task, yer crimes against the villages will be erased and ya will ascend to the Golden Hall as a god. You will have a family.' The winter spirit was estatic and agreed to whatever Odin's task was; however, Odin is a wise and powerful god..and the winter spirit's crimes were great, indeed," Gobber said gravally. "The task was that for seven years, the winter spirit must meditate underneath that tree. The animals of the forest were to bring him holly berries to signify each life he had taken."

"When he received the holly berries, he was to plant them into the soil and nurture them with his own blood," Gobber explained as he mimed planting berries. "He was not to eat a single berry nor get up to drink. He had to survive on his own will and sing to the sprouting plants his regrets and apologies for taking the lives of so many people."

Hiccup furrowed his brow. "But that's impossible. Seven years of no food or water and to nurture plants?"

Gobber nodded solemnly. "Aye, but it was Odin's task. And so, for four years, he planted the berries and nurtured them to health, making sure not to freeze or eat a single one. But the pains of hunger grew too much for him. He grew thin and weak and he had to eat something or surely he would have died. He plucked a berry from a plant and popped it into his mouth. The moment he swallowed, the sky thundered with Thor's wrath. Before the man could rectify his mistake, he perished and died."

Hiccup sucked in a breath and turned to look out the window. Storm clouds were gathering and threatening snow. After all that hard work and yet to fail. He knew what that was like. Bitterness welled up in his chest and he coughed into his hand hard. Gobber placed his hand on Hiccup's back.

"Ya alright, lad?" he asked quietly. "Maybe we should stop?"

Hiccup shook his head and placed his head in his hands. It was pounding now. "No, I wanna hear the rest."

Gobber nodded. "Well, since Odin's task was half complete, he became like a god...but not quite. The Golden Hall was forever out of his reach. His body was eaten away by the holly he planted. The winter spirit wandered throughout the lands in search of a family, but no one could see him. No one could hear his pleas for help, and yet he never gave up hope. But when the loneliness gets to be too much, he lashes out with a powerful storm that can freeze seas."

The blacksmith frowned as Hiccup returned to stare out the window. He stammered quickly and motioned to get the boy's attention. "But all was not lost for the winter spirit!" he said, nodding. "See, in his travels, he came across a magic dragon. This dragon was so old that it forgot its name. With its wings, it can create winds so powerful that they knock down an entire village with one flap. Like the winter spirit, the dragon is invisible to anything else. So, the winter spirit and the dragon created an unlikely friendship, much like you and Toothless here."

Toothless gazed at Hiccup and licked the boy's face. Hiccup spluttered and frowned. "It sounds like you made that last part up," he accused. Gobber flailed about and stood up.

"No! It really happened! The winter spirit rides the invisible wind dragon to reach villages across the seas and reach the other villages in hopes of finding more companions," the blacksmith said, trying to convince the boy.

Hiccup hummed in response and glanced down. His bowl was still there! He had forgotten about dumping it out the window. By now, the muck had cooled into a thick sludge. He grimaced and pushed it away from him.

"Ya know, I actually met the winter spirit before," Gobber said slyly. Hiccup turned to look at him.

"Just like you met the Boneknapper?" the boy asked dryly.

Gobber frowned. "Aye! That turned out true, didn't it?" he said, poking Hiccup with his finger. "But really, I was on another holiday with me mother and father. We crossed the seas into another land, only to discover that the seas had frozen while we were spending time in the villages! We could not get home!"

"So, I was out explorin' in the woods when I came across the winter spirit. He knew I was there. He stared at me with his dead eyes and lifted a hand to snatch me and make me into a spirit like him," Gobber said, grinning. "But I was too quick for him. I fought him and barely managed to escape wit' me own life! Just when I was about to get the upper hand, his dragon howled with anguish. The trees bent down under the beast's fury and with one great flap of his wings, he blew me halfway across the forest!" He leaned down close to Hiccup. "Yet when I returned back to the clearing where I first met the winter spirit, he was gone and I never saw him since."

Thunder crashed outside the window and the wind picked up violently. Hiccup let out another frightened yelp as the shutters began to bang against his wall. The bowl shook and clattered against the window sill before a wooden shutter shoved it out the window. It landed with a splat and Hiccup swore that he heard a muffled "HEY!". Toothless sniffed the air and growled dangerously at the window, exposing his teeth. Something obviously upset the dragon.

The young viking leaned out the window with a confused look. Nothing was out there. The wind picked up again and Hiccup leapt back from the window as a blurry shape flew past the window. Snow drifted into the room before Gobber managed to shut the window.

The blacksmith shook his head. "Tha' was strange," he said, patting the wood gently. "Perhaps the winter spirit was listenin' to my story, eh, Hiccup?" Hiccup said nothing as he tried to peer through the cracks in the wood. "Hiccup?"

"Did you hear that?" the boy asked, reaching up to open the window again. Gobber slapped his hand away. "Hey!"

"Hear what? The wind? I doubt not even our ancestors coulda missed tha' racket," the blacksmith complained. He looked down at Hiccup. "Yer bowl!" He flicked his tongue against the iron tooth. "Eh, not to worry, lad. There's plenty more where that came from."

"No, not the wind...there was something else. I heard a voice and something flew past the window!" Hiccup said, trying to get out of the bed. He froze when Toothless hissed a warning. "Oh c'mon, bud! There's something out there."

Gobber shook his head. "Nuh-uh! Not on yer life, Hiccup. Ya can't just go out there while yer sick like that. Besides, it was probably a bird or a dragon sittin' outside the window," he said, shoving the boy back down on the bed. Toothless huffed with agreement and laid his head on Hiccup's thin chest.

"You just told dad that he couldn't keep me locked up here forever," he complained, glaring at Gobber. He flinched when Gobber's cold hand touched his heated forehead. "And it wasn't either of those things. It sounded like a person.."

"So I did, but I'm not about ta let ya go out there with yer fever. Especially at night. Now stay put, I'll git ya another bowl. And this time, yer gonna eat my stew and yer not going to distract me by askin' me ta tell ya stories, either!" he warned, though his eyes were glittering with mischief.

Hiccup swallowed and gave him an awkward grin. "So..you knew what I was doing..huh?" Toothless snorted against his chest and gave Hiccup a playful look.

"I wasn't born yesterday, lad." The blacksmith reached over and grabbed his own bowl. "Think I'll have another one meself," he added before limping down the stairs.

Hiccup sat up and Toothless whined at having his head moved. The boy scratched his dragon's ear to calm him down. The dragon rumbled as he purred. "I know I saw something out there, bud. And I definitely heard it too."

Gobber limped back up the stairs with two steaming bowls of stew. "Alrigh' Hiccup. Time fer ya to eat."

Hiccup cringed and held his hands up. "Oh Gobber, I would love too, but I just can't eat another bite. I mean, it's probably not a good idea and it'll just be a mess for you to clean up. I couldn't possibly-" The bowl was shoved into his hands.

"Spoon. In Mouth. Now," the viking warned, sitting back down on the stool.

"Meathead," Hiccup muttered, swirling the stew.

"I heard that!"

Hiccup forced out a chuckle and resigned himself to eat the entire bowl of muck.