Chapter Eight: A Fishy First Impression
Warning: Cover image due to change within the next two updates! In a review, somebody kindly asked me to draw a picture of the Black Typhoon, and I work to please.
The day to set sail to the kingdom was upon Berk. For the past few days Toothless had been delegating the duties as Alpha dragon between Aric, Cloudjumper, and Shadowrath too; at the same time he was following Hiccup around the island seeing what tasks he had to do while he was busy being the Alpha.
Eventually, Toothless decided that the best way to take care of the village for Hiccup was to turn himself into a human until he returned. He used the power from the stone he gave Hiccup and was relieved to find that the transformation packed less punch than his first one this time around; but to his surprise, he wasn't dressed in the shroud that he wore the first time he was human, instead it was a black tunic trousers and boots. However, he still had wild black hair, bright green eyes, and so on.
"Take care, Bud." Hiccup told Toothless, as he was about to board the ship.
"You take care. I'm not going to be there to save your skin if you get into any trouble… and keep an eye on that obnoxious cousin of yours." He replied. They shook hands and Hiccup boarded the ship along with the rest of the crew and passengers. It was a large ship built to travel at high speeds and hold steady in rough waters.
As the ship set sail, Toothless turned away and began tending to the village.
To Toothless, it turned out that Hiccup was the cat of the village and the villagers were mice. Well the cat was away, and now the mice were going to play! It was his first day for acting Chief, and on his first day, domestic disputes were arising, he had to break up a sturgeon fight between Bucket and Mulch.
Oh gods, please tell me that this is only the worst day. Toothless thought to himself.
After spending a few days at sea, the ship finally pulled into port at Claudette's kingdom where the Royal Guard awaited them to step off of the ship.
As they had drawn near to the kingdom, Claudette had dressed herself in a golden and silver gown she'd sewn herself; during the trip she worked to wash out as much of the ink she used to dye her hair, but somehow managed to only wash it out enough to turn it from black to brown… and it wasn't a very attractive brown on her so she dyed it back to black and made do with it. She pinned her hair up, and set her tiara on her head (sent to her through one of the traders her kingdom sent to Berk).
"How do I look?" She asked as she turned to Fishlegs, he and their dragons had wide eyes, and the dragons had dropped their jaws. She looked spectacular, and she knew it, she just liked to see Fishlegs freeze in awe over her beauty. However, Fishlegs had never seen her so dolled-up before. She looked like a raven-haired fairytale princess, holding a strong and adventurous spirit in her green eyes, and her dress was delicately embroidered with the finest dragons she'd seen on Berk.
As she was taking in the awed looks received by Fishlegs and their dragons, a knock sounded from the other side of their door.
"Come in!" Claudette called. It was Hiccup who stepped in, with a red Terrible Terror perched on his shoulder, and he was quite impressed with Claudette's wardrobe.
"Wow, you look amazing." Hiccup told her.
"Thank you, Chief, I wish Fishlegs would say the same thing, but I think I broke him. He's just frozen in awe."
"Try leaving the room, he may snap out of it." Hiccup suggested. Claudette left the room to go up on deck, and the idea worked. Fishlegs and the dragons snapped out of their trances and turned their attention to Hiccup.
Both men were freshly shaven and were wearing garments meant for them to fit in more with the people living in the kingdom, as were the majority of the passengers on the ship. Hiccup and Fishlegs checked out their reflections in a mirror once more, and proceeded to the docks.
Claudette was the first to step off the ship and she promptly embraced the guards and gave one a peck on the cheek. At the same time the princess's appearance threw off the guards; they remembered her as a dainty thing with golden hair. This girl was lean with raven hair, but the sound of her voice, the sight of er tiara, and the color of her eyes told them that she was indeed Princess Claudette.
Following the princess onto the docks were Hiccup and Fishlegs with the dragons. The guards were expecting dragons, and the one perched on the young Chief's shoulder, and the stout brown dragon with a doglike persona seemed friendly enough; but the dark violet beast with a frill of black spines seemed a bit to menacing for their liking. Hiccup caught sight of them reaching for the security of their weapons.
"Ah, ah, ah; no weapons are to be drawn around the dragons. If you don't want them to attack you, then you need to show them that you don't mean them any harm, especially towards your Princess's Skrill." Hiccup told them as he gestured to the dragon that clearly frightened them.
"That's your dragon?" The guards asked Claudette.
"I needed to train one in order to fit in with my future home. So yes, the Skrill is my faithful companion. Her name is: Whoshadow. I can tell you more about Skrills when we meet up with my parents." She replied.
"Of course, Princess, please have your company follow us." The Head Guard told her.
"Hey Chief, Fishlegs, wanna bet on how my mother would react when she sees me and hears my story?" Claudette asked as they were making their way to the palace.
"I'm sure that they'll be blinded by the fact that you've returned to them to really care." Fishlegs replied.
"That may be true, Fishlegs, but I have a feeling that once she starts talking about Drago, they'd be confused and possibly appalled." Hiccup stated.
"I'll bet that the moment that I mention I was turned into a dragon by Drago, my mother would swoon. Now what would our terms be?" Claudette replied.
"How about we just come up with them on the spot when someone wins." Hiccup suggested as he stroked the Terrible Terror still perched on his shoulder.
"That's fine by me, Chief." Claudette replied.
The doors to the palace opened, and the group stepped into a large room, larger than the Great Hall on Berk, and it was crowded with the kingdom's residents at the moment. All Vikings entered right away, along with the Terrible Terror still perched on Hiccup's shoulder, however Whoshadow and Meatlug were left outside for the moment. As the Vikings were taking in the spectacular architecture, the Guard looked over to the King and Queen and rang out: "Presenting, Princess Claudette and her betrothed, Sir Fishlegs Ingerman of Berk." Fishlegs blushed at the formal title that he'd been given on the spot.
Claudette linked her arm with Fishlegs and stepped forward to Claudette's parents. As she curtsied, Fishlegs bowed to the King and Queen as they rose from their thrones and approached them. When Fishlegs straightened up, he looked at his future father-in-law in the eyes. His gaze was akin to that of Stoick's, only gentler. The King's gaze was wise, stern, and held a sense of authority. Now looking over to his future mother-in-law, he found where his bride got her charming looks. The Queen was dainty, and seemed to be the pinnacle of how a Queen of Western Europe should be. However, she looked weak and defenseless, as if she'd never laid a finger on a weapon at all. If another Viking tribe ever sought to pillage this kingdom, the Queen would've been a prized target for rape.
"Y-You dyed your hair." She stammered as she held one of Claudette's black strands.
"It was to fit in better with my future home, dear Mother." She replied.
The King looked up from Fishlegs and over to the other Vikings. His eyes locked with those belonging to a tall man with an impressive red beard beginning to go grey. He knew the gaze this large man held in his eyes, as it was similar to his own, except those eyes have seen more battles than he had. He could just tell.
He must be their King, who else would've earned the title of the 'Dragon Chief'. Claudette's father thought. As he and his daughter exchanged messages, Claudette had neglected to include descriptions of anyone other than Fishlegs.
"Now announcing: King Hiccup Haddock III!" The Guard announced. To the King's great surprise, it was the scrawniest Viking among the group who'd stepped forward. He was young and fairly new to his position; but like the large man he'd presumed to be the King, Claudette's father could tell that the King of Berk had seen battles too by looking in his eyes. As Hiccup approached and bowed to the King, the King noticed that the young man before him was already missing a fair chunk of his left leg.
He's this young, and he's already lost a limb? The King thought. He and his Queen finally took notice of the small dragon on his shoulder.
"So, you're the Dragon Chief?" The Queen spoke.
"Celeste, let's not lose our good graces because we're surprised by the age of their King." The King told her.
"Oh, so it was my age and not my size that surprised you." Hiccup stated.
"I'll admit that your size is also a bit of a surprise; but you were right, I am more surprised about your age for the status you have. I'll admit that I assumed that your companion with the red beard was the King." The King replied.
Stoick chuckled a bit.
"Well, if we'd come here for this same occasion a little over a year ago, you would've been right. The man you're referring to is my father, Stoick the Vast. Now, if you'll let me, I'll introduce you to the rest of my company myself." Hiccup replied.
The King smiled and shook hands with everyone as Hiccup introduced them, and eventually, the King disclosed his name to be Hubert. Hiccup actually had to hold in his impulse to laugh at such a strange name to him.
"Announcing: Prince Salomon." Another Guard. Claudette's eyes lit up over the sight of her brother entering the room. He came down a flight of stairs, but the moment he had both feet on the floor, Claudette put her princess-y mannerisms aside and ran towards her brother, and flung her arms around him into a tight embrace.
"Claudette!" The royals exclaimed. They expected her to wait until the Prince was standing beside his parents; and instead of embracing, they expected her to wait and let Salomon take her hand and kiss it.
"Have you forgotten your good graces?" Celeste asked with a snap in her voice.
"You stuck me in a tower for six years, and even after I left it, I still had yet to see him!" Claudette snapped at her mother. She tightened her embrace around her brother and took in the sweet smell of his cologne. The Prince decided that it was best to hug her back and stroke her raven hair.
"She's accustomed well to our society now." Hiccup stated. The royal siblings parted and the Prince asked Hiccup: "So you're the infamous Dragon Chief. Did you bring dragons to show us?"
"As a matter of fact, we have. Ladies and gentleman, from the island of Berk, we've brought three specimens of dragons we share the land with. Now, I figured we'd start you all off with something small, so we brought this little guy." Hiccup began. He pulled the Terrible Terror off of his shoulder and held it before him for all to see. After earning inquisitive reactions from his audience, he continued on with: "This is a Terrible Terror. It is a miniature cousin of the Guardians who inhabit your area. They're among the most abundant breed of dragons in our lands, and on Berk, they're mainly used as our carrier pigeons. However, in the past, they proved to be very useful in distracting our foes when they've attacked our island. One Terrible Terror isn't all that bad to deal with in the wild, but they hunt in packs, like the wolves, and then they can pose as a problem. Luckily, they're among the easiest of our dragons to train." He held the dragon towards the Queen, who actually found the small dragon to be adorable. She was hesitant, so the Terrible Terror decided to perch on her shoulder and make himself comfortable there.
The doors to the outside opened up, and then Hiccup announced: "Next we've brought something bigger, but rather gentle. We've brought Fishlegs's dragon, and she is a Gronkle." Meatlug padded her way over to her rider's side and Fishlegs took it from there:
"Gronkles may not be the fiercest of the dragons, but that's really not the type of Viking I am. I chose a Gronkle for her loyalty, personality, and I find them fascinating. Out of all the dragons, Gronkles have the greatest jaw strength. Meatlug, here, eats solid rocks and she shoots lava rather than fire. They make great scouting dragons because of their endurance and they're the best at hovering."
"Now, our final treat for you all, is one of the rarest, and most dangerous dragons we've tamed. You may want to duck now." Hiccup announced. The crowd covered their heads just before Hiccup called in Whoshadow.
The Skrill flew into the room and circled the perimeter once before landing beside Claudette.
"Everyone, this is the mighty Skrill. It is one of the fastest, most powerful, and most feared dragons on Berk. They collect lightning during storms, store it, and can later redirect it. Now, this particular dragon, Whoshadow is her name, is responsible for vanquishing our foe from our last great battle… and it was your princess who tamed this beast on her own, and together, they fly!" Hiccup announced, earning awed expressions for the Princess. To emphasize what Hiccup announced, Whoshadow sparked a bit, and then lowered her head so Claudette could give her a pleasant scratch.
Suddenly, Prince Salomon felt like his sister was a Prince and he was the Princess. There, his sister stood before him, as she was petting a powerful and fearsome dragon. He also took note of the saddle, signifying that Claudette rode this dragon as if it were a stallion.
"My daughter has returned for her wedding, so in three days we'll hold the celebration with food, drink, and dancing! Everyone here is invited!" King Hubert announced, the people applauded and took that as their signal to leave.
"Now, King Hiccup, our servants will show you and your company to the rooms we've reserved for you. We've made sure that spouses would be accommodated to stay together comfortably." Queen Celeste stated.
"Thank you, now, allow me to introduce you to my wife, Astrid." Hiccup replied. Astrid stepped forward and took Hiccup's hand.
"She's a lovely bride, but why is she so lean?" Queen Celeste asked.
"On Berk both men and women are trained in combat, and Claudette is no exception. She's made herself into a brilliant archer and sword fighter." Hiccup replied. The Queen's eyes widened slightly, she knew that the Vikings had more barbaric ways than they did, but having women on the battlefield was the most savage thing she'd ever heard of. Wasn't it barbaric enough that they were playing with dragons?
"Oh, and for future references, I prefer the title of Chief rather than King." Hiccup told the King.
"Vey well, we'll let you get situated and freshened up, and Claudette, Fishlegs, please see me in the Library in an hour. Chief Hiccup and, uh, Chief-ette Astrid, you're welcome to come along too." King Hubert told them.
"No titles are necessary for me." Astrid replied.
"We'll see you then." Hiccup stated. He shook hands with the royals. Queen Celeste was about to give the Terrible Terror back to Hiccup, but after seeing the reluctance in the motion, Hiccup told her: "You're welcome to keep that dragon as a messenger between our lands." Queen Celeste smiled and continued to pet the small dragon.
After getting situated for their stay and freshened up, the invited found their way to the Library. Upon stepping inside, Fishlegs was in awe over how many books were in there.
"When we further establish a trade route, I'll be sure to include books in the agreement." Hiccup told Fishlegs. They found the royals sitting on comfy armchairs and joined them. King Hubert poured each of them a glass of wine and asked: "So, Sir Fishlegs, I'm curious, what became of the dragon you rescued my daughter from?"
"I'm not to sure, Sir, that wasn't how I met Claudette." He replied. The response caused King Hubert to choke on his drink in surprise.
"If that wasn't the case, then how did you meet?" Prince Salomon asked.
"It was a different man who bested the beast. I watched him bravely defeat the dragon from my tower, but then I noticed that he wasn't coming to take me. Offended and confused, I hiked up my skirt and marched over to him. It turned out that he didn't want the kingdom or me at all, saying that I had no use for him. He just came for the dragon!"
"The fiend!" Prince Salomon exclaimed.
"As he turned away, I reached out to stop him. I was greatly offended, but my hand planted on this fascinating jewel. The jewel, as it turned out, was magical and once I touched it, it discharged its power into my body. I collapsed and convulsed as golden scales overtook my body… Yes, I was turned into a dragon!" Claudette declared. At those words, Queen Celeste's eyes went wide, and she swooned.
"Alright you won the bet." Hiccup stated when Claudette locked eyes with him. The King and Prince were gracious enough to not question the bet in question.
"After I had finished my transformation, the knight finally unveiled his face… his horrible… sinister… face. Then he told me that it was best if I came with him now that he had a use for me. After that things were a little fuzzy. However, it was soon enough, that we, an army of dragons, arrived to Berk with the intent to destroy it."
The King and Prince were absolutely entranced in the story now, with their hearts beating faster in the suspense.
"Hiccup, would you care to continue the story?" Claudette asked.
"Of course… There came the point where Fishlegs fought this mountain-sized monster the 'knight' brought with him. He took that thing on with nothing more than a hammer, his loyal Gronkle, and a pack of Terrible Terrors. He didn't kill the colossal monster, but he did an amazing job wounding the thing enough to make it withdraw from the battle; all on his own with dragons at his command. After I saw that, I praised him, but it wasn't long after that when my dragon and I were knocked out of the sky. My dragon landed in a safer spot and needed to take off to protect his hatchling. I, on the other hand, rolled to a stop where the 'knight' could charge me. He forced me to watch as Claudette, under the power of another dragon's command, used the arrow on her tail to slice off Astrid's foot." Hiccup began. Astrid took off her right boot and showed the conscious royals the false foot. They were shocked, but Astrid told them: "I've forgiven her for her actions, as they weren't her fault."
"Now, what he didn't know was that I had a similar jewel that he had hidden within my armor. Just as he was about to kill me, the jewel I had turned me into a dragon myself. The 'knight' retreated to the saddle he placed on your daughter, and we fought in the skies."
"Is that where you got that scar?" Salomon asked Claudette. He was referring to the scratch mark Hiccup gave her. The princess simply nodded.
"Eventually, we landed, and I fought against the 'knight' some more, but then he broke out into this rant, saying that he was going to command all the dragons in the world. As he ranted, I noticed the Jewel in his chest plate beginning to glow, so I fired at it. The jewel discharged its magic after I shot it, and it turned him into a black Terrible Terror. The dragon that commanded the other dragons he brought started to summon him, and as he was flying, Whoshadow swooped over the scene and ate him!"
"Whoa!" Salomon exclaimed.
"As Hiccup was being led to our medical area to see Astrid, the dragons the 'knight' brought took flight to go back to their own homes; but then I noticed the dragon I saw cut off Astrid's foot. She looked upset, so I borrowed one of the mystical jewels and we began talking… And that was how we met and how we began our engagement." Fishlegs finished.
"I must say, Sir Fishlegs, after hearing of your bravery from your Chief and for the kind heart you've shown my daughter, you make a good first impression." King Hubert stated.
"Thank you." Fishlegs replied.
Whew, long chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it.