Disclaimer: You may be wondering why I've gathered you all here today... Well, I must confess. I own not the HTTYD.

Chapter 2

A Storyteller Comes to Berk

Astrid stepped out of her house and sank a few inches into the thick mud. Groaning, Astrid resigned herself to a day slugging through the mud. Astrid shielded her eyes against the light-but-still-annoying rain and squinted into the gloom. Remarkably she could actually see. The rain, while constant, had let up a little. Thunder rumbled, but it sounded distant.

Still, Astrid took a moment to glare up at the sky, feeling righteously pissed at Thor at this point. Seriously?! Over three months of nearly non-stop thunderstorms? It was a bit much. Sighing, Astrid jerked her foot out of the muck, careful not to lose her boot in the process. Her foot came free with a squelch and Astrid huffed before carefully taking another step, stepping lightly to avoid sinking too far into the muck. Unfortunately, avoiding sinking at all was out of the question.

Shoulders hunched, Astrid began trudging through the mud toward the Thorstons' house, where her best friend and partner-in-crime resided. Hopefully, Ruffnut would have yet another nefarious plan to lighten Berk's spirits. The dark clouds pouring rain on the island dampened both the ground and everyone's spirits. Vikings are a hardy people, but they didn't like being cooped up all day because they couldn't see very far through the rain.

However, the source of brightened spirits didn't come from Ruffnut that day (or the sun, unfortunately) but the docks. Before Astrid had made it halfway to the Thorston residence Dogsbreath and Wartihog came barreling around the corner, grinning like the feather-headed fools they were.

Astrid wrinkled her nose as she always did when she came into contact with the two boys (they smelled worse than Gobber on bath day) and asked, "What's got you two so… chipper?" That wasn't quite the right word, but Astrid wasn't going to use precious brain power trying to use exact wording, which would be wasted on them anyway.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Dogsbreath said, crossing his beefy arms over his beefier chest. Astrid couldn't tell if he was trying to look imposing or mysterious, but he achieved neither.

Normally, Astrid would have told him where he could shove his attitude, but with her current mood she would probably end up beating the crap out of them, so she benevolently refrained. Instead she rolled her eyes and turned away. "Whatever."

"Trader Johan is here!" Wartihog burst out, evidently unable to withhold his enthusiasm on the matter.

"Hey!" Dogsbreath shouted, punching Wartihog's shoulder. "I wanted to say!"

Her own excitement building, Astrid ignored the two as they started arguing and ran the rest of the way to Ruffnut's house. Maybe he would have news of Hiccup, Tuffnut, and the others. Astrid desperately hoped so. They had left the tribes well enough alone for the winter so they could recover from the battle with the queen dragon and get acclimated to the idea that dragons were going to stop the raids. But early in the spring the storms had started up and traveling anywhere was pretty much impossible. Berk, the dragon riders, and all the other tribes hadn't gotten any contact with each other since the battle with the Queen dragon. It had been almost a year since that battle, and Astrid and Ruffnut as well had only had sporadic contact with Hiccup and Tuffnut since then.

Astrid threw the door to Ruffnut's house wide open and announced, "Johan's here!"

A loud thump followed her declaration. "Waaahh?"

Astrid snorted. Of course Ruffnut was still asleep. "You're taking entirely too much advantage of these rainstorms," Astrid commented with a smirk. "You've been sleeping in later."

Ruffnut groaned. "Noth'n' else t' do."

"Did you hear what I said when I came in?" Astrid asked, making her way over to Ruffnut's bed. The other girl was lying tangled in her blankets on the floor.

"Er…" Ruffnut frowned sleepily. "No."

Rolling her eyes, Astrid nudged Ruffnut's shoulder lightly with her boot. "Trader Johan is here," she said again.

Ruffnut sat bolt upright, sleepiness vanishing from her eyes. "Johan?!"

"Yeah," Astrid responded. "At least, according to Dogsbreath and Wartihog."

Ruffnut wrinkled her nose. "Those two idiots?"

Smirking, Astrid said, "Yeah, let's go see if they were right."

Ruffnut quickly pulled her boots on and the two of them hurried down to the docks. Johan's ship was unusually uncrowded, but Astrid wasn't terribly surprised. Most Vikings were spending their days inside to avoid the rain and thunder storms. Taking advantage of thatAstrid and Ruffnut ran down to the docks and right up to Johan's ship before skidding to a stop.

"Ah, Miss Hofferson and Miss Thorston, my favorite Viking shieldmaidens," Johan said jovially.

"Hello, Johan," Astrid greeted.

Impatiently, Ruffnut decided to skip hellos, and demanded, "Have you heard anything from Thorir and the dragon riders?"

Chuckling, Johan said, "No, my dear, I'm afraid not. They haven't been to Bardikk, their usual haunt, in quite a while. Seems flying in thunderstorms isn't pleasant for them. In fact, I myself have spent most of my time on Luk Tuk. This weather really is quite terrible for sailing, and winter, of course, is also quite difficult, so business has been quite terrible. As soon as things cleared up at Luk Tuk, I set sail. That island is, of course, quite the trading outpost, and I daresay I enjoyed my stay but—"

"Johan," a new voice scolded. "Boring them already?"

Astrid and Ruffnut turned to see a rather handsome young man of slim but wiry build with light, coal black hair and stone gray eyes. He grinned at the two girls and waved at them with his left hand, which had been replaced with a shining silver hook.

"Ah, young Cal, I was just recounting my travels," Johan said. "And, I hadn't quite gotten to mentioning you yet."

Cal rolled his eyes with exasperated fondness. "Are you going to mention me, then? Or shall I introduce myself?"

"No, no, how remiss of me!" Johan exclaimed. "This is Astrid Hofferson, and this is Ruffnut Thortson," he said, motioning to each of them in turn. "The most deadly women you'll find on Berk. Or most anywhere!"

Cal grinned again. "Lucky me, then, that we're meeting on favorable terms."

Johan chuckled and said to Astrid and Ruffnut. "And this, is Cal. It was a sunny day when I met him, which is quite rare these times, you know how it is. And I—"

"Not to be rude, Johan," Cal cut in. "But it looks like you have a few customers coming."

The other three automatically looked up the docks. It was true, several Vikings were making their way down to the docks, but they were quite a ways away. Clearly he was saving them from a long drawn out tale once more. Both shieldmaidens sent him relieved and grateful looks.

Cal smiled and said, "Are you going to make sure everything's in order?"

At once Johan was milling about his ship, taking stock of his items and talking to himself.

Astrid casually crossed her arms and leaned against the edge of the ship, watching Johan with amusement. Now that she knew the trader, unfortunately, had no news of Hiccup and Tuffnut, she wasn't quite as excited as before. Still, Johan's companion was interesting. "What are you doing travelling with Johan?" she asked curiously.

"I actually found something," Cal explained, adjusting the strap of a bag over his shoulder. "Something I thought Berk might be interested in some time ago, and I was hoping to talk to your chief, Stoick the Vast, about it."

"Really?" Astrid said, tilting her head. "What about?"

Cal shook his head. "I'll tell you with everyone else," he said with a smile. "No pre-knowledge just because we're friends now."

Astrid snorted at the casual 'friends' comment, but didn't correct simply because he was more interesting, and far smarter for that matter, than anyone else her age currently on Berk.

Ruffnut however, groaned. "C'mon! The suspense'll kill me!"

Cal grinned. "No can do. You'll hear soon enough, I'm sure."

Ruffnut huffed. "Fine, be that way," she said, before doing a complete 180 on the subject and asking, "So, what happened to your hand?"

Cal looked startled at the sudden change, and Astrid subtly kicked her shin for being so blunt, even though she knew Ruffnut wouldn't care.

"Er, well," Cal said slowly. "Long story short, a real sadistic bastard of a Viking cut it off."

"What's the long story?' Ruffnut prodded.

"Ruff," Astrid scolded aloud this time, elbowing her in the side. "Be a little more sensitive."

Ruffnut turned and looked at Astrid like she'd just asked her to quit her prankster activities.

Cal laughed again and said. "All in good time, not to worry. A little suspense never killed anyone."

"Unless they were suspended over a cliff," Ruffnut said.

Astrid frowned, trying to decide if that actually made sense, while Cal released a startled laugh. A few moments of thought later, Astrid gave up and pulled Ruffnut away with a quick farewell to Cal as people began crowding onto Johan's boat. They could wait until later to hear what Cal had to say.

As it turned out, 'later' was only a few hours during the midday meal. Astrid and Ruffnut found a table to themselves after Snotlout and his loonies had already sat down. They saw Cal having a low, fervent discussion with Stoick and Spitelout. Both Viking men looked extremely interested at what Cal was saying, but Astrid and Ruffnut ignored it until the chief was ready to bring it to everyone's attention.

Now, normally, they would have sneaked up and listened in (Ruffnut's bad influence), but they threesome had sequestered themselves in a corner. They two girls would have had to get up really close to be able to hear them over the din of the Great Hall. Ruffnut almost couldn't handle the pain of not knowing, but eventually, Stoick called for quiet in the hall, and gave the stage to Cal, as it were. He stood up on top of one of the tables, which was only a few over from where Ruffnut and Astrid sat, giving them a clear view.

"Alright, so," Cal began, clearing his throat. "I know you all have heard of Grimbeard the Ghastly."

Murmurings spread through the hall at that, and Astrid shared a curious glance with Ruffnut. Grimbeard the Ghastly, was one of the former chiefs of Berk, from many years ago, and Stoick's great-grandfather. He was generally regarded as the nastiest Viking Pirate to ever have sailed the Barbaric Archipelago.

"And I know that one of the most popular sagas told is the Lost Treasure of Grimbeard the Ghastly," Cal continued.

A buzz of eager talking erupted in the hall, and Stoick had to put his hand up and bellow, "SILENCE!" before they quieted down enough for Cal to go on.

"These storms, they've been pretty violent," Cal said. "They've washed up all lot of things, and unearthed even more. My family is a family of farmers, and in our fields we found… a coffin, Grimbeard the Ghastly's coffin to be exact."

The Vikings fell into a hush, completely enraptured with Cal's tale. His deep voice made his words seem even more ominous and mysterious than it was on its own, and the whole hall leaned toward him.

"The wood was rotting and the pain peeling, but I was able to make out the words on top," Cal went on. "It said: BEWARE!"

Several people jumped at Cal's sudden shout, Ruffnut included, which made Astrid chortle.

"DO NOT OPEN THIS COFFIN!" Cal cried theatrically. "CURSED BE HE WHO DISTURBS THE REMAINS OF GRIMBEARD THE GHASTLY, THE GREATEST PIRATE WHO EVER STRUCK TERROR INTO THE INNER ISLES."

The wide-eyed hall stared at Cal in awe before Snotlout shouted, "Did you open it?!"

Cal snorted and said, "No," in such a way that it left an unspoken 'idiot' hanging in the air.

Smirking, Astrid whispered, "Okay, I like him."

Ruffnut punched her shoulder. "Hey, you already got a man."

"I didn't mean it like that," Astrid said quietly back as Cal continued.

"Grimbeard the Ghastly was, as I may remind you, one of the worst pirates to have lived," Cal said. "I wasn't going to open that coffin willy-nilly. But my island doesn't have the best of luck. You see, were slightly too close to Outcast Island for comfort. Of course, we're Vikings, and we won't back down from anything."

"HEAR, HEAR!" shouted several Vikings.

Being fairly close to him, Astrid caught the subtlest eye roll, and had to press down a smile.

"Anyway," Cal said. "The Outcasts frequent are island, raiding and pillaging as much as they can. And it wasn't long after my father and I had dug up the coffin from the mud that we experienced another raid. And like flies drawn to the honey, the Outcasts were all over our discovery in practically no time at all. They were not so patient as I, nor as careful. They demanded I open it, so whatever harm promised befell on me."

Cal paused, and several Vikings squirmed in anticipation.

Cal's voice dropped low, so people leaned in, straining to hear. "I opened the coffin slowly," Cal said quietly, miming the action with his hooked hand. "And then… SNAP!" Cal's free hand slapped down on his thigh and the resulting smack coupled with his shout startled several Vikings. A few thuds signaled that a few had even fallen off their seats.

"The coffin's lid snapped down on my hand with the force of a Gronckle's jaw!" Cal exclaimed. "Cut my hand clean off."

A few people 'ooh'ed appropriately, and Astrid was fairly sure she heard Fishlegs gasp.

"I got my hand bandaged up, pretty scantily, but it was serviceable," Cal continued. "Then the Outcasts made me open it again, and this time, I was careful to avoid the booby trap."

Cal paused again for dramatic effect, and it was a bit long for a few Vikings, because one shouted, "Well, what was it?!"

Cal raised his arms over his head, his good hand curled claw-like, and screwed up his face to look somewhere between angry, feral, and creepy. "AND OUT OF THE COFFIN…"

Several Vikings squeaked. Say what you will about Vikings' imaginations, but they could imagine this just fine. Most of the Vikings in the Great Hall leaned back fearfully.

Abruptly, Cal dropped his act and chuckled. "I'm kidding," he admitted. "No corpse, skeleton, or draugr rose from that coffin. However, a small, sealed chest was inside. And it held, remarkably preserved over the years, a treasure map and a riddle."

Cal's dramatic mood waned under the Vikings mounting enthusiasm over treasure.

"Now," Cal said. "The Outcasts took both of these, but not before I was able to commit them to my memory." Here he tapped his temple with a grin. "I recreated them as best I could, and have already handed them over to your chief. But here is the riddle.

"Dare you brave the watery grave?

Or walk the monster's cave?

Will you defy, whether through idiocy or daring,

The Death's Head dangers of fire and sleeping?

If you dare you are my Heir

For my intrepid Heir shall find it there

And he shall tell you underground

Am I lost or am I found?"

The Vikings stewed over the riddle, most of them looking extremely frustrated at its cryptic nature.

"As I have neither the resources nor ability as Grimbeard's Heir, to do so myself," Cal said after a long pause, "I bring this all to you, people of Berk, in the hopes that you can reach this treasure before the Outcasts, or anyone else."

All the Vikings began cheering at Cal's pronouncement. It went on for a couple of minutes before Snotlout shouted above the rest, "We're going, right Chief!?"

The Hall quieted down (mostly) for Stoick's reply. After a moment, Stoick said. "We can't let the Outcasts get away with what they've done to this boy, or Grimbeard's treasure. We'll begin making preparations as soon as we have a heading."

The Vikings cheered again, and exploded into energized conversation.

Astrid and Ruffnut stood up and watched as Cal jumped lightly from the table and sauntered over to them with a grin. "So?" he said, looking tremendously pleased with himself.

"That was… unnecessarily overdramatic," Astrid remarked.

"And awesome!" Ruffnut added.

"And extremely theatrical," Astrid said, smirking.

Cal shrugged, unabashed. "Gotta get your kicks somewhere, right?"

Astrid shook her head, suppressing a smile. "Sure."

And then Cal was swept away in a sea of jittery Vikings who wanted to hear this part of the story over again, or that part, or the riddle, or what was on the treasure map, and so on. Astrid and Ruffnut didn't see him again until the next morning when Snotlout was bugging Astrid for a date while Fishlegs made eyes at Ruffnut and Dogsbreath and Wartihog rough-housed with Speedyfist and Clueless comparing scars in the background.

"Come on, babe, you know you want to," Snotlout prodded.

"Do I really, though?" Astrid deadpanned.

"I mean, who else is there?" Snotlout pointed out.

"Wow, you must be getting really desperate if you're selling yourself as the least of all the evils," commented a dry tone, and then Cal appeared with a loose bag slung over his shoulder.

Snotlout blustered for a moment before saying, "Yeah, well, what do you know?"

Cal ignored him and focused on Astrid and Ruffnut. "I'm leaving with Johan again," Cal told them.

Astrid arched an eyebrow. "And you came to say goodbye to us? We're flattered."

"Two of the most beautiful and lethal Viking shiledmaidens alive?" Cal said, echoing Johan's introduction. "Of course I'm going to say goodbye."

"Oh yeah," Ruffnut said, grinning. "You're good."

Snotlout snorted derisively. "Huh, yeah right. I mean, c'mon, Astrid."

With the perfect opportunity to mess with Snotlout, which she could never pass up, Astrid grinned and winked at Cal. Snotlout started spluttering incoherently again, but Cal seemed to understand what Astrid was doing and winked back at her.

"I hope to see you again, my ladies," Cal said with a sweeping, theatrical bow. "Until next time?"

"Definitely," Ruffnut said emphatically.

Cal smirked at Snotlout, and the rest of the fools behind Astrid and Ruffnut, before he sauntered off down to the docks.

"Sad to see him go," Astrid said, half to annoy Snotlout and half because he was the most exciting part of Berk's summer so far, though that was likely to change soon.

"Yeah," Ruffnut agreed. "He's way more interesting than the Berk boys."

Snotlout made more choking noises.

Astrid grinned and thumped him on the back. "What's wrong, Snotlout? Having a hard time processing an actually charming fellow?"

Ruffnut snickered and said, "Don't break him, Astrid."

With that the two girls strode away with matching grins.

"You know," Ruffnut went on, "we really need to introduce that kid to Hiccup."

"Oh I know," Astrid agreed. "Lost limb, flair for the theatrics, a little dose of dry wit—they'd get on better than Vikings and dinner."

"And that's saying something," Ruffnut said, laughing.

So that is how all the excitement started. A stranger arrived with a treasure hunt which left Berk in a tizzy, trying to solve the riddle and prepare an expedition to find it. But of course, not everything was as it seemed, and much was more complicated than they'd originally thought.

But then, you can't really stop Vikings when the word 'treasure' is involved.

A/N: So, I'm back guys. I apologize for the delay. June was super busy and then I had 3 ( other HTTYD stories come begging at my feet for attention, so I have 3 other stories I really love that I have several chapters for now :P Oh well. Anyhoo, sorry 'bout no Hiccup and Tuffnut in this chap, but it was important plot stuff, I swear. And Cal kinda took the stage, which he shouldn't have, but whatever. I can't control my OCs apparently. Anyway, tell me what you thought! :) and thanks for reading.

Riverat73: Thanks :)

Spiros the Eagle Owl: Thanks 0.o

FlowerofApril: Tanks, man.

RoseJustice: quadruple chocolate chip, my friend. I only deal only in the best. (::)

UnearnedKnight: Thanks so much! I hope you enjoy the plot :D

Kelidestroyer: Well, here you go.

dragonlovewater: *hurriedly stringing together words and twisting into rope. Throws over the cliff* IS THIS LONG ENOUGH?! (p.s. you're my favorite type of reviewer)