I neither own nor claim any rights to "How To Train Your Dragon"

Jarin and the Riders of Berk
Chapter 15 - Stoick's Tale

"Dad!" Hiccup called as he and Jarin approached Stoick and the Monstrous Nightmare he was riding on.

"Son!" Stoick called back. "It's good to see you again!" The Nightmare seemed to be having a hard time keeping altitude, dipping and rising roughly. "I need to land. He cannot take much more of this.

Hiccup nodded and instructed Jarin to bring them about and head back to Berk.

Once on the ground, and off their respective dragons, Hiccup realized why the Nightmare was having such a hard time. There were clear signs of abuse which seemed to be the early stages of what Jarin's dragon had endured, and the dragon looked malnourished. "Aye," Stoick said. "He and I were... guests... of the same people who tortured Shadowhorn. It was a trap. There is no peace between Dragons and people on that island. And their leader is an insane fool who only enjoys watching pain being inflicted on others."

"We know, Dad," Hiccup said. "His daughter is here on Berk. She got tired of his cruelty and left hoping to find Shadowhorn after he was discarded. A storm blew her small ship off course and delayed her. But we learned about Gelbrun's deception. I was going to send Jarin tonight to learn as much as he could and return so we could figure out how to get you free."

Stoick nodded. "A wise move. I was worried that if you found out about my capture, that you would lead a dragon assault to free me and leave Berk defenseless."

"Actually, Dad, I almost did exactly that. Call it unreasonable Viking rage. But then I started analyzing the situation and realized that there were way too many unknowns. We didn't know where you were being held. Even Tarina couldn't be sure on that point. So I was just teaching Jarin the basics on how to control Tothless' tail fin. So how did you get out of there?"

Stoick sighed. "I'll be happy to tell you. But first, I need food. So does he." he gestured to the panting Monstrous Nightmare he had been riding, then turned to Jarin. "You should have a look at his injuries. They are minor compared to the ones Shadowhorn suffered, but I promised him that if he would carry me home, we would help him."

"Of course, Chief," Jarin said enthusiastically, approaching the exhausted dragon, hand outstretched, palm outward. "Easy, friend. I'm not going to hurt you." Stoick and Hiccup took their leave, mounting Toothless and taking off in the direction of their house.

The dragon sniffed of Jarin's hand and then touched his snout to it in a gesture of trust. "Can you standm friend?" Jarin made a motion for the dragon to follow him. With a groan of pain, it stood and ambled after him. It was a fairly long walk to the Academy and as soon as Jarin had the new dragon inside the shade room, the Nightmare collapsed. "We need fish as soon as possible. And break out the healing salve again."

O O O

Knowing that his two-leg would be going with Toothless to the despised ones' island had eased Shadowhorn's concern enough that he decided to take a walk around the village after all... It wasn't long before he came across little Jenna, the girl who had wept when she saw his injuries. She was playing with some other children who looked up wide-eyed as she approached him.

"Shadowhorn!" she cried with a wide grin. She ran to him and threw her arms around his neck, and he crooned to her. "I saw you fly! You were great! I'm so glad you are better!"

The other children had come up behind Jenna, clearly not sure what to make of the situation. Shadowhorn looked back and forth between them and tried what the two-legs called "smiling." Apparently, he did it wrong because the two cringed back with a whimper. Jenna turned to look at them? "He's just smiling. He can't help it if he has so many sharp teeth. Come here, both of you. Hold your hand out to him like this."

Shadowhorn rested the his snout against Jenna's palm. And when the other two children saw that, they just had to try it as well. He did the same to them, earning friendly giggles and smiles. Maybe when he was stronger he would let them ride on his back. That's new, he thought. Jarin can ride me because we are bound together. But to want to let others ride... That's new. I'm getting soft, I guess...

After a few more minutes with the children, he continued his walk, wandering down towards the beach, where he figured he would find other dragons fishing, and hopefully Skydancer would be there as well. He was right. There she was with the same gronckles he saw her with that first day he and Jarin walked through the village. "I hear the fishing is good here," he said, and Skydancer turned to face him.

"You came!" she exclaimed, running to him. "You flew today, and I knew you would be free to move about on your own, and I hoped you would come looking for us."

Shadowhorn bobbed his head. "I promised I would come fishing with you guys. And I keep my promises."

They spend a couple of hours frolicking in the water, grabbing fish and eating them on the spot. It was joyous. Before, he had not associated with spinetails or rockeaters. Just other flamescales. But this was a community where everyone came together in peace, where the common bond was friendship. The rules were different, and he liked it. But now, exhaustion was beginning to creep up on him, and as night began to fall, stormclouds began rolling in. There wouldn't be any sleeping under the stars tonight.

With a promise that his new friends would see more of him in the days ahead, set out for the academy, hoping he could get there before the rains began falling. But as he entered the shade room, he caught the smell. There in the middle of the room was the source: another Monstrous Nightmare. He stiffened at the sight, but relaxed as he recognized the newcomer. It was the dragon the despised ones had brought into the cave just before they got rid of him. So you DID end up just like me, he thought. FREE.

O O O

"There was a time," Stoick was saying as he chewed, "when I thought nobody could hate dragons more than me. But even back then, I never had a thought to hurt a dragon the way Gelbrun enjoys. He doesn't do it himself, most of the time. There was this big mean bear of a dungeon master he called 'Ripper' working for him who did the dirty work, while Gelbrun would sit there and watch. He'd glance at me occasionally, and ask 'Shall I stop, dragonlover?' and the like. But it was a trick question. The first time, I said yes, and he orderd ripper to beat the dragon harder. The second time, I said no, and the result was the same. It was only when I refused to answer that his game became boring to him.

"Gelbrun is insane. Sometimes he would come down there, stare at the dragon and mumble about his losses. I figure he must have lost loved ones to a dragon. He didn't interrogate me. He did a lot of ranting and raving about how any group of people who would befriend dragons had no right to call themselves Vikings, and that he planned to wipe Berk off the surface of Midgard. I could see in his eyes that he had no idea how he would do it.

"Then one night, one of his personal guards showed up in the dungeon. He approached me and asked, 'Is it true that dragons and humans could be friends?' I knew that he was legitimately wanting to know. Gelbrun already knew the answer. So I told him the truth. He shook his head. 'I don't know who is more foolish, Gelbrun or us for following him.' He left without another word, but came back in the middle of the night, carrying a loaf of bread for me and... and a raw fish which he tossed to the dragon, who ate it ravenously.

"'You've got to take the next step, lad,' I said. He looked confused. 'Hold out your hand, palm outward to him. Tell him you are sorry for what has been done to him, and MEAN it. He'll know.' Apparently, he was sorry for it. Because the dragon touched his snout to his palm, and the guard's knees almost buckled."

Hiccup's jaw dropped. "The dragon and the guard bonded?"

"Aye," answered Stoick. "He hung around for a moment and suggested that I not just bite into the bread, then he turned to the dragon and said 'help him get back to his people.' I asked him about the guards who were with me when I arrived, and he told me that Gelbrun had had them killed the first night I was put in the dungeon. He apologized that his news wasn't better, then took his leave.

"It turned out that there was a file embedded in the bread. He had given me a means of escape. I worked all night on the chain with the file, and managed to get loose. I managed to hook the chan back through the shackles in a way that it would break free if I just yanked it hard enough, but to a casual observer, I would still be chained up... All I had to do was wait.

"The next day, Ripper came down by himself to torture the dragon. I waited for him to get focused on it, so his back was to me. I pulled free of the chain as his whip struck loudly. He rared back to strike again, and I caught the whip in my hand and yanked it away from him. He stared at me in shock for a moment, and before he could cry out that I had gotten free, I struck with the whip. It snapped around his throat.

"The dragon had raised its head, realizing that something had changed, He looked at me and Ripper who was struggling to breathe. 'Are you hungry?' I asked the dragon, whose eyes widened at what I was suggesting. He nodded. 'Then eat your fill, I said, and shoved Ripper towards him. Those great jaws filled with sharp teeth snapped the jailer's head off, and quickly consumed the rest of him. I ran to the table in the corner where Ripper had set his keys down, found the right one, and unlocked the chains keeping the dragon secured.

"Just then, Gelbrun came into the dungeon, saying 'I changed my mind, Ripper, I do want to watch.' But then he saw me standing next to the dragon... who no longer was chained up, grabbed the guard who was with him, yelled, 'Toram, stop them!' and ran out of the dungeon. The guard took off his helmet and grinned. It was the same guard who I had met the night before. He turned to the dragon. 'Ram me in the chest, dragon. It'll dent my armor but won't kill me. I'll lay prone until you two can get out of here. I'll be fine. And even if he kills me for failing to stop you, that you and Chief Stoick are free will be good enough for me. Now hurry. Do it!'

"The dragon did as he was instructed, and the guard was thrown backwards, collapsing in a heap. I said to him, 'Dragon, if you carry me home, I promise you that my people and I will help you!" Then the dragon lowered his head and allowed me on his neck. He turned towards a large wooden panel set into the wall on the other side, took a deep breath and spewed magma from within, then he charged, bursting through the panel. There was a tunnel sloping upward. He ran up it with me clutching his neck. He burst through that as well, and we came out into the light of dawn. As soon as we were in the clear he took flight.

"It was hard for him, injured as he was, but he allowed me to guide him in the proper direction. Several hours later, we met you and Jarin coming to intercept us."

"You realize what this means, don't you," Tarina asked. Everyone looked at her. "It means that we may have an ally behind enemy lines. I know Toram. He's a good man. He should be captain of the guard, and would be if my father could still embrace wisdom. He's got no bargaining chips now that you are out of his hands. This is a good opportunity to do what must be done.

Stoick narrowed his eyes at her. "And what might that be?"

She looked back at him with eyes that were just as narrowed. "By taking you as a hostage, and the fact that you escaped, he has subjected himself and his village to a rite of vengeance. Ride your dragons to war against him, and let me come along." she leaned in and began whispering in the chief's ear. His eyes widened and he began to chuckle...

"Ohhhh..." he said. "I like that."