Author's Note: I am very sorry about the long delay for this new chapter. However, things of recent did not permit me to make an update. Worst of all was the bout of writer's block that kept me from getting much done. I will be working hard to complete the next chapter and have it up soon as possible while I try to make amends for the long wait.
I would like to special thank you to, darkdaylight, once again as your review gave me much to think, and was very helpful. I have gone through the previous chapters and made some revisions here and there, which I hope all will agree that they improve the overall story.
I would also like to thank all who have given me feedback as to motivate me to write more and hope you all will enjoy this new chapter just as much as you have the older ones.
Chapter 06
Stoick stood silently observing the pair, his eyes ever watchful for any sign of hostility from Adryk. While the Viking's exterior may have appeared calm, inside he was tense emotions jumbled as he sat ready to jump into action should there be a danger of any sort to his son.
The two teens stared at one another. Icy blue eyes meeting with pale green, as each one attempted to hide any sign of apprehension from the other.
Neither made a move, the silence seemed to stretch for eternity between them, "Good to meet you" Adryk finally spoke.
"Uh yeah" Hiccup responded turning to look to his father "What is this about dad?"
The Viking chief moved decisively "You lads follow me."
Without a second thought, both of the boys were quick to follow the Viking chieftain's path to the Hall's exit. The iron hinges creaked gently as the large doors swung open, a cool sea breeze wafted in brushing against the occupant's skin a nice change from the warmer air inside. Passing through the threshold the three were greeted by the three men who had escorted the foreign teen. They quickly stood aside as Stoick led the teen's to the stairs.
Ahead a plethora of voices could be heard, whoever was there they were loud and there was a lot of them. Reaching the edge of the stairs, peering down they could see the gathering of figures mulling about halfway down the stairway. Men, women, teens and even some children paced about talking amongst themselves.
To Adryk it looked like the whole village had been called into attendance, and indeed they had.
It didn't take long for the villager's attention to be attracted to Stoick as he took up position atop the stone stairs. The multitude of overlapping voices made it nigh impossible to pick out any one in particular. The Viking chief held his hands aloft gradually the sounds began to die out until only soft murmurings were to be heard.
But even those disappeared as Stoick's gaze roamed over the faces present in the crowd. "I know you have all gotten word of the stranger who washed up on our shore several days ago by now. No doubt you're all curious to meet him," the Viking turned his left hand motioning for Adryk to step forwards.
The teen swallowed hard in effort to dislodge the lump that had settled in his stomach, 'Man I hate crowds' slowly he strode forwards to stand beside Stoick. As he looked out over the assembled villagers he was also keenly aware of the myriad of eyes that stared back at him.
"Indeed this lad is foreign to our lands. The Council has spoken of this at length, and it has been decided…" Stoick paused for a moment "It has been decided that young Adryk shall be allowed to stay in Berk."
The moment he finished the crowd rose in volume causing Stoick to once again call for their silence. "I understand that this out of the ordinary but the Council feels there is nothing to worry about. With repairs underway and having to restock our supplies we have few men to spare to keep an eye on him, yet the Elder has seen fit to name one who shall act as his guide around the village…" The chief paused his posture changed, minutely losing some of its confidence "My son, Hiccup."
What followed was a scene reminiscent of the Council meeting when the Elder had revealed her decision, as many in the crowd began to speak out in surprise.
Adryk cast a glance to his left where the aforementioned Viking teen stood. The lad was rather surprised by the sudden announcement, his mouth hung slightly agape and his eyes were opened rather wide. In truth the Viking teen looked more like he had been struck by lightning.
Given the reactions at the boy's selection Adryk's curiosity was piqued 'What's so bad about him?'
Stoick narrowed his eyes at the gather villagers making his message quite clear; many in the crowd diverted their gaze attempting to avoid meeting their leader's harsh glare. "Now I have faith that my son will be able to carry out this duty without fail." The village chief cast a glance to the sky "Now let us not waste what remains of the day."
The mass of Vikings was slow to disperse as they returned to whatever they had been doing before being issued summons.
Stoick lingered atop the stairs for a few moments as he watched the villagers clear out. When the last of them had disappeared from sight he turned his attention to the two teens. Hiccup still stood unmoving seemingly as if perhaps his brain had ceased functioning. While the other teen stood not far off waiting for whatever was to happen next.
The Viking teen came back to his surroundings when a shadow passed over him blotting out the sun from view. Green eyes blinked several times as Hiccup looked up to see the familiar face of his father looking down on him.
"Wha-why'd she pick me?" the boy stammered "Why not one of the others?"
Stoick gazed down at his son, his mouth hung open for a brief moment before closing again as he searched for the correct words. "Her reasons are her own, Hiccup" the teen's father spoke placing a hand on his shoulder, "It's not our place to question the wisdom of her choices."
"But what am I supposed to do?" Hiccup looked to the other teen "I mean where's he going to be staying?"
The larger Viking followed his son's gaze with a quick glance, "He'll be staying with us for now." Stoick let out a brief sigh "Listen we'll figure this out later, but for now just show him around the village" his voice lowered "Be sure to keep a close eye on him."
The wry brown haired teen looked about to speak up only to be met with a look from his father, and understanding the meaning Hiccup rightly quietly down. Stoick turned to look to the befuddled teen standing a short distance away. Coming to a stop three feet from the teen the taller man peered down at Adryk.
The uncompromising stare, coupled with the chieftain's impressive physique was rather intimidating to Adryk, who was having a hard time meeting Stoick's gaze.
"The Elder seems to trust you lad" Stoick's accented voice spoke clearly "And I trust in her judgments, but if you pose a risk to anyone," the Viking's tone deepened until it was little more than a gravelly whisper "I will not hesitate to be rid of you."
Holding Stoick's gaze the teen took his words to heart.
Everything about this man spoke of the truth, he was not of the sort to make empty threats and there was no doubt in Adryk's mind that he was more than capable of carrying it out. "I-I swear you have nothing worry about" Adryk nervously stuttered.
"Good" Stoick replied curtly. Giving a final nod to both teens Stoick lingered a moment before he turned heading off down the stairs himself.
-xxx-
The pair of teens watched the Viking chief stride away from them, it didn't take long before was in the village below. Once amongst the other villagers he began shouting while his hands waved about pointing to various individuals and then in the direction he wanted them to go.
"So" Adryk addressed the Viking teen "You're Hiccup, then?"
Hiccup turned to face the other at the sound of his name "Yeah, last time I checked."
"Then I guess I owe you" the foreign teen spoke offering up his hand.
A puzzled look crossed the lad's face as he shook the other's hand "For what?"
"While I was in that little meeting I heard it was someone named Hiccup who found me on the beach," Adryk studied the lanky Viking teen for a moment "And since that's you, I just want to say thank you."
"You're welcome, I suppose" releasing the handshake the silence returned for a minute. "Uh…I guess I ought to show you around."
"Sounds like fun" a small nod accompanied the verbal reply.
Descending the stone stairs Hiccup led the way with Adryk following a mere step behind him. However they were not alone; trailing a fair distance behind them was a small group of teens. The teens followed just close enough to keep the pair in sight but not be noticed themselves.
The Viking teen was a dutiful tour guide, offering up information on range of topics. From who lived where, what they did around the village, to the meaning of the runic symbols carved on the various structures. Striding along Adryk scanned over the houses. Each was different from the next, whether it was but only slight differences or more drastic changes to the design. Each was unique to its owner.
He eyed the runes carved above the doors, the tribal patterns cut into the wood planks and poles topped with ornately carved wooden figureheads of creatures he did not recognize.
All along the path Adryk could just about feel the stares of the other villagers as he and his guide made through the village. But this time he wasn't sure whether they were staring at him or if it was his guide that was attracting the attention.
"So is Hiccup a common Viking name?" the blonde haired teen inquired attempting to make conversation.
"Great name, I know. But it's not the worst" he replied "Parents believe a hideous name will frighten off gnomes and trolls." Hiccup turned to look back "What about yours? Never heard it of it before."
"Mine," Adryk paused giving thought to the question "It's pretty rare actually. It's derived from the name Drake, so it means dragon."
The mention of the word seemed to strike a chord with the Viking teen as he stopped mid-stride "Your parents named you after dragons. Why?" Hiccup asked watching as the other teen took a few steps passed him before stopping.
"I have no idea really," Adryk said noticing the look on the other teen's face "I guess it's because my parents are big on heritage. You know keeping old names alive in the family." He paused recalling something his grandmother had told him "I know my grandparents talked of how names reflect on their bearer's traits. Like how a person with a strong name will grow up to be strong that sort of thing."
Still the odd look persisted on the Viking teen's features. Feeling the awkwardness growing Adryk cleared his throat which seemed to work jogging Hiccup from his thoughts. From there conversation didn't progress much further as Hiccup returned to his tour guide persona.
It was not long until they came upon the Gobber's workshop. The first thing Hiccup picked was the unusual absence of his mentor 'He must be out helping with the repairs.'
While the Viking teen stopped outside Adryk did not. Striding passed him the foreign teen decided to get a closer look at the rustic workshop and its wares. Inside his eyes roamed the workspace; there was a short half wall with a counter in front behind which was the usual allotments, a large anvil for working metals on, a furnace for heating the metals, and a rather large grinding wheel for sharpening. On the walls was a wide assortment of hammers with different sized and styled heads, alongside chisels, punches, files and rasps, saws, and tongs of various sizes.
Continuing on he moved to the back of the shop.
Here there was a long table along the wall with an assortment of sheathed swords upon it. In large wooden racks sat even swords alongside battle axes, and heavy looking maces. There were also barrels filled with spears like sets of golf clubs. The walls back here held an even wider assortment of items, long handled and short handled scythes, shears, more hammers, shovels, etc…
It was rather impressive to see so many tools, but even more impressive was the knowledge that they were all handmade and not mass produced factory stamped like Adryk was used.
Moving forwards the teen's fingers trailed along the top of one of the racks. He came to a stop when the hilt of one a sword caught his eye. The most interesting part to him was the wolf's head shaped pommel.
Closing his hand around the grip he lifted the sword from its place on the rack.
"Lighter than I thought it would be" he remarked looking over the full blade. Turning he faced the open space wrapping his other hand around the grip, the teen made a few quick swipes through the air listening to the sound it made as it sliced through the air.
Standing in the entryway Hiccup watched the teen strode about the smithery. He had to admit to feeling a small sense of unease creep over him when the foreign teen lifted a sword from the rack. However, that seemed to vanish as he watched the antics that followed.
"He acts like he's never held a sword before" Hiccup muttered to himself. Though he had to admit the only time he really held a sword was when they need to be sharpened so he would probably look just as ridiculous.
Performing a thrust of the sword Adryk came to a stop.
Looking straight ahead he could see the strange look inscribed on the face of the Viking teen as he stared at him. "Sorry…" the embarrassed teen coughed trying to get rid of the feeling "I guess we should carry on." Sheepishly he turned quickly placing the sword back in its resting place before striding passed Hiccup and out of the workshop.
-xxx-
Treading along the village's dirt and stone streets they left the smithery behind as Hiccup guided Adryk through the remainder of the village.
Along the way the duo were greeted by a familiar friendly face of the Viking healer.
A large satchel hung from her right shoulder no doubt filled with herbs Birna had just harvested from the forest. Upon seeing the two she smiled altering her course to intercept the teens paths.
"Was wondering if I would be seeing you again young Adryk" the smiling woman received a short nod hello from the aforementioned teen "Glad to hear the Council decided to stay." Shifting her attention she looked to the accompanying teen "I heard the announcement your father made of your selection by the Elder, congratulations Hiccup."
"I'm not so sure about that" the Viking teen responded unenthusiastically "I still don't know why she picked me."
Leaning in close she placed a encouraging hand on his shoulder, "Give it time things will become clear." Getting a small nod from the brown haired teen she smiled "Well I must be moving along. There are those in need of my talents and I still have to prepare these herbs."
Adryk eyed the satchel feeling his stomach churn at the memory of the bitter concoction she had him drink just that morning.
With short wave the older woman departed heading for home.
Picking up where they left of their journey soon took them to the cliffs overlooking the harbor. They spent a few minutes watching the hustle and bustle going on down below, the ships were moored at the dock as Vikings climbed about redoing the rigging for the sails. A short ways off the two could see Stoick directing things in between helping with the reconstruction of the fish pens.
Moving on they passed over a long wooden bridge to arrive at the arena.
The arena was made from a excavated depression besides a tall cliff. A iron cage in the form of a large dome covered the pit, while thick lengths of interconnected chains were in put place to cover the gaps left between the iron bars. To the south there was a ramp leading down into the pit, with one gate at the start of the ramp that raised up and another iron gate where the ramp met the pit.
While to the north there were a series of five doors of different sizes. Most interesting were the rather absurd locking mechanisms consisting of large steel belted logs threaded through like a dead bolt.
It seemed the only thing missing were some sweaty blood soaked gladiators fighting for the enjoyment of the crowd to make the scene complete.
"So what goes on here?" Adryk asked laying his hands on the iron cage.
"Many different things" Hiccup answered "But mostly it's for dragon training."
Adryk turned "What exactly do you mean by dragon training?"
"It's where we train to fight the dragons that raid our village" Hiccup replied noticing the expression of disbelief on the other teen.
'He can't be serious' the foreign teen remained quiet regarding the Viking teen carefully "You're joking, right?"
"No…actually I'm not" Hiccup cocked an eyebrow "Don't they have dragon raids where you're from?"
Adryk turned away looking back at the strange doors in the pit below, "No we don't" 'There's no way there are really dragons here.'
-xxx-
While the two teens stood chatting by the arena rim they were being watched. Gathered not far but out of sight stood the same group of teens that had been following the pair since the leaving the Great Hall.
"I can't believe the Elder chose him, of all people, to act as that foreigner's guard" Snotlout huffed his voice ringing clear with disdain. The burly teen crossed his arms as if to hold back his emotions.
"Yeah," Tuffnut added "Bet it won't be long before Hiccup blows it."
The comment earned a chuckle from Snotlout and a few of the other teens present. While some began to share jokes others moved to get a better view of their quarry.
"Lean musculature, probably relies stamina and speed more than strength" Fishlegs rambled off in his usual analytical manner "Hair cut short so as not to interfere with senses of sight or hearing. Also helps with cooling." The heavier teen's eyes continued to take in more details for his analysis "Clothing blends in well with shadows and woodlands, better to enhance stealth abilities."
All the while his commentary was garnering a collection of odd looks from the others around him.
"Must you do that out loud?" the normally silent Glump snapped.
At the other teen's outburst Fishlegs' head swiveled around. Gazing to his right he acknowledged the rather short tempered glares he was receiving from Glump and the equally intimidating Durfang. Turning back around the heavyset teen continued only this time he mouthed the words rather than speaking them aloud.
Ignoring the goings on between their male counterparts the girls in the group continued to watch undaunted.
"What do you think their talking about over there?" one asked.
"I don't care I'm more interested in whose talking than what their talking about."
"Come on, don't be rude" the raven haired Svana spoke feigning disinterest. However, her compatriots were not buying it for a second.
Ruffnut smirked "Well spying is being rude, so why don't you go over there and introduce yourself." She jeered giving other girl a gentle push.
Svana jumped in surprise doing her best to firmly plant her feet, "No way" she protested. Other girls giggled as the two carried on with their little pushing match, which as it carried on it slowly became apparent that Ruffnut was the strong of the two and forcing Svana to give up ground.
-xxx-
Overhead the sky began to slowly grow dim. The normal light blue making way for the dark oranges of sunset before giving way to the murky blue of the night.
"I guess since you're staying with us," Hiccup spoke taking note of the sky "Probably best we be heading back." Taking a step back from the arena Adryk nodded in agreement with the Viking teen.
The pair had a much easier time on the journey back as they retraced their steps. The fact that most of the trip was downhill didn't hurt either.
The village was much quieter now, the majority of the villagers having already turned in for the night. Though there were a few who remained out, some were sentries making their rounds keeping an eye on things whilst the others slept, and others were just villagers who hadn't quite made it back home yet.
Without all the extra eyes watching him Adryk felt much more at ease now.
Following the path through the village it seemed at first that perhaps they were heading back to the Great Hall. However, instead of heading straight up the stone stairs the two turned right at a fork in the road. This route was short and ahead Adryk could see their destination.
It was the same lone house on the hill he had seen earlier during his escorted jaunt to the Great Hall.
The house seemed larger than the other dwellings he had seen on the tour. The front seemed to possess a more elaborate setup adorned with more ornate carvings. High above the door a large wooden dragon head jutted out from the end of the beam that formed the spine of the roof. While just over the door two crossed dragon necks formed part of an arch which as it flowed down transformed into more carved figureheads.
As Hiccup climbed the steps Adryk hung back a moment "So who all lives here?"
"Just my dad and me" the Viking teen replied laying his hand on the door.
With the door opened Hiccup was quick to enter, however, Adryk still hesitated before finally crossing the threshold.
The inside was larger than the interior of Birna's house had been. Though it shared some of the same elements such as; the fire pit which lay in the center of the room surrounded by a patch of flagstone flooring, and the placement of the staircase. Stretched over the pit was a roasting spit shaped to look like a pair of horns with a cauldron hanging from their end. A trio of descent sized benches sat close to the fire pit.
On the left of the room a hefty looking trunk sat six feet from the base of the staircase. The stairs looked to be made from a single long tree trunk which had been shaped into stairs over time like a dugout canoe. Towards the back of the room a large basin sat on the floor a few dishes peeked passed the rim, there was a table with pitcher and two mugs atop it, and also what looked to be a cabinet with a stack of plates on top of it.
The right wall held most of the room's decorations. Several shields, a few crossed swords and large battle axe hung on hooks. There were also a collection of trophies adorning the walls.
As Hiccup proceeded up the stairs Adryk took the opportunity to move about and examine things more closely. There was the usual fare in the ways of animal hides like the bear pelt stretched out on the floor or the deer pelt on the wall. Yet there was one that caught his attention and held it more than any other.
One of its outstanding features were the peculiar shape as it was stretched out on the wall, but most of all was the fact it had scales. The hide looked reminiscent of a tanned crocodile hide but the colors didn't match with its muddied brown, nor did the texture with its many protruding scaly ridges and bumps.
The hide seemed to pull him in as if compelling him to touch it. Soon without even thinking about it his hand was being extended in an effort to fulfill this inexplicable compulsion.
Mere inches from his goal the sudden creaking of the floorboards caused him to whirl around. Hiccup was quite surprised the other teen's quick movements as he stumbled backwards nearly falling over one of the benches.
"Sorry…" Hiccup spoke regaining his balance "I didn't mean to startle you."
Adryk moved forwards to help the Viking teen "No, no it's my fault. Are you alright?"
Hiccup nodded "I'm fine" he retorted trying to play down the incident.
Turning the pair moved to take seats on the benches and settle in while they waited for the Viking teen's father to arrive. Their wait was not a long one as soon the door opened as Stoick entered the house. His left arm was bent at the elbow indicating he was carrying something over his shoulder, something that became visible when he turned to close the door.
It was the largest cod Adryk had ever seen before.
The Viking chief eyed the newcomer to his home carefully as he strode crossed the room. At the back of the room he laid the fish out on the table before he went about prepping it for cooking. Readied Stoick carried it over and impaled it on the roasting spit.
Taking a seat opposite the teens he awaited the meal to come.
The room was silent save for the scant crackle of the wood on the fire as the smell of cooking fish slowly began to permeate the room. If the silence between the father and son had been awkward before, now it was doubly so with the addition of the foreign teen.
Although he wasn't really all that fond of seafood Adryk's hunger would not be denied after three days of nothing but the bitter potions Birna gave him to rid him of the fever. Finally the fish was ready and after carving it up Stoick was soon handing out the plates.
Looking up from his plate Stoick looked at the two teens, "I take it the two of you didn't have any trouble today?"
Immediately Adryk stopped eating "No sir" he spouted nervously.
"No dad" Hiccup responded "Things went well enough."
"Good. Now if you're to be staying in Berk, Adryk" the Viking chief spoke pointing his fork at the other teen "You'll have to earn your share like everyone else. So it has been decided that starting tomorrow you will be joining Hiccup working at the forge."
Adryk looked visibly worried by the Viking's words.
After taking another bite Stoick continued "Do you have any experience in a forge?"
"No, I don't" Adryk replied unsure about just what was expected of him.
Stoick straightened up for a moment "Hmm, then this will be a learning experience. No matter my son will show you the ropes."
Finishing his meal Stoick stood depositing the soiled plate in the wash basin followed by the other two. Turning the chief approached the trunk sitting against the wall, opening the lid he began to dig through its contents. "You'll be sleeping down here so you'll need this" Stoick spoke over his shoulder.
Standing the Viking's extended offered up a bedroll to the foreign teen.
"Thank you" Adryk answered taking the bundle.
"Best be getting some sleep" Stoick spoke with a slight yawn "Be a busy day tomorrow."
With a bid goodnight the two Vikings soon made their way upstairs on their way to bed leaving Adryk alone downstairs.
The blonde teen stood unmoved for a second or so as he watched them leave. Once they disappeared from view he turned crossing the room he selected the more open area on the opposite side of the room. After some slight adjustments to the space he knelt down undoing the buckles and unfurling the bedroll. The bundle's contents consisted of a main sleeping mattress made of thickly stuffed quilt and a deer hide blanket which had a wool blanket sown the backside.
Really it was basically a Viking version of a sleeping bag.
Removing his boots he stuffed his socks in them to keep track of them. Sitting on the mattress Adryk pulled the blanket up over himself as he laid back. Although he was tired sleep didn't come right away as he stared up at the dancing shadows cast off the fire play out on the ceiling.
"A happy birthday this is. Oh man, what the hell am I doing?" the teen muttered "They're Vikings for crying out loud, I don't know anything about their way of life." He thought back to what had been planned out for him "Shit I don't know the first thing about forging."
Slowly his thoughts turned back to home "I hope my friends are okay, wonder if my parents have been told yet?" Then a startling realization came to him like bolt of lightning causing his eyes to open wider "How am I supposed to get home? What if I can't get back, what if I'm stuck here forever!"
"If I can't get back that means I'll never see my friends or family again."
Adryk quickly found it rather hard to breathe. It was as if a tremendous weight had been levied upon him and was slowly crushing the life from his chest.
At the same time he had an odd hollow sensation; it was as if someone had taken something very precious from him. Tears welled up stinging the corners of his eyes as thoughts of home and what all he left behind danced in his head. Imaginary scenes played out in head; people searching the area they thought he had perhaps landed after falling from the plane, his parents and friends awash with fear and worry about had happened to him, and then finally after their search turning up nothing everybody calling it quits believing him dead.
Adryk rolled over onto his right side curling up into a fetal position.
Doing his best he fought back the tears but it was a useless battle as they broke sliding freely down his cheek to soak into the cloth surface below. Nearly inaudible sobs escaped him causing his throat to feel sore as he choked them back. Squeezing his eyes shut he began to wish this was just a dream and when he opened them next he would awaken to find himself back home and in his own bed.
The fates were merciful that night. The teen's angst came to an end soon enough as he drifted off to sleep, and the chance to dream of better times.