Young girl was reading a book on a roof about magic. The abilities of the world were strange and made her love these stories her grandmother told.
When she was younger her mother and father died from an illness her grandfather and grandmother were all she had left. Because of this she quickly became sad, hoping for love.
She did receive it. But the lost of her parents sunk deep within her chest she didn't
She was deep in thought when she felt someone push her. Her body fell as she disappeared into the darkness.
Age 15 berk
Marissa awoke and found herself on the shore.
"Hey, are you okay?" A male voice asked.
The young girl rubbed her eyes and shook her head. "My head hurts."
"Let me take you to our healer," the boy said as he offered a hand. "I'm Hiccup."
She took it her eyes glimmered as she looked at him. "I'm Marissa." he noticed the young girl had a light purple eyes and dark purple hair that reaches her chest and she had fair skin. She wore ragged clothes.
"Wow. Pretty," he said. And then he shook his head. "Uh-uh, your name, I mean! I mean, you're pretty too! Not that I'm trying to flirt! Is it hot out here?"
Marissa titled her head but nodded. She walked with him to the healer.
The old woman, Gothi, looked her over and then went to get something. She came back with a bottle and scribbled something in the dirt.
"She's saying that this should help with your headache," said Hiccup.
She took the bottle. "Do I drink it?"
Gothi nodded her head. Marissa drank it. Gothi scribbled in the dirt again.
"Looks like she's saying that it will start working within five minutes," said Hiccup.
Marissa nods. "Thank you."
Gothi scribbled again and Hiccup said, "She says that she's happy to help. Although you should probably be in a safe place before nightfall. The pests show up around that time."
She nodded. "I don't remember anything."
"Really? You don't even know where your home is?" Hiccup asked.
"I remember flames and my father being stabbed. I remember my home. I got onto a boat, not what happened afterward." Marissa said lying the best she could.
Hiccup felt bad and then got an idea. "How about I take you home to my place? I can talk to my dad about letting you stay."
"Okay." Marissa said with a gentle tone.
"Thanks again, Gothi!" Hiccup said as he took Marissa and left.
They went to the village where everyone was getting ready to lock up everything they had. They were also getting their weapons fixed and getting new ones. A man with a hook arm saw Hiccup and waved at him.
"You best stay inside tonight, Hiccup!" He said. "Otherwise I'll see you tonight!"
"You know me, Gobber! I never miss a lesson!" Hiccup called back. "That's Gobber, the blacksmith. He's my mentor."
"Marissa, sir."
"Well, where did you come from?" Gobber asked with a smile.
"Washed up on shore," said Hiccup. "She lost her home and family, so I'm taking her to stay with me and dad."
"You're bringing a stranger to stay with Stoick the Vast? Ha! I guess you're dumb as well as puny!" A boy with brown hair and thick arms said with a laugh. "Hey, Gobber, got my dad's order?"
"I'll get those maces, Snotlout," said Gobber, though annoyed.
Marissa picked up a knife. "Pretty and sharp." she threw it two inches near Snotlout's head on a post.
"Ah!" Snotlout screamed. "Watch it!"
"Well, with that aim, you can keep it," said Gobber as he gave Snotlout the maces. "And you better head home to your parents."
"Well, so she can get a post. That doesn't mean she's safe from the real danger," said Snotlout as he left.
"I should explain, Marissa. We have some crazy pests," Gobber said.
"Ok."
"I'll tell you on the way home," said Hiccup.
Marissa grabbed the knife from the post and pulled it out walking with a Hiccup.
"You see, the pests we have here aren't what you'd call….. typical," said Hiccup. "While most places have rats, termites, or mosquitoes, we have……. Well……"
"What?" Marissa asked.
"Dragons," said a blonde girl training with an ax. "This village is at war with dragons."
"I see." Marissa said in a gentle tone.
"Hey, Astrid," said Hiccup. "I see you're getting better."
"Yeah. But my parents still don't want me joining in any fights because I'm still too young," said the blonde. "But once my training is complete, those monsters better watch out."
"Dragons like me." Marissa said.
Hiccup and Astrid looked at her in shock.
"I'm sorry, what do you mean by that?" Hiccup asked.
"Obviously, she means they think she's delicious," said Astrid.
"No, they refuse to attack me."
Astrid stared at her and then laughed. "Yeah right."
"I can prove it. Do you have a dragon?" Marissa remarked. "You can see with your own eyes, miss judgey."
"There might be a few left in the training arena," said Astrid.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! We can't go there!" Hiccup said.
"I'll be fine." Marissa said simply.
"We're not allowed!" Hiccup said.
"If we get in trouble, put the blame on me."
"I'm pretty sure the chief will blame me," Hiccup said as they walked.
"Wouldn't shock me," said Astrid, nonchalantly. "But, what can you do?"
"We could not trespass!" Hiccup said.
"Don't come then. If I'm lying Astrid can just do something; she seems capable."
"I'm sure I am. Probably safer if you stay back, anyway," said Astrid as they left.
Hiccup groaned as the girls left.
Marissa took in the memories as she walked the voice that was so quiet. Saying her gift was made for her. It said the dragons view her as an alpha and her voice scent and aura could control them the moment she ordered them.
Astrid snuck around the entrance and started looking around. Sadly, the gates were not see-through, so it was impossible to tell which dragons were inside.
"It won't matter what dragon any is fine just open it."
"Okay. How about……. This one?" Astrid suggested.
"Not that one! It's a gronkle! They're lame!" Snotlout's voice called. "Open the other one! I think it has a change wing!"
"Those spit acid!" A chubby boy screamed.
Astrid saw Snotlout with the chubby boy and a pair of twins, as well as Hiccup. Astrid looked questioning at Hiccup, knowing he would have the most accurate answer.
"Snotlout overhead Marissa saying she was coming here and told the twins. Ruffnut and Tuffnut came along because they wanted to watch what the dragon would do. I wanted to make sure they didn't piss off the dragons on purpose and Fishlegs is just here to learn," said Hiccup.
"Up to you." Marissa put down her dagger.
"Uh, won't you need that dagger to defend yourself?" The chubby boy, Fishlegs, asked.
"I won't." Marissa said in a cold tone.
"Okay, I'm betting two chickens for some serious burns!" Tuffnut, the male twin said.
"Five sheep for some mauling," said Ruffnut, the twin sister.
"I'll bet my sword that she gets a scar on her eye," said Snotlout.
"Can you just open a cage?!" Marissa shouted.
"Okay! This one!" Astrid said as she pulled the lever.
The door opened and a gronkle came out. It growled as it looked around at the kids.
"Sit." Marissa said in a demanding tone.
Everyone expected it to attack, but something unexpected happened. The dragon stopped, turned calm, and sat down.
She walked up. "Go back inside."
The gronkle wagged its tail and walked back to the cage. Astrid closed it and locked it.
"Okay, I guess you were right," said Astrid.
Marissa pushed her hair back and exited. She stopped when a large man with a big bushy beard stood in the way.
"Oh snap. The chief," Snotlout sang. He turned to Hiccup. "Dead man."
"You all know children aren't allowed on the inside of the arena," he said. He looked at Hiccup. "Hiccup, I expected better from you, son."
"Sir, it's not Hiccup's fault. He saw Snotlout and the twins planning on messing with dragons and came to stop them," said Astrid. "And Marissa just wanted to see the place."
"Is that right?" Stoick asked.
"That is right." Marissa said only for a crash to happen and a door broke open a dragon broke through it was a deadly nadder.
"Oh my Thor!" Fishlegs screamed.
"Run, kids!" Stoick said as he grabbed an ax.
Marissa got in front of him. "Sorry, allow me."
"Get back here!" Stoick called out.
She stood in front of the dragon as it looked to her and it calmed. "Go back in."
The dragon immediately went back into the cage and Stoick shut it.
Marissa looked at Stoick.
"How did you do that?" Stoick asked.
"Just a gift." Marissa sighed.
"Could you do that again tonight?" Stoick asked.
"I can." Marissa said.
"Good. Then you may stay outside," said Stoick.
"Dad! Are you insane?! It's too dangerous!" Hiccup shouted.
"Dragons are calm around her. And I'll be with her," said Stoick.
Marissa looked confused but took a deep breath. "Very well."
"Dad, what exactly are you planning?" Hiccup asked.
"If she really can calm dragons, we just might lose less," said Stoick.
Marissa hoped deeply that she didn't end up getting lots of dragons killed and if she did she would leave even if she did become friends.
"My house is this way," said Hiccup as he led her to a house.
She followed her. She took a moment looking around. It seemed nice and homey for the most part. She tried to ignore the dragon skull on the wall, but could not.
"Oh, my dad's first kill," said Hiccup.
"I see." Marissa said. "Hiccup….is your father gonna use my power to kill dragons?"
Hiccup looked concerned and said, "I don't know. But dragons and us don't like each other. Frankly, I can't say I blame them."
"I don't care about killing but dragons I don't like it if it's not necessary but I respect his choices."
Hiccup sat down and said, "At least you're allowed to help. I'm just a walking disaster."
Marissa puts her hands on his shoulder. "You're not, you've been nothing but nice to me, I really care for you." Marissa hugged him.
"Thanks, Marissa," said Hiccup as he hugged her back. He looked outside. "It looks like the sun's down. The dragons may show up at any time."
Marissa nods.
It was quiet at first, and then they heard roaring outside. Hiccup went to the door to see and was greeted by a monstrous nightmare face. He quickly closed it before it breathed fire at him.
"Dragons," he said.
Marissa ran over and went to stop them.
As they left the house, they found the villagers fighting many dragons. Many people were telling the two to get back inside as they ran.
"Hiccup!" Stoick said as he grabbed him. "What is he doing out-what are you doing out? Get inside!"
"Didn't you want me here."
"You, not him," said Stoick as he shoved Hiccup towards the blacksmith shop. "Think you can calm these beasts?"
"Those who are close by, not all at once."
"How about hanging by the shop with Gobber and me?" Hiccup suggested.
"Take me to the most important areas. I'll deal with those."
"The food storage," said Stoick. "They tend to go for that place along with the places where we keep livestock the most."
"And this bunch is looking aggressive," a man said. "There have been sightings of gronckles, nadders, zipplebacks, and Hork saw a monstrous nightmare."
"Any night furies?" Stoick asked.
"None so far," the man said.
"Good," said Stoick. "But if one does show up, Marissa, I want you to track it if you can."
"I will do my best."
The night went on and there were a few fires. Thankfully, Astrid and the others were around to put out the fires with water. When some found where the sheep were hidden, Marissa got in front of the zippleback. The two headed dragon looked curiously at her. Suddenly, a bola caught both necks.
"Got one!" Yelled a man who looked like Snotlout. "Spitelout! Spitelout! Oi, oi, oi! Thanks for distracting it, kid."
He got ready to kill it but was stopped.
"Wouldn't it be better to use them for training?"
"I guess," Spitelout said. "Oi! You two! Help me with this!"
She gave him a look and said, "Also dragons don't attack me."
"Yeah, Stoick said," said Spitelout as the zippleback was taken away. "That's why he figured you could make it easier to get these beasts away from our village."
"I can't control them unless they can hear me or smell me."
"Good enough for us," said Spitelout.
The zippleback looked sadly at Marissa as it was taken away.
She looked sad….she had to leave the moment she had a chance.
"Night fury!" Someone screamed. "Get down!"
A single blast hit a tower and a black body was seen flying really fast through the sky. It was dark, so it was hard to tell what it actually looked like and it moved so fast it was nearly impossible to see.
The attack made everyone panic and run. This was likely her chance to look for an escape.
She ran off. If she ever came back she would lie. She took a row boat and disappeared into the night. As she left, she could have sworn she heard a dragon and saw something dark fall from the sky. She only hoped it would not be killed for no reason.
-Months later-
Marissa was at a trading post browsing through the merchandise when one piece caught her eye. It looked like a necklace made from dragon teeth.
"You have quite an eye, missy," said a man with a big beard. "A young man on Berk traded this to me for a book on botany."
"Thanks, I just want that." Marissa said.
"I take gold or trade," said the man. "You wouldn't have happened to see a colossal squid around, have you?"
She handed him a big bottle of ink. "I got this a while back."
"Thanks!" He said as he took it. "Now I can keep my word to Hiccup! Hopefully that dragon of his will be in a better mood."
Marissa looked surprised. "Dragon?"
"Oh! Did I say that?" He asked, realizing his mistake. "Uh, I meant, uh, drag….. pond! That doesn't make sense! Yes, I said dragon."
"If you take me I'll pay you 10 gold."
"Deal!" He said. "Johan's the name, trading's the game! Now, my ship is right this way."
He took Marissa to a ship nearby and loaded up his stuff. Once everything was ready, he set sail for Berk. It was a short trip, thankfully, and they arrived in two days.
Marissa barely recognized Berk now. Dragons were flying around freely and interacting with the villagers. She even saw a familiar blonde girl riding a nadder.
"And there goes Astrid and Stormfly," said Johan.
"I haven't been here since I was kidnapped on the dragon night.'' Marissa lied. "I didn't think it would change this."
"Well, you can thank Stoick's son for that," said Johan. "Oh! Here he is now. Master Hiccup!"
Marissa looked up and saw a black dragon with Hiccup on its back. The dragon was wearing a saddle and a fake tailfin.
"Marissa?" Hiccup asked. He got off the dragon and ran to see her. "Is it really you?"
Marissa nodded, hugging him.
"What happened to you? You disappeared so suddenly," said Hiccup. His dragon nudged him. "Oh! Sorry, bud. Marissa, this is Toothless. Toothless, Marissa."
The dragon looked up at her and let out a warble.
"I was taken and just escaped a few days ago." she said petting the dragon.
"I guess whoever had you didn't take you to their nest on Dragon Island," said Hiccup. "Well, anyway, I'm glad you're back. You get to see all of these great creatures."
"Great my patootie! These things are a nuisance! We were better off as enemies!" An old man with a sheep yelled as he walked by.
"You're still on thin ice for those flowers, Mildew," said Hiccup, glaring.
"I said it was to make the village pretty," said the old man.
"And yet the flowers nearly killed our dragons," said Hiccup.
"Oh sure, blame me for the lizards getting sick," the old man said as he left.
"You don't like dragons do you?" Marissa said in a cold tone.
"No I don't," Mildew said.
"He doesn't really like people either," said Hiccup. "Come on, Marissa. I'm sure dad will be happy to see you again."
Marissa nods, walking over with Hiccup. She looked around and saw the people getting along quite well with the dragons; some even fed some. She also noticed that the zippleback she saw before leaving was with the twins, Ruff and Tuff. Fishlegs was pampering the gronkle and Snotlout seemed to be having a hard time with a monstrous nightmare.
"You have changed a lot."
"And it helped when I met Toothless," said Hiccup while petting his dragon.
"I see."
A thunderdrum greeted them along with Stoick.
"Hey, dad. Look who just showed up after so many months," said Hiccup.
"Marissa?" Stoick asked. Marissa nodded and then hugged her. "I'm sorry for how I was when we met. I didn't really understand dragons until Toothless saved Hiccup's life."
Toothless looked bashful at the mention. And then he glanced at Hiccup's leg and looked sad.
"It's okay, bud. It wasn't your fault. You tried your best," said Hiccup.
Marissa was confused until she looked at Hiccup's left leg. It was a metal prosthetic leg.
Marissa looked sadly. "I'm sorry…" she lifted her short at the time she knew evenly made something that hurt a lot but was necessary for her story. "The ones who took me tried to force me to control dragons to make an army. I just escaped a bit ago as Hiccup said."
"I thought dragons took you," Hiccup said.
"Dragons and then humans," Marissa clarified.
"It's okay," said Hiccup. "You're back now and things are gonna be different."
"Yeah?" Marissa said, confused.
"If you use your talent, it will be to help teach everyone at the Dragon Training Academy," said Stoick.
"Alright." Marissa said with a sad look. "Are you sure you want me here? I'm not really one of you."
"Of course you are," said Hiccup with a smile. "You're our friend. At least come see everyone."
She nods. "Okay."
Hiccup took her to the old arena. However, it had a different feel to it. The dragons there were relaxed with their riders. The dragons looked happy as they rushed to see Marissa.
"Marissa?!" Everyone asked.
"Yeah. Nice to see you all."
"You're back!" Fishlegs said.
"Miss me? Bet you did," said Snotlout.
"No." Marissa said bluntly. The monstrous nightmare licked her. "Hi, there."
"That's my dragon, Hookfang," said Snotlout.
"That nadder is Stormfly. She's mine," said Astrid as the nadder and gronkle looked at Marissa.
"And the gronkle is my pretty Meatlug," said Fishlegs.
"And that's Barf and Belch," said Ruff. "Barf is the gas head, whom I ride on."
"I ride Belch, the spark head," said Tuff while the head sparked.
"Ok that is interesting." Marissa said in a calm tone.
"She was taken by a dragon and then captured by humans. She recently escaped and she's back," said Hiccup.
"You've missed a number of things here," said Astrid. "Like the Outcast Invasion for example."
"Oh?"
"The Outcasts, led by Alvin the Treacherous, invaded Berk recently," said Hiccup. "Alvin has a grudge against Berk and my father, and he's hoping to defeat him by training his own dragons after he realized that we can do that."
"I see well I'll try to help."
"You can start by helping us with our dragon training," said Hiccup.
"Alright." she looked at each dragon.
"I'm good. Watch this. Hookfang! Get your big butt over here!" Snotlout said to his dragon. The dragon breathed fire at his feet. "Hookfang!"
"Come here, Hookfang."
The dragon walked right up to Marissa calmly.
She petted his head. "Good boy."
"How is it that everyone but me can get that stubborn dragon to listen?" Snotlout asked.
"I'm just good at that."
"And maybe it would help if you didn't shout at him all the time," said Hiccup. "Now, you got here at a good time since it's getting close to the annual Thawfest."
"Thawfest?" Marissa asked.
"It's the festival that we have during the time of the snow thaws," Fishlegs explained. "We have a sports festival where we all compete against each other."
"And you're looking at the current reigning champion," Snotlout smugly said while puffing up his chest.
"Astrid?" Marissa asked; Astrid was right next to Snotlout.
Snotlout dropped his chest and said, "Me."
"Can I join or does it require something?"
"I guess if we talk to my dad he'll let you," said Hiccup. "And as far as Snotlout's winning streak goes, it might not necessarily be the same this year. With the peace between us and the dragons, there are new events this year."
"Dragon related events," Tuff added.
Snotlout laughed and said, "Makes no difference. I'll still be on top and Hiccup will be dead last like always."
"I'll ask." she hugged Hiccup.
Hiccup blushed and then said, "Dad's overseeing the preparations right now, but we'll go see him later. Right now, let's get you a dragon. If you wanna compete, you're gonna need one. And it'll be good for you to have one."
"You do that, Hiccup. I'll be preparing for my next medal," said Snotlout as he started working out.
She nodded and walked with Hiccup. The two went into the woods and started looking at dragons.
"Let's see," said Hiccup. He moved a tree branch and saw a dragon. "Here's a nadder. What do you think?"
"I'm not really a nadder girl or really a these types of dragon girl." marissa said.
"So you're looking for something more unique?" Hiccup asked. "I had the same issue with my dad when he asked for a dragon. It took some work before we found Thornado."
"Yeah something unique….hey um Hiccup would you be…my big brother."
Hiccup blinked, not expecting that. And then he smiled and said, "I'd like to have you as a sister. And I'm sure dad would love to have a daughter."
Marissa smiled. Hugging him. "Let's ask your dad and then we can figure out the dragon thing."
"Okay," said Hiccup.
Hiccup and Marissa got onto Toothless and flew back to the village. They found Stoick talking to some people about the food and decorations. Once they landed, Hiccup approached his father and said he had to talk to him about something important. Stoick excused himself and went with the kids.
"What is it, son?" Stoick asked.
"Marissa was hoping to be adopted into our family," said Hiccup. "Dad, I've told Marissa that I would love to be her brother, would you be her father?"
Stoick was in awe of the question. He looked at Marissa. She looked so innocent and something inside her reminded him of Hiccup and Valka. He then gave her a warm smile.
"Welcome to the family, my daughter," he said as he hugged Marissa.
Marissa smiled happily and hugged him back.
"Also, Marissa was wondering if she could take part in the Thawfest games," Hiccup said. Stoick was surprised. "I know it's kinda last minute, but when we told her, she seemed interested."
"Well, I suppose it would be a good way to get involved with the village," said Stoick. "Alright, you may enter the games. You'll train with Hiccup and Gobber."
"Alright." Marissa said, determined.
"Do your best, you two," Stoick said with a smile.
Hiccup and Marissa met with Gobber and he had them pulling on small trees to uproot them. Hiccup was struggling with his tree, even with Gobber coaching him.
"Put your back into it, Hiccup!" Gobber said. "Well, maybe your legs? Or something."
"Put your back into it, Snotlout!" Spitelout said as he was training Snotlout nearby.
Snotlout pulled on the tree and it came right out of the ground. The two then cheered and knocked heads. Snotlout looked smugly at Hiccup and then noticed Marissa.
"Oh, so the chief let you compete? Big deal," Snotlout said. "No one's beaten me at these games, and an outsider is no different."
"She's not an outsider anymore. She's my sister now," Hiccup pointed out.
Spitelout and Snotlout looked confused.
"Since when?" Snotlout asked.
"Since dad adopted her," said Hiccup.
"Well, nice to see that the Haddock family has gained a new child," said Spitelout. "I guess I'll need to officially introduce myself. Spitelout Jorgenson of the great Jorgenson's, and your uncle."
Marissa looked shocked at Snotlout. "You're my new cousin? Ew." she shivered at the thought.
"Hey, relax, I won't hit on you anymore. Stoick would kill me," said Snotlout. "Anyway, it'll be nice to see someone in the Haddock family competing who isn't likely to bring shame to the family name. Which your brother always does."
Marissa looked annoyed at him.
"She's pretty, but you need more than looks to get far in the games. You need muscle," said Spitelout while watching Hiccup struggle. "Not the best example."
She went over and laid on the ground doing push ups. She was displaying amazing stamina.
Hiccup then started running while carrying a sheep on his shoulders. Marissa did the same thing and was pretty far ahead. She even passed Snotlout who was doing the same thing and preparing to mock Hiccup. Hiccup then tripped and fell. The sheep was okay, but Hiccup was embarrassed.
"Sorry you had to see that, sis," said Hiccup. "I realize that I'm not the best viking."
"You're fine." Marissa said with a gentle smile.
"Thanks," said Hiccup, smiling back.
-Later at the arena-
The kids stood in the arena with Gobber as he explained the Thawfest games.
"Okay, listen up kids," Gobber announced. "This year, with our peace with dragons, as well as the progress everyone has made with dragon training, they are now officially part of Thawfest. There will be three additional events, in which you can use your dragon. However, with the newcomer, I think we'll start with the classic three events."
Marissa listened intently as Gobber went over the events.
"First up is the sheep lug," said Gobber. As he showed some drawings. "The competitors will race each other while carrying a sheep over their shoulders."
"If you finish first you get a point," said Fishlegs.
"Exactly," said Gobber. "Next is the log roll. Now, the object of this one is to stay on the rolling log for as long as you can."
"Last viking still on gets the point," said Fishlegs.
"Correct," said Gobber. "And then there's the axe throwing contest. For that one you have to hit a bullseye from a distance."
"One point for anyone who gets a bullseye," said Fishlegs.
"However, this year will include events with your dragons. Like the fly and shoot," said Gobber. "For that one, you have to fly straight and shoot straighter."
He then jumped as a fire blast almost hit him. He looked over and saw the twins on their dragon.
"Sorry! We were on the wrong heads," said Tuff.
"I knew something felt off," said Ruff as they switched.
They had their dragon shoot again and it nailed Gobber's flag.
"Much better," said Tuff.
Gobber looked annoyed, and then regained his composure and said, "The next event is called the freestyle. There, you will perform with your dragon. Your performance will determine your score. Like Astrid's nadder walk over there."
Everyone looked and saw Astrid on Stormfly. Astrid was balancing on Stormfly while the dragon flew.
"Um, excuse me. Meatlug and I were wondering if there were going to be any intellectual events. A puzzle perhaps?" Fishlegs asked.
"I'll take that under advisement. And let's not forget the hurdles. Where you'll be asked to-" Gobber begins to say when Snotlout flies in on Hookfang.
"Woohoo!!!!!!!" Snotlout cheered as he flew in. He got off and revealed himself to be wearing several medals. "Ah! You know what I love about the Thaw Festival Games? Winning! Wanna touch one of my medals, just to see how it feels to be a winner?"
"I think I'll pass," Hiccup said in annoyance.
"Snotlout, why are you wearing those things?" Marissa asked. "Seriously, who needs that much jewelry?"
Snotlout looked offended. "Jewelry? Please."
"Marissa, those are actually Thawfest medals," Fishlegs explained. "At the end of the games, the winner is awarded it."
"And right here is the reigning champ," Snotlout smugly said. "My family has never lost a Thawfest Games, ever!"
"Here we go," Astrid said in annoyance.
"Dragons or no dragons, I'll do what I do every year: Bring glory to the Jorgenson clan. And, Hiccup, you'll do what you do…embarrass yours." Snotlout taunts while laughing. "Let's go, Hookfang!"
Hookfang flew away and the others looked annoyed but said nothing.
"Fishlegs, do you have any books of dragons that are unique?" Marissa asked.
"There is a book of dragons that has everything we've learned so far," said Fishlegs. "It has every known breed that we've discovered since vikings first sailed here; as well as busted myths."
"Any dragons that are different and not known well."
"Well, not all of them are really that common. But I'd be happy to show you some," said Fishlegs. "In fact, I think there might be one in there that is quite rare."
The two went to the side and Fishlegs took out the Book of Dragons. He started flipping through the pages. There was the changewing, the boneknapper, the whispering death. She then saw something interesting.
"stop." she pointed to a blurry looking dragon painted.
Fishlegs stopped. "It says it's called a cat's eye. They're believed to be covered in the skins of animals they kill to hide their scent from their prey."
"Size: unknown. Danger if you come in contact pray to thor you survive because that's all you can do." Marissa read. "That's what I want."
Fishlegs gulped and asked, "Are you sure? Those things could eat you alive."
"Yes." Marissa said, determined. She ran over to Hiccup. "I know what I want."
"Really? Great!" Hiccup happily said. "What breed did you pick?"
"She picked the cat's eye," Fishlegs nervously said.
"The cat's eye?" Hiccup asked. "Wow. That's quite a unique choice."
"Yes, we just need to find one." Marissa said in a determined tone.
Hiccup looked unsure at first. And then he grinned like her and said, "I think I might know a place to look. Come on."
"Great." Marissa said excitedly.
Toothless let the kids climb on his back and he flew off. Hiccup and Toothless flew away to a different island full of trees and other plants. They then landed at the beach.
"There have been sightings of cat's eyes on this island over the years. We'll surely find one here," said Hiccup.
They started walking around in search of the dragon that Marissa wanted. They suddenly heard stomping and Hiccup took her hand and hid behind a tree. They peered around and saw a giant dragon walk by. It was covered in fur that was a calco and looked somewhat like a cat in the face.
"That must be it," he whispered. "But it somehow doesn't quite seem like the book suggests. That fur doesn't seem to be a disguise, it looks like it's actually attached to its body."
"It's also huge." Marissa remarked. She looked at the wings and noticed they were very large. She went to approach.
"Careful. We don't know much. We don't wanna scare it," said Hiccup as he followed her.
The dragon looked down at Marissa curiously. It lowered its head and looked closely at the girl. Hiccup could have sworn he heard the dragon purring.
"Hi. You're huge." Marissa said with a huge smile and she patted her head. "Why does that book say you're so scary?"
"Probably the same reason that the others were listed as extremely dangerous," said Hiccup. "The Vikings were afraid because they didn't understand. So, what would you like to name this dragon? And it looks like a female."
"Well she's huge and looks tough. What about Queen?" Marissa asked.
"Okay. Queen it is," said Hiccup. "Now we just need to prepare her for the games."
She looked at the dragon. "Queen, show me what you can do."
Queen seemed to understand as she nodded. She breathed and out came an icy mist freezing the ground. The two were amazed and then the dragon fired a plasma blast at a tree, making it flame up.
"Wow!" Hiccup said while Toothless shook his head in shock.
Finally, Queen breathed blue fire onto another tree, making it burn up into ashes.
"Wow, she has three different breath weapons."
"This could be great for the freestyle," said Hiccup. "She could likely even get through the fly and shoot."
"Yeah. Come on, girl. Wanna come with me?" Marissa asked.
Queen purred and nodded her head. She then picked up everyone and put them into her pouch. She then took flight and flew back to Berk.
"She must really like you," said Hiccup.
"Yeah."
"I'll help you train here for the games," said Hiccup. "I also need to make some adjustments to Toothless' saddle."
"What in the name of Thor?!" Stoick asked in shock when he saw Queen.
She looked down as Queen landed and lower herself. Marissa and Hiccup exited. "This is Queen she's a cats eye."
"You trained one of those dangerous things?!" Stoick asked.
"Actually, it turns out the Book of Dragons got that one wrong; like most of the dragons in there," said Hiccup.
"She's just a giant softy."
"They even got the thing about them wearing fur from their prey. This is her fur," said Hiccup while petting Queen.
"It's growing from the scales." Marissa said as she showed Stoick.
Stoick looked at Queen's scales and said, "Amazing. And she will be competing with you in the games?"
"Yes! It's gonna be so cool!" Marissa happily said.
"Alright. Both of you do your best," said Stoick.
"We will," said Hiccup, smiling.
Marissa got Queen ready to help her in the games. Hiccup and Toothless helped her brainstorm ideas for her performance while working on the saddle upgrades. Together, Hiccup was sure they would both perform so well and bring honor to the Haddock clan.
"Is there even a saddle big enough for her?"
"Maybe if I get started working on one," said Hiccup.
She nodded and went to work. She sketched it out and Hiccup started picking out the materials.
"So training wise ideas?"
"I'd say that you should start with basic commands," said Hiccup.
"Okay, Queen, lay down please." Marissa said with a smile.
The dragon purred and laid down on her stomach.
"Nice," said Hiccup. "She's really obedient. You'd think she was already trained."
"Not likely. I think maybe it's just that she cares for me and my voice did this as well."
"Really?" Hiccup asked. "Well, how about going over your act and see if she can catch on?"
"Queen, can you take flight and do a twist then fire ice at the target then shatter it with plasma?" Marissa asked in a calm tone.
Queen did exactly what Marissa had instructed. The target was covered with ice and shot at with plasma. It shattered and the ice shimmered as it shattered to powder.
"I'm excited to beat Snotlout." she got ready to win.
The next day.
It was now time for the Thawfest games. Stoick opened the event and the teens lined up for the first event.
"The contests are lining up for the Sheep Lug." Mulch says through a horn as he and Bucket were the score recorders.
"It's a good day for lugging sheep, Mulch." Bucket says sitting next to him.
"Well, Bucket, everyday's a good day for lugging sheep." Mulch says as Gobber places a sheep on each of the teen's shoulders.
"On your mark, get set…" He says before banging Bucket's bucket.
Marissa had a sheep on her as she saw her image on the thing keeping score. When they went, Marissa was incredibly fast.
"Whoa!" Hiccup said. "That was amazing!"
"And first place is the newcomer, Marissa Haddock." Mulch said as a point was put next to her face and they saw Snotlout behind her.
"What?!" Snotlout asked in shock.
"She crossed first. Everyone saw," said Astrid.
"Looks like I'm winning this year." Marissa said.
"I'll get the next two today. You watch," said Snotlout, and then he walked off to prepare.
"Nice," Hiccup said. "How'd you do that?"
"I have a smaller frame and better tone. Makes me faster." Marissa stretched a bit.
"Next up is our traditional Log Roll event." Mulch says through the horn.
"Enjoy your face-plant!" Snotlout says as the event begins.
Everyone started running on the log and tried their hardest to stay on. Unfortunately, Fishlegs lost his balance and fell off while flailing his arms, this resulted in Astrid falling off as well. The twins fell off as well, But Snotlout stayed on, as did Hiccup and Marissa. Unfortunately, Hiccup fell off as well.
"Have a nice trip, Hiccup!" Snotlout said as he kept running. And then he realized Marissa was still on.
Marissa smirked at him as he looked at her Snotlout fell down.
"Another point goes to Marissa!" Mulch said.
"That's my girl!" Stoick cheered. He smirked as he watched Spitelout growl in annoyance.
Marissa smirked. She walked over and high fived Hiccup.
"Nice," Hiccup said.
"Beginners luck!" Snotlout said.
"Twice?"
"I'll just get the next one!" Snotlout said.
"I need four points right Hiccup?"
"That's right," said Hiccup, smiling. "Well, any number higher than the rest."
"Better at knifes then axes but tomorrow's games definitely will be mine."
"We'll see, sis," said Hiccup.
"The next event is the Axe Throwing contest, where accuracy is supreme." Mulch explains.
Snotlout took his axe and threw it at the barrel target. It hit the top barrel right in the middle.
"Bullseye!" Mulch cheered with the crowd.
Astrid went for her turn, only for Fishlegs to go as well and collide his axe with her axe. Both axes fell and Astrid glared at Fishlegs. The twins went to give it a try, but they both messed up. Ruffnut threw hers and it would have hit Stoick's head if he had not caught it in time. Tuffnut threw his into the crowd as they dodged quickly. Finally it was Hiccup's turn. He threw his axe with all his might and it was close to hitting the target. Unfortunately, it landed on the ground, just inches away from the target.
"You're up, Marissa," said Astrid.
Marissa picked up the axe and tossed it missing.
"Here's how it's done. Take notes," said Snotlout as he took Hiccup's axe and threw it at the target. He then took a few others and hit more perfect bullseyes.
"Show off," said Hiccup while rolling his eyes.
"Oh, ho, ho! Whoo-hoo!" Spitelout cheers before turning to Stoick. "Why don't you just give us the metal now, Stoick? Save your kids the embarrassment?!"
"Why don't you sit back down, Spitelout?!" Stoick replied. "And save the bragging for after the games!"
The villagers oohed as Spitelout sat down. Once he looked at the board, he had to admit that Stoick was that he had no real place to brag at that time. Marissa had two points and Snotlout had only one.
"That felt good to put him in his place. Now he'll see how great the Haddock clan is," said Stoick. Gobber gave him a look. "What?"
"You shouldn't let him get to you," said Gobber.
"He's been getting to me for years. Why should today be any different?" Stoick asked. "At least I came out on top today."
Marissa nodded. "Soon everyone will see my dragon. Been pretty hard hiding her."
"Yeah. It's the perfect premier day for her," said Hiccup.
"Your sister may have two more points, but I have the best picture," said Snotlout while pointing at the scoreboard.
"Mine's better." Marissa remarked.
"More importantly, if you want to have a chance at winning, you have to do really well in tomorrow's events. And those involve dragons," said Hiccup.
"So what? I can't wait. You see, Hookfang and I are like a boy and a dragon have become one. A bragon. Or a droy. Or Snotfang!" Snotlout said as he got on Hookfang and took off.
"Oh yeah? Well, tomorrow you're gonna have to deal with Hicctooth!" Hiccup retorted.
"And Marissaqueen!"
"Hicctooth and Marissaqueen?" Astrid asked.
"It's better than Hicctooth." Marissa said.
"Yeah, not my snappiest come back," said Hiccup.
Marissa nodded. "You'll get the Queen thing when you see my dragon."
"I bet she's gorgeous," said Astrid. "But why are you letting yourselves get caught up in this?"
"Oh I'm not, I'm having fun. I enjoy winning." Marissa said with a smile.
"In my case, for the first time ever, I have a chance to beat Snotlout. To quiet him down," said Hiccup as Snotlout flew by on Hookfang.
"Good point," said Astrid as she climbed up on Stormfly. "And, I have to admit, it would be nice to see someone else win a Thawfest medal."
After Astrid flew away, Hiccup looked in Snotlout's direction. "You've spiked your last sheep, Snotfang. Tomorrow's a new day," he said out loud.
-The next day-
Everyone was gathered in the arena once again. Most of the riders were already on dragons, but Marissa was on the ground without.
"No dragon? Oh no, the newbie couldn't get it to come," Snotlout teased.
Marissa whistled. Everyone heard wings flapping loudly and looked up. The people stared in awe as a cat's eye flew towards the ring landing in front of her.
"A queen needs to make an entrance right."
"That's your dragon?!" Snotlout asked.
"Yes this is Queen, a cat's eye." Marissa said as she climbed on.
"Now that all of the dragons are here, the second half of the games shall begin!" Mulch announced.
"It's a good day for lugging sheep, Mulch." Bucket says, but Mulch stares at his friend.
"First up, the hurdles," said Mulch.
"Hurdles shmurldes. I could make it over those in my sleep!" Snotlout boasted.
"Be my guest," Hiccup teased.
"You don't go over them, Snotlout, you go under them," said Astrid.
"Well, looks like this won't work for you girl." Marissa said.
"Well, I guess it's your own fault for training a giant dragon," said Snotlout as Hookfang walked away.
Queen knocked him off with her tail.
"Hey! That's dirty!" Snotlout shouted.
Queen chuckled. "Maybe you shouldn't make fun of a lady's size then." Marissa remarked.
"That's no lady! That's a…… lizard with fur!" Snotlout argued.
Queen then Smacks Snotlout again.
"First up is Fishlegs!" Mulch said.
Fishlegs and Meatlug flew underneath the first couple hurdles. Unfortunately, they got stuck in the middle due to their combined wideness.
"Uh-a little help here!?" Fishlegs called. He looked down at his dragon. "It's okay, girl. This just isn't our event."
Astrid and Stormfly went next and flew through magnificently. However, Stormfly's tail accidentally got one half way. The twins went next on Barf and Belch. They were okay as well until the zippleback got both heads stuck and sent the twins flying into the audience. Hiccup went next on Toothless and made a perfect flight.
"Where's your book, Hiccup? You might wanna take note," Snotlout taunted as he motioned Hookfang.
Hookfang did his best to maneuver underneath the hurdles. Sadly, Hookfang's elevation was not properly adjusted and Snotlout's head kept hitting the hurdles. In the end, Snotlout only got a headache.
"Next up, Marissa!" Mulch announced.
"Good luck," said Hiccup.
Queen slammed straight through destroying them. The crowd was shocked by this display.
"Well, that's the end of that event and the point goes to Hiccup!" Mulch said.
Queen shook herself off. Marissa patted dragon. She looked at the others.
"My first Thawfest point!" Hiccup cheered.
"Good job." Marissa smiled.
"Thanks," Hiccup said. "And how awesome is it that I actually beat Snotlout?! It feels pretty good! I feel taller. Do I look taller? Who cares?"
"Is he gloating?" Fishlegs asked in concern.
"I'm not sure. I've never actually seen Hiccup gloat," said Astrid.
"Don't get too excited," said Snotlout as he and Hookfang arrived. Snotlout then held up a finger. "You know what this is?"
"The finger you used to pick your nose?" Marissa asked with a laugh.
"NO! It's the number of points I need to end this and your brother," Snotlout said. And then he held up two fingers. "And this is the number of chances I still have."
"And this is the size of your brain," Hiccup said while making a circle with his fingers. And then he readjusted them to make the circle smaller. "Actually, this looks more accurate."
"Like you've ever seen my brain," Snotlout said before flying off.
Hiccup laughed a little and then Astrid looked at him with disgust. "What? He started it…… when we were five."
"Also if I get one or Hiccup gets two it means one of us wins." Marissa pointed out. "That guy really needs a math lesson."
"Next up is the freestyle event! The contestants and their dragons will have a chance to demonstrate their own style and abilities!" Mulch said. "Only the riders with the highest scores will receive a thawfest point."
The twins went first. Tuffnut was holding up Ruffnut while standing Barf's and Belch's necks while in flight.
"Check it out," said Ruffnut.
"We call this the Iron Split," said Tuffnut. Suddenly, Barf and Belch moved aside and made Tuffnut fall into a split.
As the boy cried out in pain, the judges each held up their cards which added up to only two points. While Tuffnut was being treated, Fishlegs and Meatlug went next.
"We like to call this next daring feat the Extreme Butterfly," Fishlegs said while Meatlug flew around really fast in a circle. Suddenly, Meatlug felt dizzy and they both flew into a wall, receiving a total of four points. "It's okay, girl. This just isn't our event either."
Astrid went next with her Balance Dane on Stormfly. The crowd and the judges really liked her act and gave her a seven.
Hiccup went after Astrid with Toothless. The two of them displayed their daring flying skills. Toothless even flew upside down with Hiccup on his saddle. The judges happily gave them a nine.
"Big deal. I'll show you guys something really cool," said Snotlout.
Three giant wooden rings were set up while Snotlout went to the starting line.
"I hear Snotlout calls it the Rings of Deadly Fire. No one's ever tried it before," said Tuffnut, making Hiccup concerned.
"Yeah, because it's really dangerous," said Ruffnut.
"No, because he just made it up," said Tuffnut.
Once Hookfang took flight, he lit the rings on fire. The two flew towards the rings until Hookfang panicked at the last second. This resulted in Snotlout flying into the rings and knocking them over. He looked up and saw that he had all zeroes. He glanced at Spitelout, who looked furious.
"Up next, Marissa!" Mulch said.
Marissa had her dragon fly up and Marissa stood before falling and Queen grabbing her from the sky shooting in the air causing ice and then plasma causing sparkles. The judges happily gave her a perfect score.
"Point for Hiccup and Marissa!" Mulch said.
Snotlout looked at the scoreboard and looked sad. Hiccup stood next to him and started talking.
"Wow, Snotlout, your dad looks pretty mad right now," said Hiccup.
"What do you know?! He always looks like that," Snotlout retorted. "And do you actually think you have any shot at beating me?"
"Uh, as a matter of fact, I do have a shot at beating you," said Hiccup. "Although, it looks like even if you win the next event it won't really matter."
"Also you have one point."
"You know what's pathetic?" Snotlout asked. "Your dad had such little faith in you that he had to adopt a ringer. Talk about lame?"
"Hey! Watch it!" Hiccup barked. "That's not why he adopted Marissa!"
"Maybe. But he still obviously was counting on her to win and not you," Snotlout said with a smirk. "Face it, dragon boy, you embarrass your family even now."
Hiccup balled up his fist and shouted, "At least I don't try to brag when I only have one lousy point!"
After Snotlolut left, Astrid approached them and asked, "What was that all about?"
"Just rattling cages," said Hiccup. And then he walked away.
"Since when do you rattle cages?" Astrid asked. And then she turned to Marissa. "Aren't you the least bit worried about these wins going to Hiccup's head?"
"Why would you say that?" Marissa asked.
"Well, probably because Hiccup was gloating before," said Astrid.
"I'll win no problem."
"Not exactly what I'm worried about," said Astrid.
-some time later-
A makeshift village was set up around the arena with cut outs and sand bags. Mulch then explained to the crowd what the event was about.
"And now it's time for the fly and shoot event. Where the riders and their dragons will go through the village and attack their enemies and spare their friends," Mulch said while showing off the cut outs to tell them apart.
Astrid and Stormfly went first. They did really well and got through relatively cleanly aside from a few mistakes. Fishlegs was next, but he panicked a lot and made Meatlug panic as well, earning them low marks. The twins fought each other a lot and confused their dragon, resulting in their run being a disaster, surprising no one. Hiccup went next and his run was perfect.
"Next up, Marissa!" Mulch said. "Let's see what our lead contender will do here!"
She made a perfect run as well.
"And a perfect run for Marissa!" Mulch said. "Snotlout will now finish the event."
"Okay, Hookfang, just one clean run. Just gotta make it look good," said Snotlout. Snotlout and Hookfang flew around and then an enemy cutout popped up. "Fire!"
Hookfang destroyed it with one shot. Snotlout cheered triumphantly, but Hookfang got sand in his eyes because the cutout was on top of the sandbags. This resulted in Hookfang sneezing and destroying cutouts that were both friends and foes along with the buildings. The crowd cringed at the scene and Spitelout ordered Snotlout to get his dragon under control. Overall, Snotlout's score was zero.
"Tough break for the reigning champ," said Mulch.
Once the wreckage was cleaned up, Mulch stood up and announced the final results.
"The time has come to announce the Thaw Festival champion!" Mulch said. "The results go as follows: Fishlegs, Astrid, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut: 0 points. Snotlout: 1 point. Hiccup: 3 points. Marissa: 4 points. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new Thawfest champion! Let's hear it for Marissa!"
The crowd cheered as Marissa stepped onto the stage to receive the medal. As Stoick put the medal around her neck, Snotlout looked at his own dad and saw that he was displeased. He then saw Hiccup and expected him to get angry. To his shock, Hiccup handed her a bouquet.
"Congrats, sis," said Hiccup.
"You made your family proud," Stoick said with a smile while looking at both children.
"Thanks." Marissa smiled hugging them both.
Hiccup glanced at the crowd and saw Snotlout approaching Spitelout. He tapped his dad and sister's arms as he watched Spitelout roughly grab Snotlout and drag him away.
"What's that about?" Marissa nervously asked.
"I'm….. sure it's nothing. I'll go take a look," said Stoick. "You two have fun at the festival."
Hiccup was visibly worried. "I'm concerned."
"Have fun, I'll check it out." Marissa said, following after Stoick.
Hiccup wanted to follow as well, but he was pulled away by Astrid. Marissa stalked Stoick as he followed Spitelout and Snotlout. They soon find Spitelout forcing Snotlout to face him.
"Care to explain yourself, boyo?" he angrily asked.
"I….. I didn't perform as well as I would've hoped," Snotlout nervously said.
"More accurately, you lost," said Spitelout, now growling. "You lost to that outsider Stoick adopted."
"It-it wasn't my fault," said Snotlout. "My sheep was heavier and my leg slipped, Hookfang got scared-"
"Stop with the excuses!" Spitelout yelled. "You lost because you were weak! You embarrassed the Jorgenson clan! You embarrassed me!"
"Hay!" This got their attention.
"Marissa?! What are you doing here?!" Stoick asked. And then he shook his head. "Nevermind. Spitelout! That is no way to treat someone who did their best, especially your own son!"
"And I'm not an outsider. I was there when you all were killing dragons. I was the one who helped or did you forget that?"
Spitelout looked uncaring. "I remember you disappearing. And, Stoick, what place do you have to tell me how to raise my child? You barely raised your own."
Stoick sighed and said, "I realize that I was not always the perfect parent to Hiccup and I made some mistakes in the past, but I never went out of my way to treat him like he was worthless! And Marissa disappearing was not her fault!"
"Whatever. Stay out of my family business and enjoy your first Thawfest victory. Because the Jorgenson's shall regain their honor," said Spitelout. "Come on, Snotlout. We're going home."
She watched him leave. "He's a jerk." Marissa remarked.
"I know. And that also explains a lot about Snotlout's actions. He was trying to demotivate you because his father was pressuring him to win. Poor boy," said Stoick. "Not that I'm overlooking what he said about you and Hiccup. For the record, I was ready to adopt you from the day I met you. My wife and I wanted a daughter after Hiccup was born, we just…… never got the chance."
"Thank you. Believe it or not this means a lot. I've missed having a family since mine….this means so much."
"I'm happy that you are happy," said Stoick as he hugged his daughter.
The two went back to the festival and joined the fun. Queen even let some children climb on her fur.
"Well, she's a really chill dragon. Honestly I expected some type of defensiveness."
"My guess is that whoever wrote her breed's info into the book in the first place just freaked out and assumed her breed was dangerous," said Fishlegs. "That or her breed only attacks when they feel threatened."
"She is quite a lovely girl," said Stoick. "Welcome to Berk, Queen."
Queen purred and nuzzled Stoick.
-sometime later-
Marissa and Queen had managed to make themselves at home on Berk in a relatively short time. Marissa even helped everyone with the dragon training lessons.
Their current problem was that the dragons were starting to break people's houses when they landed and sat on them. The people of Berk knew that it was not the dragon's fault, they were merely too heavy to sit on the roofs. Thankfully, Hiccup was hard at work with a solution. He came up with the idea of building strong perches just for the dragons.
Once the perches were ready, the village all worked together to put them up. Once they were all finished, Astrid flew on Stormfly and had her test it out and the test was a success. As the crowd cheered, the twins looked unhappy.
"Wait, we built these things so things wouldn't break?" Tuffnut asked.
"I feel so used. And sweaty," said Ruffnut.
She looked at it for a second. "It's nice."
"Glad you like it," said Tuffnut as they left.
That night, Marissa, Hiccup, Stoick, and Gobber all celebrated at the house. Toothless feasted on a basket of fish inside while Queen and Thornado ate their food outside.
"Perches for dragons! Some of your best work yet!" Stoick happily said. However, when he was about to drink from his mug, he recoiled in disgust at something. "Though we may need to move the one over the well."
Gobber looked at his own mug and looked grossed out as well. He stopped Marissa before she drank hers and Stoick did the same for Hiccup.
"And the perches are just the beginning!" Hiccup happily said. "We can build landing areas for them. Maybe even stables in the caves underneath the village. I bet we could even make feeding stations."
"Easy, son. Remember, Berk is still for people," said Stoick.
"Yup, vikings before dragons," Gobber added. Toothless looked annoyed. "Yeah, I said it."
"Shouldn't it be for dragons and humans together?" Marissa remarked.
Before anyone could answer, they all heard thunder outside. Suddenly there was a big flash of lightning and everyone jumped. Toothless ran away upstairs while the humans looked outside. To everyone's shock, bolts of lightning were striking the village.
"What a storm!" Marissa said as she watched the lightning.
"The lightning is hitting everywhere!" said Hiccup.
"Lightning doesn't usually strike here in the village!" said Stoick.
"Thor must be angry," said Gobber. "The only other time I remember lightning striking in Berk was……"
"Barnstat," said both Stoick and Gobber.
"Barn who?" Marissa asked, Hiccup shrugged.
"Jurgen Barnstat," Stoick clarified. "He was a drifter who sailed into Berk years ago before either of you were born. He stole items from widows and old men."
"To punish him, Thor gave him a lightning bolt to his helmet when he was fixing the mast on his ship to make his escape," said Gobber while pointing at a charred helmet.
"By the time Thor was finished with him, our whole fleet was on fire," said Stoick.
"We shipped him off the island out to sea and Thor hasn't visited the village since," said Gobber.
"Shipped him off to sea?" Hiccup asked. "Pretty harsh."
"He did rob old people," said Marissa. Another bolt hit the village. "But that's not important right now. Hurry and help the village!"
A terrible terror was screaming in fear as the houses were catching fire. Thankfully, Astrid flew by on Stormfly and saved it.
"Gobber, organize a bucket brigade. I'm heading up to the great hall. Hiccup, Marissa, you all help with the fire," said Stoick as the adults took off.
Before the kids could do anything, the lightning struck near Toothless and freaked him out. Hiccup tried to calm his dragon, but he ran away too quickly.
"Toothless!" Hiccup screamed.
Queen arrived with Thornado during the chaos. Queen shot out a ray of ice and helped put out the fires. Thornado also helped the people while Stoick tossed water. He saw the dragons and gave them a nod.
"Yeah! Now that's what I'm talking about," said Tuffnut, smiling at the destruction.
"I've always liked Thor," said Ruffnut, joining her brother.
"Oh, I love these storms," said Snotlout. "When it rains, I cancel bath night and just stand outside with nothing but a sponge and a bar of soap."
"We know. The village has had meetings about that," said Fishlegs.
Hiccup ran to Marissa and asked, "Have you seen Toothless?"
"No. Do you need help finding him?"
"I just saw him over by the great hall," said Astrid.
Hiccup and Marissa climbed onto Stormfly with Astrid and flew to the great hall where Stoick was carrying two injured men. Hiccup looked around and found Toothless on a perch. When the lightning was ready to strike again, Toothless fled and it missed him.
"Toothless!" Hiccup cried out.
"Did you all see that?!" Mildew called out while pointing at the scene.
The villagers looked where Mildew was pointing and saw Toothless jumping from one perch to another with the lightning hot on his tail. one could almost swear that the lightning was actually chasing Toothless.
"The lightning is following him!" Mulch said in shock.
Toothless finally made it to the grass and reunited with Hiccup.
"Oh, Toothless," he said.
"Thank goodness," Marissa said in relief while Queen nuzzled her.
"I think I figured out what is going on." Marissa said.
"Oh I'll tell you what's going on. Thor is mad at all of us!" Mildew shouted.
"Thor doesn't like the metal posts."
"What?!" Mildew shouted. "No! It's because of that night fury! Think about it, it's the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself! And it lives among us!"
"Thor had many chances to hit him. Why hasn't Thor done so before? Because it's the poles he doesn't like the metal poles."
"You really think Thor would be attacking the village because he hates metal?" Mildew asked.
"I was given a blessing to calm dragons because my village removed anything that they disliked I'd say we shouldn't speak for them and see if it works."
"Well, then how do you explain the fact that the lightning actually followed the dragon?" Mildew asked.
"It did seem like the lightning struck at the dragon," said Mulch.
"What's the tail made of?"
"I don't know. The runt made it," said Mildew.
"Hiccup?"
"I used some materials used in sails to make the outer fin and metal for the inner mechanisms," said Hiccup. "In fact, the connecting rod is metal."
"To me it looked to be aiming for the tail. How about we make these perches out of wood and see if it helps."
"Alright. It's settled," said Stoick. "We'll hunker down in the great hall tonight. Tomorrow, the perches will be removed and new ones will be redesigned."
The villagers seemed to agree with this plan and Hiccup removed the tailfin from Toothless just to be safe.
"It's just for tonight, bud," said Hiccup.
"Don't worry toothless you'll get the tail back." Marissa said petting him. Toothless purred and licked Marissa and Hiccup.
"You're all fools," Mildew said as everyone went inside. "You all know as well as I do that there's only one thing to do. We must banish the night fury."
-next day-
The people were hard at work taking down the perches inthe village. Which was a good thing since it looked like another storm was on the way.
"I hope you're right about the perches, Marissa," said Fishlegs.
"Me too, otherwise Fraya's gonna be pissed."
"If this doesn't work, it'll still be a good show," said Tuffnut.
"If it fails, we could try making Thor happy," said Fishlegs. "In the past, the gods have enjoyed a sacrifice or two."
"We could sacrifice Tuffnut!" Ruffnut said.
"Okay. what time should I be there?" Tuffnut said. "And there better be fire involved."
"No one is getting sacrificed!" Hiccup said.
"Not yet anyway," said Snotlout.
"Look, I'm confident that my sister's plan will work," said Hiccup.
"By the way, how would you know that Fraya would be angry?" Snotlout asked.
"Freya is the goddess of dragons in my old home we worshiped her because we worked with dragons.
"Wow. She's the goddess of fire here. And most dragons breathe fire. What an interesting coincidence," said Hiccup.
"She is also that too."
"So the dragons likely came from her?" Snotlout asked.
"They did come from her."
"Then I guess it's a good thing we made peace with them," said Fishlegs.
"A person once kicked out a dragon with false accusation and Freya burnt down a forest and their house."
"Wonder how much time Mildew has before he's punished," Hiccup commented, somewhat liking the idea of Mildew getting punished by karma.
Mildew's mustache caught on fire. He screamed his head off while his sheep just stared at him. After running around screaming for a bit, Mildew dunked his face into a bucket of water and put out the fire.
"I told him not to stand that close to the forge," Gobber commented as he walked away. "He never listens. And Yet I didn't think the flames were that big."
"Freya's having her fun."
"Curses are rough. I had an aunt who was once cursed by Odin. She had to pay tribute by sailing to the end of the earth," said Astrid.
"Did it work?" Hiccup asked.
"Please tell me it worked!" Mildew pleaded, hoping to prevent more fire related accidents.
"Freya isn't that forgiving when it comes to dragons."
"Even if she was, I don't know if it worked. I guess my aunt couldn't find it because she kept showing up from the opposite direction," said Astrid.
"Well, the gods have never had a problem with the Inngerman family," said Fishlegs. He then started performing some good luck rituals. "Knock on wood. Hop on one foot. Slap a Jorgenson."
Fishlegs stood in front of Snotlout, who looked like he was daring him to try slapping him. Fishlegs tapped Snotlout on the shoulder and laughed until Snotlout punched him.
"If you like we could make offerings to Freya." she said to Hiccup.
"Well, if it'll keep the village safe, it can't hurt," said Hiccup. "What does she like?"
"Fish we burn it to ash and jasmine and shiny things."
"You think that will stop the mighty Thor?" Mildew asked. "Bah! What do you expect from a girl not originally from Berk."
"Freya is scarier than Thor."
"Which is why the offering will help ensure the safety of the village," said Hiccup. "Astrid, go get some fish. Fishlegs, bring some jasmine from your house. I'll see if I can find anything shiny to go along with the offering. Twins, Snotlout, help Marissa set up."
"So we get to start a fire?" Tuffnut asked.
"Cool," said Ruffnut.
"Yes you get to make a fire." said Marissa.
The twins cheered and ran off. Fishlegs went to his house and got some jasmine that his mom had on hand. Astrid got some fish from the great hall and took off on Stormfly to meet everyone. Hiccup was going through his drawers when he found some old parts he neverused on Toothless' tail. He polished them off and they were nice and shiny. Everyone met up in the square and put together the fire.
"Oh, Freya, we hope you accept these offerings!" Fishlegs dramatically said as he dropped the jasmine.. "And I hope Thor isn't too mad about the perches. We did get rid of them."
"Here's some cod. I hope you enjoy," said Astrid as she dropped the fish.
"These are from the prototypes of Toothless' tail. They were part of the progress in the tail's creation. I cleaned them off to make them nice and shiny. Please accept them," said Hiccup as he placed the parts.
"Can we light it?" Ruffnut asked.
"You can light it." Marissa said.
"Yes!" the twins cheered and then their dragon lit the fire.
"This and the removal of the perches should guarantee our safety," said Hiccup. "I'm also finishing some coverings for the metal parts in the tail."
Marissa nodded smiling.
-that night-
There was another storm, only this time the lightning was not striking the village. The people were relieved to find that Marissa's plan worked. Hiccup was currently working on new dragon perches.
"Might need to use thick wood," said Hiccup. "Probably gonna need a stood support,"
Marissa nodded. "Hey, Mildew, who's the one who doesn't know anything now!"
"Oh shut up!" Mildew shouted back as he walked away.
"I still don't understand why the metal perches offended Thor so much," said Stoick.
"Not a clue." Marissa said.
"Well, as long as we didn't have to punish an innocent party, I'm not complaining," said Gobber. He caught a glimpse out the window. "Oh Thor. Snotlout's at it again."
"Spitelout has got to do something about that boy," said Stoick with a sigh. "Sorry if this place seems a little crazy, Marissa."
"That's okay. I like it this way," Marissa said with a smile.