Chapter Nine: The Fishy Wedding.

Remember, I plan on changing the cover image by the time I post the next chapter. It will be of a Black Typhoon, grey dragon with violet eyes, and it will actually have the name of the dragon written in gothic calligraphy. I also plan on giving it a blue and red background. I'm saying this so you know what to look for when I upload the next chapter.

Toothless had gotten the hang of playing the role of Chief of Berk. Once he'd gotten the villagers into a training schedule, things were running pretty smooth. He had villagers practicing drills for when Dagur attacks, and he even taught a class about the Black Typhoon, so they'd be prepared for the arrival of the massive beast.

For the first few days Toothless basically ran the village in an all-work and no-play fashion, but after the fourth day of Hiccup's departure, he gave the villagers a break from the drills and set up a dragon race to spectate.

As for the dragons, well, due to all the drills that they've been practicing, there wasn't a lot of room for them to cause mischief. He was glad for that. It made things easier on him and the dragons filling his role as the Alpha. So with things running smoothly, Toothless strode into the Haddock house to check up on the egg Astrid laid. As of right now, Stormfly was watching it while Sapphire was drill training.

"How're you doing?" Toothless asked her.

"Everything's fine, but I could use an excuse to stretch my wings." She replied.

"Well, the villagers are pretty calm now. Go on and fly for a while now. I'll watch over the egg."

"Thank you, Toothless." Stormfly stated. She got up and left, leaving the egg in Toothless' care for a while.

Fishlegs woke up to the feeling of Meatlug licking his feet.

"Aww, good morning, Girl!" He greeted. He got up and prepared himself for the day. This was going to be a big day for Fishlegs, it was the day of his wedding to Claudette; and he went as far as tidying his hair up so it looked nice and sleek.

"Well, Meatlug, how do I look?" Fishlegs asked. The Gronkle winked at him in a cheeky fashion. Fishlegs smiled and told her: "Aww, Girl, you're a flatterer."

When Fishlegs got into the suit the royals had provided for this occasion, people would see that he looked quite dashing; the suit was tastefully elaborate, fitted him perfectly, and emphasized his finest features. Yes the suit was made special for him.

Now in another room, Claudette was getting prepared for the ceremony herself. She was dressed in a full gown with exquisite details and pieces of fine jewelry, including a fabulous tiara.

"Our princess looks so beautiful!" One of the maidens helping her out declared.

"Oh, yes, and who would've thought that she could go from golden to raven hair wonderfully." Another replied.

"Thank you, ladies." Claudette told them with slight sarcasm. She would agree that she looked beautiful, but after her time spent with the Vikings, she lost her taste for wearing such extravagant gowns, but this was the wedding that she'd dreamed of since she was locked away in the tower, and she knew that after today she would consummate her marriage and would be free to return to Berk. So she knew that she'd be fine attending a one-day celebration in a full gown that was a little to princess-y for her tastes now.

In Hiccup and Astrid's room, they were also freshened up, but as Hiccup was getting his suit on (also provided by the royals), Astrid was fussing over the fact that she had to put on the puffy dress she was given.

"What's wrong with it?" Hiccup asked her.

"This is not a wise choice of attire for a soldier." She replied.

"Neither is this suit, and you don't hear me complaining about it." Hiccup stated as he gestured to the puffs in the sleeves. Astrid laughed at them, they did make Hiccup look a little ridiculous, but to give credit where credit was due, he wasn't complaining.

Hiccup helped her to tie up the sleeves and lace up the back. It took a while, but he managed to get the dress so it looked right and still left Astrid feeling somewhat comfortable.

"I know it's not your preferred style, but it does look nice on you." Hiccup told Astrid. She had to admit that she pulled off the princess gown quite nicely, and it also helped that the dress's most prominent color was the same blue in her eyes.

A moment later the twins showed up and Hiccup and Astrid almost laughed in their faces. Tuffnut had been given a puffier outfit than Hiccup, and a funny hat came along with it. The outfit may've been funnier than Hiccup's but Tuffnut's garb wasn't as elaborate as Hiccup's. Hiccup's had pieces of printed fabric and elaborate embroidery where Tuffnut's didn't.

Now, Ruffnut, named the maid of honor, was given a fancier dress than Astrid, complete with a propped up collar, and most of her hair had been pinned up on the top of the head.

"Chief, please tell me that this fashion trend will never make it to Berk." Tuffnut said.

"If it does while I'm still the Chief, then please kick me in the head and stuff rotten cod in my mouth."

"You should see Snotlout's outfit. It was hysterical." Ruffnut told them.

"I'm sure we won't be disappointed." Astrid replied. Sure enough Snotlout stepped into the room in the puffiest pants and fattest sleeves with a sulk on his face; it also didn't do Snotlout any justice with the outfit being bright red, and so the whole room burst out into violent guffaws.

"Ok, I have to admit that I do look a bit weird." Snotlout stated, and he knew he was putting it mildly.

"Hey, do any of you guys know how the other Vikings are dressed?" Hiccup asked the twins and his cousin.

"Yeah, they look just as weird as we do." Tuffnut replied.

"Oh great, I was planning on not laughing in front of my dad's face." Hiccup stated.

"Come on, we better get down to the ceremony now." Astrid told them. She hiked up her skirt and strode out of the room with everyone else following behind her.

So there they stood at the alter; Fishlegs was nearly in tears when he saw Claudette in all her radiant beauty walking down the aisle with Whoshadow holding up the end of Claudette's train in her maw.

When Claudette was standing before Fishlegs, Hiccup glanced at Whoshadow's feet and found that she was wearing a form of socks with soles on the bottoms. The Skrill seemed perfectly content wearing them, and the booties she was wearing were embroidered with silver lightning bolts. Hiccup assumed that she was wearing them so the people of the kingdom wouldn't have to worry about the dragon scratching up the polished wood floors of the church.

The priest began the ceremony, and it was a bit long for the Viking's liking. All they wanted was to wrap it up quick and go straight to the feast; and the fact that they were wearing funny clothes only aided them in their impatience. Hiccup was just glad that his people were behaving themselves.

"You may now kiss the bride!" The Priest concluded. Fishlegs, being a bit shy for the moment, had to have Claudette pull him in for the kiss. The Vikings resisted cheering for the newlyweds, but they applauded more assertively than the residents of the kingdom.

"Great job, Fishlegs." Hiccup stated, giving him a well-earned pat on the shoulder. There was a point where he almost passed out; but enough of that it was time to feast!

They dined in a grand banquet room where platters were piled high with assorted foods; some were mundane, but others were quite exotic. They ranged from mutton, chicken, and potatoes; to fruits they've never seen before and imported meats.

The servants also brought in a whole slow-roasted sheep with a sweet glaze and zesty herbs made special for Whoshadow. The Skrills eyes went wide when the servants confidently set the roast before her. The sweet smell of the glaze and herbs might as well have given her a dragon-nip high. Whoshadow took a bite out of it and was also thrilled to find that the cooks had stuffed the carcass with the hearts and lungs of not just the sheep but also chickens, plus fish livers. Claudette couldn't explain it, but Whoshadow's favorite part of the fish was the liver.

"Claudette, I couldn't help but notice that Whoshadow was wearing a bandage when I first saw her. Is there a story behind that?" Salomon asked. The question caught King Hubert's attention, so he listened to his daughter.

"As a matter of fact there is a story to that." She replied. She glanced over to Whoshadow to make sure that her food was distracting her enough to not pay attention to the story. The last thing the kingdom needed to see was her Skrill turning into a sadistic rage monster as she recalled the events she received her wound. After finding Whoshadow perfectly content on savoring her meal, Claudette looked back to her brother and father and told them: "Another Chief, an ally to Berk, had a prisoner who escaped. So I accompanied him, Hiccup, Stoick, and another man by the name of Eret. We tracked the fugitive to this one island, and Whoshadow and I were the ones who found him… Or rather, he found us. I trained my bow and arrow on him, but it was like he didn't even see it when he caught sight of us. The moment he spotted us, he drew his pilfered dagger, and charged us! Whoshadow pinned him to the ground and soon after that we took to the skies. Unfortunately, the fugitive freed one of his arms, and stabbed Whoshadow right in the ankle, and he got away."

The King and Prince were in stunned silence.

"What if he comes to Berk to attack?" King Hubert asked.

"We'll be ready for him." Claudette replied.

Whoshadow had finished her meal and looked to the table to see if she could score some more from the guests, but her eyes caught sight of a long fruit that was slightly curved with a bright-yellow skin, and I was sitting on a platter near Claudette. She sniffed it, and found that it smelled sweet. Claudette smiled and took one of the fruits, peeled the skin off of it, and fed it to Whoshadow. She was actually baffled to find out that Whoshadow enjoyed bananas! So she fed the Skrill a few more.

"Hiccup, our parents are coming over." Astrid spoke in a hushed voice. Judging by the look in her eyes, something was bound to get awkward. Hiccup was halfway through a large plate of food and had been drinking some cask-strength rum(which is over 50% alcohol by volume)and was feeling a bit tipsy after a few swallows. Hiccup was only drinking it because he saw how much the other Vikings were enjoying it and thought that it would be something that they could trade for. It turned out that Hiccup actually liked the sweet taste of it, so not only was he sampling goods, but he was also enjoying them. At the same time he was also making sure he was drinking responsibly.

"Alright, Hiccup, turn at your own risk, they're almost here." Astrid told him. She glanced in the direction they were approaching from, Hiccup turned his head, took one glance at what their fathers were wearing, and he just lost it! (Picture them wearing something you'd see in a portrait of Henry VIII)

"What's he laughing at?" Mr. Hofferson asked. He actually liked the clothes he was wearing, and so did his wife.

"I think it's obvious." Stoick told him, gesturing to his outfit.

"He's also been drinking a bit." Astrid told them. Hiccup was now leaning over to the side, clenching his tummy, and was now laughing so hard his face turned red and he was at the point where his laughter was no longer emitting any sound.

"What has he been drinking?" Stoick asked as he reached for Hiccup's cup.

"It's rum; and at this point it would be wise to keep it away from him." Astrid replied. She looked back over to Hiccup and told him: "Alright you need to calm down now!"

"Whoa!" Hiccup exclaimed as he leaned over too far and his chair toppled over. His parents helped him back on his foot and prosthetic, and his drink had been taken away from their table. Astrid set his chair upright; and in a desperate notion to sober him up, she struck him across the cheek. Despite the shocked looks she was receiving from the residents of the kingdom, the slap snapped Hiccup out of his buzz.

"Thanks for that." Hiccup told her as he sat down to finish his meal.

After the feast, the guests were moved into the ballroom for singing and dancing, but first, the newlyweds had to take the first dance on their own. Luckily for Fishlegs, Claudette picked out a simple waltz that was easy for Fishlegs to follow, and to make things even easier for him, she took the lead.

As they were dancing, Meatlug, Whoshadow, and the Terrible Terror (now named Claude) were swaying to the music. Curious, Queen Celeste tapped Hiccup on the shoulder and asked him: "Do the dragons dance?"

"They did for my wedding reception, and they were cautious about not knocking people off their feet." He replied as Claude hopped from the Queen's shoulder and onto his for a moment to get a chin scratch.

"If that's the case, then we can allow the dragons on the dance floor." Queen Celeste replied. So… Let there be dragons on the dance floor! Claudette and Whoshadow managed to do a tango together. However, Fishlegs found more difficulties in dancing with a quadruped Gronkle. So they mainly swayed to the music while facing each other, adding a few steps and turns here and there.

"I wonder how our dragons would've thought of this." Hiccup wondered aloud as they were doing their best to tango.

"They would've enjoyed the food, but that may've been it. Oh, and I'm sure that they would've had priceless reactions to seeing our dads dressed the way they are." Astrid replied. Another waltz started up, but a slower one this time, and she leaned her head on Hiccup's chest and said softly: "I wonder how the egg is doing."

"We've got the best protecting it; and I'm sure that the baby would wait for our return before hatching." Hiccup replied, trying to refrain from chuckling at how absurd that last statement sounded. He kissed her forehead and then parted to get some drinks, this time resorting to small mugs of beer rather than something strong.

"To Fishlegs and Claudette." Hiccup toasted. Astrid tapped her mug with his and drank, she only had water for the feast, so she took a hearty swallow while Hiccup only took just enough to taste it.

Now with the reception over everyone returned to their respective homes. However, for Fishlegs and Claudette, the night was only just beginning. Now Claudette knew that it was a Viking custom to have witnesses for the event about to occur, but they compromised and had only one witness wearing a blindfold. Unfortunately, that fell to be the duty of the best man, and current Berk Chief. How this arrangement was made was anyone's guess, but they knew that Claudette's parents had something to do with it.

As it turned out, Hiccup didn't even have to be in the room to know what was going on. The princess was so loud, he could've just sat outside the door and a few paces down the hall. Either way, he certainly wasn't in the mood for any of that for tonight!

After getting out of the funny garb and into something he could actually sleep in, Hiccup actually took the time to draw out the outfits people were wearing for the wedding while they were still fresh in his memory. He was sure that he would get a laugh out of somebody.

"Oh, Fishlegs, that was the greatest feeling any man has ever given me! It was greater than flying!" Claudette panted.