I neither own nor claim any rights to "How To Train Your Dragon"
Jarin and the Riders of Berk
Chapter 16 - A Season of Peace and Growth
The plan was made. Stoick approved of it. Preparations would now begin, and they would take a while to be completed. There was no rush. If Gelbrun decided to sail against Berk, they would be decimated in dragon fire before they could even land. No. Gelbrun was a coward. He would sit behind his walls, consolidating what strength he had. But it would not be enough. Not with the raid that was being planned. A raid that would come from sea as well as by air. There were no bargaining chips for Gelbrun to use to worm his way out of the corner he had backed himself into.
Of course, there would be uncertainty. In warfare, there always was. But one thing was certain. Gelbrun's days as a chief, or as a living being if the worst case scenario occurred, were numbered.
In the weeks that followed, Shadowhorn completely regained his strength, and he and Jarin rode the winds every day. In the months that followed that, Jarin and Tarina spent more and more time together, and it was whispered that it would not be long before their engagement would be announced. The whispers were proven to be true.
The dragon Stoick rode back to Berk after escaping from Gelbrun's clutches made a full recovery. Jarin could tell that it wanted to be reunited with Toram, the guard who helped them escape and whom the dragon had bonded with. If this dragon would have a name, it would be for Toram to give it, assuming he was still alive.
Hiccup and Astrid's relationship remained strong on a romantic level, though in public they maintained professional behavior. Some suspected that there was more going on there, but they never gave voice to it, for fear of what Astrid might do to them. Not that it mattered. Those who suspected had decided that it would be a good match between the two.
Hiccup had reclaimed the position as head of the Dragon Training Academy, with Astrid resuming her previous duties as senior trainer. Snotlout was annoyed that he was no longer second-in-command. But he only grumbled about it within earshot of Hiccup and Astrid. Fishlegs would just throw his hands up and walk away, and the twins threatened to take turns kicking him in the kneecaps if he wouldn't shut up. He knew they weren't kidding either. The truth was, he was really glad that he didn't have the responsibility anymore. But he had to put up a good front. Of course, Hiccup and Astrid both had him figured out. Eventually he would give it up, just like he had finally given up on hoping Astrid would give him the time of day... Which had yet to happen...
So a season of peace and growth was upon Berk, and all was well, for a time. Of course, it would not last. But it was good.
THE END
This is the final chapter of Jarin and the Riders of Berk. But I am not done with the characters I have created. Their story is not over. But the focus of the next one will be a bit different, and I will be transitioning to something that is more central to my OCs, with the main Berk characters becoming more secondary. We'll see how it goes. I thank everyone for reading this story. I'll be doing an editing pass soon, fixing typos and grammatical errors I have become aware of. I am considering a rewrite of a couple of parts, but have not decided yet. Until the next series begins, God bless...