Chapter Four: A new world
Ever so slowly the teen began to stir, his sleep addled mind returning from the nether realm of sleep that had held him captive. Returning the waking world of the living Adryk experimentally started to move. Opening his eyes, icy blue orbs gazed at the ceiling but with a lack of focus he could make out little other than a dark blur. Prompted he reached up wiping his eyes attempting to clear the hazy from his vision.
With a last couple blinks his eyesight had returned to its norm. Now as he gazed at the ceiling he could make out the detail of the thatched roof and the timbers of the rafters that supported it. Realizing that this was not his room he turned his head and began to check things out.
The first thing Adryk noticed was how the room was lit. At the center of the floor sat a shallow pit, perhaps six inches deep, with ring of stacked stones creating a wall around its parameter. Inside the depression a collection of logs stacked into a step pyramid shape was alight with flame. The fire was the sole source of light for the room, its soft crackle and warm glow cast a homey and relaxing feel to the space around it. Lining the stone barrier were several large masonry jars, their plain appearance giving no indication of just what their contents may be.
Looking away from the fire he checked out the room itself. It was fairly large at fifteen by ten foot and of an open layout with no support beams to obstruct anything. The walls were made of logs, if not whole tree trunks that had been stacked one atop the other. This and the look of the ceiling rafters gave the teen the impression he was possibly in some sort of old fashion cabin. Apparently the cot he was lying upon was situated in a nook at the back of the room opposite the room's only door. Aside from his cot the room had little in the way of furnishings.
What looked to be a bear pelt was strewn out on the floor between him and the fire pit and a few ornate tapestries hung from the walls. Sitting not far from the cot a short foot stool with an empty placed upon it. On the wall near his head a medium height bookcase stuffed thick with books. There were actually so many books that there were many more simply laying about the room. On the left wall was a row of shelves, each one heavily laden with a collection of small jars, pouches, and small wooden boxes much like jewelry boxes. And again more books lined the end of the shelf. Below the shelf a good sized table with a several chairs tucked in against it. At the center of the table a hefty looking pitcher with short stack of plates and a set of cups sat besides the pitcher.
On the opposite side of the room things were a little scarcer.
Here there was nothing else of note except for the large and plain wooden trunk with sturdy metal hinges. And a few feet away from the trunk a wooden staircase that led up to the cabin's second floor.
'Where the hell am I?' was the first thought that came to mind.
Well wherever he was, Adryk didn't plan to stick around for long. However, attempting to sit up the teen was struck by a sudden feeling of light headiness making him feel rather faint. Reaching up Adryk held the side of his head while propping himself up on his left elbow. As his right hand made contact it recoiled as a slight sting pierced his temple. Taking care Adryk slowly brought his fingers back up to his temple and gently ran them over the area. Again he winced when they made contact with the inch long lightly scabbed over gash hidden by his hairline.
For a moment his sat in complete bewilderment as he could only wonder just how he had come to get this injury. Then as if the light bulb lit up, a recollection of what had occurred came to him. Adryk could remember the plane and the storm, but after that things become rather hazy offering no explanation of what happened or just how he come to find himself where he was now.
At the moment he could only hope that wherever here was it didn't come with one of those reclusive weirdoes that one often hears about in urban legends.
With the dizzy spell worn off Adryk again tried to sit up. In doing so a new sensation pulled his attention to another matter, this sensation was the feeling of cloth sliding acrossed bare skin. It was then as he sat up and sheet fell away he realized that aside from the sheet and a deer skin cover he was completely naked! Lifting the sheet he gaped as he saw that indeed he was without a stitch of clothing.
Alarms blared inside the teen's head as he clutched the thin covering tightly to his waist "What the hell is going on here?"
"Ah, you're awake" a female voice interrupted.
In an instant the young man's head snapped up and sought the speaker. Looking to the stairs he found them, standing at the midpoint of the stairs was a woman. She looked to be in her mid-thirties or so with long auburn hair that hung down to the middle of her back. Atop the crown of her head a leather headband with a symbol of some kind was branded into the band's center. She wore a long sleeved brown linen dress that draped down to about mid-shin covering the leggings she wore underneath. Over the dress she had a emerald green overcoat with the sleeves cut off at the shoulder and waist held closed by a length of braided rope with the excess dangling freely, its end tied in a simple knot.
"Who are you? Where am I?" Adryk demanded in as calm a voice as he could manage. Yet while he may have thought himself calm, he was unable to mask the fear that snuck out with his words.
"Calm yourself child" the woman spoke doing little alleviate his nervous feelings. Undaunted by the partially covered teen she continued down the stairs and approached the cot, "You are in the village of Berk. My name is Birna, I am the village healer and you were placed under my care for your ailments. Since I told you mine, care to tell me your name?"
The teen stared up at her, hugging the sheet even tighter "Adryk. Now why am I naked, what happened to my clothes?"
"You have been asleep for nearly four days," Birna paused letting the information sink in "And removing them was necessary to bathe you properly."
Adryk's face immediately flushed with a deep blush as his cheeks were blaze with embarrassment at the thought of some stranger undressing him. Let alone the thought of them washing to his nude form whilst he was unconscious.
Birna had little trouble in determining the reason behind the color change in the teen's face. Not wishing to antagonize him further she turned away and strode towards the large chest near the stairs. Bending down she opened the lid and rummaged around its contents for a moment before standing again and closing the lid. With a bundle tucked under her arm she made her way back to the teen's bedside.
"Such strange clothing you have" Birna's outstretched arm offering up the items in question, "During your time asleep I washed your clothing for you. Otherwise you would have found them to be quite uncomfortable with the dried ocean salt."
The woman's words broke the trance of embarrassment and he was quick to take back his belongings. Setting them in his lap Adryk pulled the bundle apart making sure every piece of his clothing was there. Before attempting to get dressed he again looked up at the woman standing nearby. His expression telling her he was still not pleased about what was going on, but also that he would not dress so long as she was watching him.
Taking the hint Birna moved away to give the teen some space. Keeping her back turned to him she smirked, no matter what age or gender her patients were they all were always so embarrassed by undressing around her even if her care called for it.
"You're a lucky one, you know" Birna spoke as she tended to the fire.
Adryk paused; a quizzical expression on his features, to what was she referring to exactly. "What do you mean?"
Birna slumped her shoulders slightly, her voice taking a more somber tone. "I have rarely seen such a fever and even fewer times have those survived. Most of the time they simply burn with the fever until they can no longer carry the burden." Turning her head she cast a sideways glance over her shoulder to the teen "To have pulled through, the fates must have plans for you."
Adryk sat for a motionless taking the moment to allow the woman's words to settle in. As he thought about it he came to realize just how close he been to facing his own demise. The teen's mind ran, first the fall and then a fever, just how many times would he be snatched from death's grasp? In that moment Adryk thanked whatever there was to thank for his luck. But his thoughts were interrupted by the strange woman.
"Or perhaps you're just incredibly stubborn. And in that case you'll fit in perfectly around here" the healer smirked before turning back to the fire.
Regaining his composure, the teen was quickly reminded of his clothing status by a draft. Still he didn't like the idea of trying to get dressed when some stranger was sitting not but eight feet away from him. Alas but what choice did he have, unless he wanted to sit around naked in bed and hope that maybe she would leave long enough for him to get dressed at some point. So grabbing his underwear the teen did his best to discreetly slide them on underneath the blankets. Feeling less exposed now and his embarrassment waning Adryk unfurled his pants and sat up to swing his legs over the side of the cot. With his legs in the open he was fast to slide them into the open trousers, once pulled up to mid-thigh he leaned backwards and lifted his hips to pull the trousers up the rest of the way. Lastly he threw on the shirt over his head and tucked the bottom of the shirt into waistband of the fatigues before fastening the buttons.
Glancing about the vicinity he looked for the last article of clothing, "Where are my boots?"
Birna didn't move but merely gestured with a back turned arm towards where he sat. Taking it to mean they were around there looked but saw nothing until he leaned forwards checking the space between the cot and the floor. Indeed his boots sat side by side waiting, the tops of his socks tucked within the boots hung half out.
Retrieving his boots Adryk pulled the socks on over his feet followed by the boots themselves. After adjusting them for a snug fit he tied them tightly ensuring the laces did not come loose, and then bloused the bottom of pants around the boots upper section. Satisfied Adryk carefully moved to stand, faltering for a moment as he experienced a more mild return of the earlier dizzy spell.
Escaping his notice Birna had stood and moved in close to him. The healer placed a hand on the teen's chest fortifying his balance but also stopping him from going any further. "You'll not be going anywhere just yet" Birna said in a firm but gentle tone. Then with surprising strength Birna urged back into his original seated position on the cot. With a brief nod she turned moving off to the shelves on the wall removing a small pouch. Taking a cup from the table she poured some water from the pitcher into which she sprinkled some unknown powder and stirred the mix.
Adryk looked up at her as she approached holding out the cup for him to take, "You're still weak from the fever, drink this. It will give you strength."
When he didn't take the offering Birna gave a gruff and annoyed grunt. This sound combined with her pushing the cup towards him passed on the message loud and clear. Warily Adryk took the cup from Birna's hand.
Bringing it close to his nose the teen sniffed at the liquid. There was a faint and distinct floral scent and beneath that some kind of spice that sent his nose twitching. It did occur to him that he hadn't the faintest idea what she put in this cup. For all he knew it really could be something to make him better or perhaps something poisonous. Still keenly aware of the annoyed woman standing over him, Adryk brought the cup up to his lips.
'Nothing ventured, nothing gained' the teen chanted in his head.
As the liquid flowed into his mouth and over his taste buds the flavor became apparent. The intensely bitter fluid overwhelmed his tongue before burning like a hot pepper. Twisting his face Adryk pulled the cup away from his lips with a sputtering gagging cough.
"Finish it," Birna commanded inching closer as his resolve wavered.
His eyes clouded over with tears from the burning in his throat, his face contorted to denote his disbelief that the woman was serious. But clearly her expression told him otherwise. Cringing softly he looked again at the cup of liquid in his hand then mustering his courage downed the rest of the liquid in one massive gulp. Almost instantly after the gulp the teen again found himself in the middle of a coughing fit as his throat contracted with the burning sensation. All while the bitter taste still lingered on his tongue and Adryk swore he would never be rid of it.
Birna smiled taking the empty cup from the teen's outstretched and shaking hand. She knew the effects the draft brought with it as he was not first to suffer under it nor would he be the last. But this would a necessary step in his recovery. Turning away she moved to the table this time filling the cup with plain water from the pitcher before offering it again to the teen. The lad took it without hesitation and quickly began to down it.
When he again held out the cup she took it back with light pat to his hung head.
Depositing the mug on the table she turned crossing the room to the door. Laying her hand on the handle she pulled it open but only enough for her to lean her torso half out the gap.
It was obvious she was now talking with someone on the other side of the obstacle but who remained a mystery. Instead Adryk focused on the sounds that now filtered into the room from outside. Sounds of clanging and banging like someone hammering, a high pitched whine like a bearing that needed oil, and distant shouts too far off to be discernable. Though his curiosity was growing the teen didn't want it to be too obvious.
Scooting over on the cot Adryk tried the simple maneuver of leaning over. Unfortunately all this did was allow him a better view of his host's back and a glimpse of the sky outside.
-x-X-x-
The starchy warm air of the Great Hall reverberated with sound. Jumbled words echoed off the stone walls as the gathered Viking leaders continued with their heated debate. Their individual voices disappeared, drowned out to become one amongst the cacophony of others.
The Viking elders gathered about the center of the vast chamber, encircling half the table that surrounded the fire pit at its heart. The majority of those there were locked in heated arguments, flinging remarks and accusations back and forth at each other like stones. In a rare moment they would lower their voices to a more normal speaking tone and act a bit more civil at allowing others to speak in turn.
"I say we should stick the foreigner on a ship and sail him back out to sea" a large Viking with an eye patch remarked.
"He's just a boy," a woman with fiery hair objected. Her disdain for the man's words showing clear on her face "The lad's no older than half the youngsters on the isle."
"Aye," the man next to her nodded in agreement.
Before any could manage a retort the red haired woman spoke again. "If we do that we may as well just put him to the blade now and end it. Because he will surely perish just the same at sea, is it not enough that he almost did if not for Stoick's boy."
"But we still have no idea where he hails from, or how it was that he ended up here?" another chimed in.
"Indeed Hoark is right," a lanky Viking with a bushy beard and long pony-tail answered. "We've scoured the shoreline as well as the surrounding sea only to come up empty handed. No debris, no supplies or any sign that there might be others that came with him." The man shook his head slowly "It's like he just came out of nowhere."
"Perhaps his vessel sank out at sea, or he was carried overboard to drift with the tides."
"Or maybe tis another reason" a hushed voice postulated.
Curious the others turned to the speaker "What do you mean?"
"I mean you remember the Elder's words." An older woman spoke, "How that storm came out of the blue to wreak havoc and now this boy suddenly turns up on our shores."
The man acrossed from her cocked an eyebrow as he regarded her words, "Just what are you getting at?"
"Maybe this is an omen."
With that statement the room was overtaken by an eerie silence. It was like someone had taken all the air out of the room. Indeed there were quiet whispers and mutterings as each reflected upon those words, the storm and the mysterious teen whom now rested in the village. Of course some dismissed such guesses as whimsy and sought their own explanation. But others were given pause as they contemplated the matter realizing that it may be more than chance that brought the teen to their village.
Stoick sat in his chair leaning on his left arm as he rested his chin on the top of a closed fist. The chieftain remained as silent as he had since the start of this gathering, his gaze drifting from person to person. If the Viking chieftain had his own thoughts on the subject only his own company did he keep.
Even as the others spoke of the newcomer and the possible recourses they could take, Stoick's mind followed its own lines. But at the mention of a possible relation between the teen arrival and that of the storm seemed to strike a chord with him. His mind skewed into a new tangent of thought revolving around this theory. The thought he gave to this, the more he saw there was indeed a strange coincidence that linked the two.
If the boy had been on a vessel that had gone down at sea then the storm would have carried the debris the shore alongside him. Let alone anyone else who may have been aboard before it went down but there hadn't been any just the lone teen.
On the hand, there was a chance that Inga was right and he had merely been thrown overboard. In which case there would be no debris or stranded survivors as the ship had not been lost and was still afloat out there somewhere.
Slowly he shifted his gaze to his left.
There seemingly dwarfed by the chair in which she sat was the Elder. She was the easily the oldest amongst their number, while he may be the tribe's chief and leader she still held considerable sway over the village. She sat eyes closed, walking staff draped acrossed her lap held in place by her hands resting atop it. The Elder had a serene air about her as she sat listening to the discussion at hand. The only clue that she was still among the living was the slow and rhythmic movement of her chest with each breath.
So calm the Elder seemed that if Stoick didn't know any better he could've sworn that she was asleep. But he knew the truth. Any time such a weighty matter came about the Elder was always present and while the others would busy themselves with arguments, she would simply take her usual seat and enter a sort of meditative trance, all the while still keenly aware of the happenings around her.
The long groaning of the entrance's massive doors drew Stoick's attention away. The squabble died down quickly as the participants turned seeking to see just whom had caused this interruption. A lone man made his way through the room, the short cape he wore bellowing behind him while the chainmail of his skirt jingled softly with each step.
As he eyed the man Stoick's hand fell away from his chin before he stood.
"What news do you bring?" Stoick inquired of the intruder.
The man stopped several feet out from the group, dropping to one knee he bowed in respect. "Birna says the foreigner has awakened and seems in well spirits."
The Viking Council glanced at each other before turning the attention to their chief. Stoick mulled over his response for a moment but before he could issue the order it had to be approved. Pivoting at the waist he looked to his left. The Elder remained like a statue for second or so, then slowly her eyelids parted as if aware of his gaze. Blue-grey eyes returned the chieftain's gaze and with a single gentle nod of her head the Elder gave her answer.
"Bring him to us," Stoick addressed the kneeling man "Tis time we got some answers."
The man nodded, "As you command." Then with a final bow, this time at the waist, he turned and strode out direction he had come.
-x-X-x-
After the discovery of the foreign teen things had been abuzz with gossip. But by now things had died down considerably since then and now village life had returned to the routine. Oh there was still the occasional bit of talk about the stranger in their midst. But everybody had gone back to focusing on carrying out the repairs to the village in wake of the storm four days ago.
Well all save perhaps one Viking.
Hiccup sat on one of the workshop's stools, his back leaning against the wall. By the expression he carried it was rather obvious his mind was preoccupied by other things. Ever the curious Viking, while the others had gone back to their daily lives, his thoughts still dwelt on the newcomer he had found on the beach.
After Gobber and he had left their charge in the healer's care, they had returned to the beach accompanied by his father and his search party. He was still rather surprised by his father's decision for him to lead the way. After he showed them to the spot of the discovery Stoick then directed the party to spilt up and conduct a thorough investigation. And search they did. Some marched acrossed the beach, some trekked through nearby forest all while the remaining took to small boats and combed through the shallow waters.
Only after every square inch was thoroughly sifted through did Stoick call off the hunt.
The only thing turned up by the lengthy search had been the same strange cylinder that Hiccup had found earlier. His father had examined it closely as did Gobber, who remarked on how such a thing could be made. Both had also noticed the bizarre etchings on the side of the tube and both were puzzled by their meaning. Rather than see it melted down in the smithery or simply tossed aside Hiccup asked if he might have it and Stoick agreed handing the item over.
The cylinder now resided in the teen's grasp, the fingers of his right hand running over smooth surface feeling the ever-so-slight dip where the markings were. Even in the days that followed the etchings remained as just as much a mystery as they had then. Much like a puzzle whose pieces were scattered Hiccup was determined to put it back together again. But for now the answer continued to stay just outside of his grasp, and he knew if there was an answer it lay with the other teen.
From the front of the shop Gobber kept an eye on his apprentice.
Hiccup had always been a curious individual, if not the most inquisitive person had ever met. He was not one to let a question go unanswered. However, this sometimes caused problems for the lad as his mind would become preoccupied to the detriment of his focus. Just like now, at every chance the boy had gotten he would return to staring at that same artifact he had found. His gaze so focused on it, daring not to look away as if at any moment it would come to life and relinquish its secrets.
"Hiccup," Gobber spoke breaking the lad's concentration. "Give it up lad. You've been staring at thing all morning" the blacksmith approached "It's time you get your mind back on the things that need doin' and off that ridiculous little thing."
At first the occupied teen paid little mind to his mentor's words but he knew the older Viking was right.
"Yeah," he sighed "You're probably right."
Rising from stool the teen moved to a nearby shelf and simply set the object down on it. And with a last glance back at the stubborn thing Hiccup went back to tidying up the polished and sharpened blades they had worked on that day. Each had to be put in their proper place. Those that had simply been mended were placed upon a long table to await for their owners to pick them up, while those that had been made were sorted.
Swords went to the racks; axes went onto wall mounted pegs alongside the warhammers, spears were collected and placed into a barrel while knives sat on shelves and the bolas were coiled and stacked together on a small table. Everything primed and ready for use at a moment's notice.
A knock at the shop's front interrupted the pair of smiths.
"Ragerd" Gobber greeted the other. Striding acrossed the shop the blacksmith approached the other sharing in a hearty handshake and pat on the shoulder. "Here for your sword, I take it?"
"Oh aye" the man nodded.
Hearing this Hiccup made his way to the back of the shop where the item lay. His eyes wandered over the wide assortment of items that lay on the table, everything from household items to tools to swords and axes. He rapped his fingers on the wood surface as he tried to recall just which one it was. The teen looked over each in turn, after awhile he settled on one towards the end of the row. Just to be sure he examined the insignia upon the hilt and sure enough it matched what he could recall.
Lifting the hefty blade Hiccup turned making his way towards the waiting party.
The talkative pair barely noticed the teen's approach as they carried on with their conversation. Coming a stop nearby he extended his arms offering the sheathed sword to its owner. The Viking smiled at the sight of the heirloom. Taking possession he held sheath with one hand while grabbing the hilt with the other. Pulling the blade from leather casing he inspected the newly refinished blade.
"Fine work as always, Gobber" he complimented before resheathing the sword.
Gobber accepted the other's words with a nod. As he opened his mouth to speak there was a commotion that distracted the trio. Curious the three Vikings left the shop behind as they made their way to the disturbance.
Some of the villagers stood gathered in small groups conversing rather loudly while others just continued on their way. As the trio approached they were cut off by a roving band of the village youths rushing acrossed their path.
"See here now" Gobber said apprehending one the stragglers "What's with all the ruckus?"
"Ah" the youth gasped as he found himself suddenly dangling in the air.
Hoisting the teen by his prosthetic hook Gobber rotated the lad until they were looking face to face. "Now what's the rush?"
"Haven't you heard?" the answer came from the blank looks he received. "They say that the stranger is finally awake and the Council wants to see him. So we're going to see him."
Watching the lad's eyes dart to the group he had been a part of retreating in the distance Gobber set him down. Without any words further the trio watched as the boy took following after the others. Rather knowingly the blacksmith's gaze turned to his apprentice. Indeed the boy's expression proved that the news had indeed piqued his curiosity as plain as the sun shines during the day.
"Go on lad" turning Hiccup looked back as if to clarify he had correctly. "The day's work is done and I know you're as curious as everyone else."
Taking off his apron Hiccup handed it off to the older Viking and with a quick nod of thanks he took off.
-x-X-x-
Looking to the cup in his hand the teen took another big gulp finishing off the glass of water. This was the third glass Adryk had drank since being made to down that awful concoction and still the taste lingered on his taste buds.
But he had to admit, though it tasted horrible it did seem to be helping him.
Listlessly he set the cup aside and turned his gaze upon the room's other occupant. The woman was seated on her stool next the fire pit, at the moment she was in the process of preparing something in a small pot above the fire. Her right hand held a long handled wooden spoon while she used her left hand to sprinkle measured amounts onto the spoon before mixing it in the waiting pot. Occasionally she would pause and take a quick sip to taste it.
Adryk inhaled deeply whatever it was she was making certainly smelt good.
As he looked her over he noted for the first time how out of place her clothing was. 'And she says my clothes are strange. Hers look practically medieval.' In fact her clothing reminded him of the old getups worn by people at renaissance fairs he had seen. Turning his thoughts away from her and her unusual clothes the teen instead did his best to figure out just where he was and how he had gotten here.
Adryk sat quietly hanging his head in his hands. He remembered waking up the morning of his birthday and journeying with his friends to the airport for their appointment. But from there his memory became fuzzy as if he was trying to watch a movie through frosted glass. He could recall being aboard the plane but after that the last memory he had was finding himself in the churning sea and somehow making it to shore before blacking out.
And that was the million dollar question. Just how did he wind up in the sea?
Adryk knew they should have been nowhere near the ocean. And yet by some means they were as sure enough he had landed in it. The more he thought about it the less and less sense it made which only created more and more questions.
With each new query it felt like he was once again in that ocean barely able to keep his head above the surface. Unable to answer even the simplest of them Adryk did the only thing he could. He shoved it all into the recesses of his mind. Deciding to focus on something else instead he again took to examining the room in which he had apparently been a guest for the last several days.
The majority of the room's contents did little to hold his interest for long. That is all except the short bookcase found on his left. He could see each of the three shelves was crammed with books of various sizes and thicknesses. There were so many books in fact that there were several small stacks piled at its base and a few piled on top.
The teen looked over the books themselves, they stood side by side, orientated so that their spines faced outwards. However, doing so served no particular purpose as none of them had any kind of writing or markings upon them. So there was no way of knowing just what sort of information lay inside them.
Casting a glance to his host briefly he looked back the books. Extending his hand he selected a tall one from the end of the middle shelf.
It certainly was a hefty tome, about a foot tall and nearly three inches thick. The book was hardcover and bound in a faded brown leather jacket, the soft leather had an odd odor to it like the smell of age. It was obviously handmade as apparent by the stitching along the binding of the spine. Looking it over Adryk couldn't help but wonder just how old this book was.
Again Adryk looked to Birna before he carefully opened the book to the first page. The pages were considerably thicker than normal paper and felt more like some kind of parchment like material. The edges had a slight discoloration to them with some of them looking tattered and dog-eared from years of use. The contents of the pages were seemingly well preserved, the hand written lines were scribbled acrossed the page looked in good condition with only a slight discoloring as the black ink was turning a sort of rust color.
The language of the book also spoke of its age. The words were laid out like any other book he had read before but the words themselves were written in some kind of runic alphabet that was a complete mystery to him.
He was mesmerized by the odd shapes and unusual patterns that were laid out on the page before him. And yet as he stared at them it felt almost familiar to him as if it hovered just outside his thoughts. The longer he gazed at the book the more he wished he could figure it out. Then something miraculous occurred. As his eyes traversed the written characters he began to understand what they said. Each letter produced the corresponding phonetic sound within his head before being combined to form words, words that he could understand.
As he read over the page Adryk couldn't keep his eyes from opening wider in astonishment.
Finishing the current page he quickly thumbed through page after page reading off a sentence or two from each until he reached the final page. Placing the book back in its spot he retrieved another but from another shelf. Opening the book he repeated the process scanning through the multitude of pages before setting it aside and repeating it for a third and fourth time.
Adryk sat with a blank stare on his face, his eyes locked on the book splayed open on his lap. His mind now filled with a new and dizzying array of questions. "What's going on, how can I read this?" the teen muttered.
But as he grasped for answers an odd realization came to him. Slowly his gaze shifted from the old tome to his seated host. 'If I can read it does that mean I can speak it?' after all logic would suggest that anyone who owned such a thing and could read it also was able to speak such a language.
Nevertheless before the lad could think about it anymore there came several heavy knocks at the door.
The abrupt noise startled the teen into jumping slightly in his seat, the book sliding from his lap to land on the floor. That over his head snapped upwards, his eyes locking onto the door.
Birna groaned, "Must everyone be so heavy handed with my door."
Setting the long spoon aside she rose with an exasperated sigh. Then with an expression clearly representing her mood she strode acrossed the room to the door. And with a harsh jerk she deftly opened the door.
The violent movement surprised the three men waiting on the other side. "What's the meaning of hammering on my house like that?" the healer demanded in a curt manner.
"The council wishes to speak with your guest" the largest of them announced.
Birna looked them over for a moment before moving aside and allowing them entry into her home. Carefully they moved passed the irate woman and made their way over the seated youth. Two of the men strode forwards while the third hung back near the Viking healer. The two men with their weird clothing and burly builds standing before Adryk was an intimidating sight for the teen and caused him a fare bit of worry.
"You're to come with us the elders want to meet with you" a brown haired man to his right spoke.
Adryk cast a quick glance at the three men. The thought of fleeing and trying to get away did enter his mind but for a brief second. With three of them in the room attempting to slip by them would be rather difficult to nigh impossible. They were no doubt strong judging by their builds and who knew just how quick any of them were. But more so what would he do once he got away? Go for help? God only knew just where he was and how far he would have to go for that.
Sensing the hesitation in the young man Birna approached laying a hand on his shoulder. When he looked up at her, the healer gave him a simple assuring nod. It was a small signal that told it would be alright and it would be best to do as he's told.
Even with the other's gesture it did little to sway his doubts. But nonetheless he slowly rose to his feet and moved to join the waiting party. The two men stepped aside to allow him to pass by before taking position to follow the teen. Crossing the room they were met by the third man at the door, who then turned and led the small group outside.
The outside world was a drastic difference from house's interior. His eyes so used to the soft light provided by the fire was unable to cope with the bright sunlight as it nearly blinded him. The brightness forced the lad to hold his arm up in effort to shield his eyes and give them time to adjust. Gradually they did so, adapting to the bright light allowed him to lower his arm once more. With his eyes clear Adryk gaped at the sight stretched out before him.
It looked like a rustic seaside village one sees in travel brochures or in history books. The village itself was rather quaint with a definite old-world feel to the many log cabins that made up the hamlet. It appeared that the town had been built upon a series of plateaus. This multi-tiered look gave it an almost staircase design with clear separation between each layer. To connect each layer were a series of ramps to allow free travel up and down, while bridges crossed any gaps in the ground.
But really caught his eye was the long stone staircase he could see at the crest of the village. The staircase traveled up for some distance leading to the craggy mountain peak that towered over the village before it. It was there the stone pathway disappeared into a gap at the mountain's base where it was flanked by a pair of stone statues of some sort. Above each statue was a bowl that no doubt held some kind of fuel judging by the lit fires atop them.
Snaking its way through the village was a central road, lined on each by the log cabin style homes. At the moment it looked like the hamlet had seen some kind of attack or something as some of the buildings showed obvious signs of damage while carts filled with debris made their way along the street. Not surprisingly all the people Adryk could see were all adorned in the same medieval style of clothing his host had been wearing.
'This can't be real. Just where in the world am I?' Adryk thought to himself his gaze drifting about.
Feeling he'd been given enough time to adjust one of the men behind the teen patted the teen on the shoulder. Adryk pivoted looking back at the taller figure who gave a jerk of his head indicating it was time to be moving. Obeying the unspoken command Adryk fell in behind the leader as they made their way down the porch steps and onto the dirt pathway. Again the inclination to flee crept into Adryk's mind but yet again it was pushed away.
Now that he had gotten a good look at what beyond that woman's house, he knew now doing so would be meaningless. There was no point. Where would he go? He was a stranger in a strange place and angering the locals did not seem like such a good course of action.
Treading along the well worn trail Adryk kept his eyes on the back of the man walking before him, only occasionally would he spare a glance to the sides. When he did the teen noticed the odd stares he was receiving from those whom they passed by. After awhile it seemed that more and more people began to line the sides of the road to catch a glimpse of the island newcomer.
Indeed as word spread of the foreigner's waking and of his meeting with the council the more curious amongst the village showed up. First it was mainly the children being the most curious of all who came out, then slowly the older teens and some of the adults drifted in. All came see this newcomer for themselves.
And all the while Adryk was keenly aware of the many eyes watching his every step.
-x-X-x-
Hiccup made his way up the stone staircase. While he could have tried to see the teen as he was being led through the village, Hiccup knew it would be uncomfortably crowded. No, he knew the best place to see the other teen would be at the Great Hall and it seemed so did everyone else. As already he could see that a number of the other teens had come the same conclusion and now waited at the top of the stairs.
The other teens gathered about pedestal of the left statue basking the shade of the large stone figurine.
Taking note of the gathered crowd Hiccup slowed his pace. As he approached the top of the stairs he thought about joining the other teens but his presence was never really tolerated well with some of them. So instead of turning left Hiccup turned to the right moving to stand near the base of the opposite statue.
Leaning against the stone block he discreetly watched his fellow youths. Some of them he'd had little contact with so their names escaped him. And yet there were familiar faces that did stand out. Chiefly among them was a group of teens he'd had regular contact with on a near daily basis. Namely: the twins, Snotlout and two cohorts, the mild mannered Fishlegs, the healer's apprentice Svana, and of course there was, Astrid.
When Hiccup's eyes settled upon the memorable female form, she became the sole area of his focus.
Astrid sat on the steps, her right leg bent at the knee and drawn up behind her left leg. A large double headed battle-axe, a favorite of hers, lay stride her lap. The bulky weapon was held steady by her left hand while she made long smooth passes over its edge with the whetstone in her opposite hand. She paid no mind to the others about the area and focused on a task she often spent time on. All the time oblivious to the dreamy eyed look she was receiving from one of their number in particular. Occasionally she would pause to run her thumb acrossed the edge determining how much work still needed to be done.
With a brief sigh she set aside the axe, perhaps she had finished or just maybe she had grown bored with it. Astrid sat looking out at the horizon for a long moment before she turned her blue eyes scanning over the area.
Hiccup couldn't help but quickly avert his gaze, his face going flush when she looked towards him.
Though part of him wished to return to watching the object of his affections but he was not one for tempting fate. So instead he diverted his attention to what the rest of the crowd was up to. Luckily for him it seemed the others weren't bothered with keeping their voices down.
"Where do you think he's from?" a red haired girl asked.
"Dunno" seemed to be the common answer.
"Oh, oh I wonder if it's someplace far away?" Fishlegs spoke in a rather giddy tone. "But if its far away how did he get here? And why is he alone?" from there he broke down in to a quiet mumble as he gave voice to his thoughts.
It seemed the conversation was divided into two types, either those who speculated about where the foreigner had come from or those that talked about him specifically. And of those that talked of the foreign teen himself it was mostly the girls who spoke.
"I haven't seen him but I heard he's got some weird clothes" one girl commented.
"Oh I heard he was pretty good looking" another piped up. As the words left her mouth she was unable to hide the blush that turned her cheeks a rosy pink. It was a comment that earned the girl a poke and smirk from Ruffnut.
On the opposite side of things was what their male counterparts had to say.
"I don't get what's so special about this guy," Snotlout gave a smug humph "I doubt he could compare to the greatness of myself." It seemed that the teen was up to his usual boasting, made especially clear when tried to strike a pose in an attempt to impress the nearby girls. And while he did get the desired reaction from a few of them there were others whom didn't care in the slightest.
"There!" someone called out, their hand pointing intently to the village. "That's them, they're coming."
With those words all eyes flowed to the indicated region. Emerging from the bustle of the village a group of four individuals moved towards the base of the long staircase. And while three were immediately identified as ordinary villagers, it was the fourth person that attracted their focus.