Dimmadreki Chapter 19
"Don't forget to gather the eggs from the chickens before you go to the bakery, Fishlegs!"
"I won't forget, Mom!" he called. He had the egg basket in his hand, so there wasn't much chance of him forgetting. He was looking forward to today's work assignment; the head cook was going to show him how to bake muffins. Berk hadn't had a dedicated baker since a Gronckle got the last one; the cooks in the Mead Hall were happy to dump the baking chores on him, and he seemed to have an aptitude for it. The diners in the Mead Hall certainly weren't complaining. His demotion from warrior-in-training to apprentice baker might have been the luckiest thing that had happened to him in years.
He was brought up short by something he thought he would never see again. Large runes were written in the dirt in front of his house.
WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT
NIGHT FURIES? MEET US IN THE
COVE, MIDNIGHT TONIGHT,
ALONE
He quickly rubbed out the runes with his foot before someone else saw them. If today promised to be interesting, then tonight was going to be the living end!
He learned his lessons at work as best he could. Three times in a row, he took the muffins out of the oven too early; it was a reflection of how eager he was for time to pass. At last, his work day was ended, supper was done, his chores at home were finished, he'd acquired a lantern and made sure it was full of oil this time, and there was nothing to do except wait in his room for midnight to come.
He listened to make sure everyone else in the house was asleep, eased the front door open, slipped outside, closed the door behind him, took four steps, and nearly walked head-first into a huge man who was standing in front of him in the dark. Not many men could look down on Fishlegs, but this one could.
"Going for a walk in the dead of night, young man?" he rumbled. "Perhaps to a certain cove, to learn more about a certain kind of dragon?"
Fishlegs was dumbstruck. "Uhhh... uhhh..."
"Nothing happens on this island without me hearing about it," the big man said, with a hint of menace in his voice. "So let's talk about that dragon."
o
"You're sure he'll show?" Myrkrid asked.
"He'll be here, as sure as I'm a Night Fury," Dimmadreki replied. "I think I see his lantern, off to the right." She saw the speck of light a moment later and nodded. About a minute later, Fishlegs stepped hesitantly through the entrance into the cove. He paused and swung the lantern from side to side until he saw it reflected in two pairs of great green eyes.
"Dimmadreki! Myrkrid! You did come back!" He walked toward them, almost confidently; he wasn't completely used to dragons at close range, even though he trusted this pair. He stopped when he was just close enough to see them by the light of his lamp. He pulled a fish out of his pocket and tossed it to Myrkrid, who had been expecting it. "Before you say anything... I mean write anything... there's something I have to tell you. I didn't come alone."
Dimmadreki translated for his mate, who suddenly snarled and assumed a defensive stance. Fishlegs backed off in a hurry. "It wasn't my idea, honest! Somebody else saw the runes you left for me! There was nothing I could do!"
WHO ELSE IS HERE?
Fishlegs turned back toward the cove entrance. "Sir, they want to know who's there."
Stoick the Vast stepped hesitantly into the cove. He lit his lantern from Fishlegs', located the dragons by the reflections from their eyes, and very cautiously approached them. Dimmadreki told Myrkrid who he was; she didn't relax at all. She'd heard how Hiccup's father had treated him in the past.
"Hiccup? Are you there? Is that... you?"
Dimmadreki was filled with conflicting emotions. He hadn't seen his father in months. His dad was the only Viking in Berk whom he'd missed, even a little bit. But the past was in the past. Dimmadreki looked at this huge human and saw his father, who never had time for him, and who was also a dragon-slayer. Things could never be the same.
HI, DAD
The lantern was shaking, mostly because the huge hand that held it was also shaking. "Is that really you, Hiccup?" he hoarsely whispered.
IT'S ME. BUT I'M
DIMMADREKI NOW.
EVERYTHING IS DIFFERENT
"Why didn't you ever come home?"
CATAPULTS, NETS, SPEARS,
SWORDS, HAMMERS, THAT
BOLA ON YOUR BELT THAT
YOU SHOULD DROP IF YOU
WANT THIS MEETING TO BE
PEACEFUL... SHALL I GO ON?
The bola thudded to the ground after a moment. "Son... we can work this out somehow! There has to be a way. Maybe I could hire a seid-kona to help you get better!"
NO, DAD.
I'M GLAD I'M A DRAGON.
I'M LOVED, I'M RESPECTED,
AND I'VE STOPPED THE
DRAGON RAIDS FOREVER
That got Stoick's full attention. "You... you did what? How did you do that?"
THE DRAGONS WERE FORCED
TO RAID BY A MONSTER DRAGON.
MY MATE AND I KILLED IT, SO
THE DRAGONS WON'T BE BACK
"If that's true... then it's my ultimate dream, but... you ended the raids?"
I'M NOT SO USELESS ANYMORE.
BY THE WAY, WE ALSO BROKE UP
AN OUTCAST INVASION A FEW
WEEKS AGO
The chief shook his head in confusion. "You... did all that? I'm not prepared for this! I need to stop and think." He stepped back. Fishlegs used the opportunity to get closer to the Night Furies. Dimmadreki sniffed him quickly for fish, and made a disappointed face when he realized that his human friend didn't have any more.
"I'm sorry, I only brought one for Myrkrid," Fishlegs stammered. "It's kind of a bribe to keep me safe, and I never thought I had to bribe you for anything."
THAT'S OKAY, I'M NOT THAT HUNGRY
Then the Night Fury winked at him.
I HAVE A CONFESSION TO MAKE.
WE DIDN'T COME HERE ALONE,
EITHER
Dimmadreki stepped aside. Curled up on the ground just behind him, sound asleep, was a miniature Night Fury, barely three feet long from nose to tail. It woke and blinked when Fishlegs' lantern light fell across its face. Fishlegs gasped in delight and lunged toward it with a huge smile, only to have his way blocked by two full-sized Night Fury heads, both showing plenty of teeth.
"Did I do something wrong already?"
NO SUDDEN MOVES.
DRAGON BABIES BITE
WHEN THEY'RE STARTLED.
SOMETIMES MOMS BITE TOO
"Uh, okay. Got it. May I take a closer look at your baby? Please?"
Dimmadreki nodded and gurgled something to his mate; Myrkrid reluctantly stepped aside. Fishlegs crouched down next to the little Night Fury, which gazed up at him curiously. "Hi there, little fella! What's your name?"
HER NAME IS NÆTURVON.
IT MEANS HOPE IN THE NIGHT
"Oops. I guess I'm not so good at telling boy dragons from girl dragons. Hi, Næturvon! I can't believe how cute you are!" He reached out toward her; she snapped at his hand. He tried again, much slower this time, and scratched under her chin. She trilled, closed her eyes, and rested her head against his knee. He switched to scratching behind her ear flaps, and she clearly liked that even better.
SHE LIKES YOU
Stoick's curiosity got the better of him. He stepped closer to the adult Night Furies and tried to peer around Fishlegs to see what was so fascinating. He'd seen hundreds of dragons in his lifetime, but he'd never seen a baby one. He had to admit, it was almost cute, for a dragon.
"Is this... your daughter?"
DAD, SHE'S YOUR
GRANDDAUGHTER
A dragon was his granddaughter. Stoick shook his head again. "Son, is this really happening? I don't know if I can handle this. There is not one piece of this situation that I can call 'normal!' "
THIS IS MY NEW NORMAL.
MAYBE YOU SHOULD HAVE
STAYED AWAY AND REMEM-
BERED ME THE WAY I WAS
He nodded slowly. "Maybe I should have. But I had to know. I had to see you, and talk to you, and prove to myself that this is real. Part of me would never believe it unless I saw you and heard you for myself. So... what happens next?"
IT WILL BE A VERY LONG TIME
BEFORE WE COME BACK AGAIN,
IF EVER. WE NEED TO RAISE OUR
DAUGHTER IN A SAFE PLACE, AND
I NEED TO FOLLOW MY DESTINY
"You have a destiny?" Fishlegs was impressed. "How did you get one of those? Can I get one, too?"
I SEEM TO BE THE FULFILLMENT
OF AN OLD DRAGON PROPHECY.
I HAVE TO HUNT DOWN AND KILL
ALL THE OTHER MONSTER DRAGONS.
NO ONE ELSE CAN DO IT BUT ME
"Okay, maybe I don't want a destiny after all," Fishlegs decided nervously.
MAYBE IT'S YOUR DESTINY TO
BE THE BEST BAKER IN BERK
"I guess I could live with that," the big young man decided. "Right now, I'm the only baker in Berk, so it could happen."
"Wait a moment," Stoick cut in. "You've got a mate, you've got a child, you've won your first battles and you're headed out for more... this isn't the son I knew! You make it sound as though this... this change has been a good thing for you!"
I WOULDN'T HAVE CHOSEN IT,
DAD, BUT IT HAS BEEN A VERY
GOOD THING. I WAS A TERRIBLE
VIKING, BUT I MIGHT BE A
PRETTY GOOD DRAGON
WE CALLED FISHLEGS HERE,
AND WE'LL ACCEPT YOU HERE,
BECAUSE WE'RE SAYING
GOODBYE
Stoick looked stunned. "But, son... I just got here! There are so many things I want to say to you!"
Dimmadreki sighed deeply.
DAD, THIS MIGHT SOUND HARSH,
BUT YOU HAD YOUR CHANCE.
I HAVE TO LIVE MY OWN LIFE
NOW, AND IT'S VERY DIFFERENT
FROM ANYTHING YOU CAN IMAGINE
I LEAVE YOU PEACE WITH THE
DRAGONS, A VILLAGE WHERE I
WON'T BREAK STUFF ANYMORE,
AND MEMORIES. I HOPE YOU CAN
THINK OF SOME GOOD ONES.
GOODBYE, DAD
GOODBYE, FISHLEGS
He made a few quick sounds at Myrkrid and Næturvon, and the three dragons bounded into the night sky. They were quickly lost in the darkness. Stoick couldn't even watch them fly away until they disappeared in the distance.
He stood motionless. Fishlegs, who had stayed out of that final emotional exchange, hesitantly stood next to him.
"There goes my only son," the chief said, slowly and softly, his voice filled with emotion that he almost never let show. "I dreamed of the day when he'd grow up to be just like me, and take my place some day. Now I have to accept the fact that my dream will never come true. All my plans for my tribe's future... gone."
"Won't the tribe be in good hands, once Snotlout gets some more training?" the big young man asked him.
"I can think of better hands," Stoick replied. He gazed at Fishlegs thoughtfully. "I can think of someone who knows what's right and sticks to his principles, even when the whole village is against him. I can think of someone who's brave enough to meet a dragon face to face, and even ride on his back – not many men can make that claim! I can think of someone who's honest and clever, big enough to look like a chief, and probably the only man his age who might be able to give Snotlout a beatdown. If I live long enough to retire, I might very well throw my influence behind someone like that, if he wanted to become the chief after me." Fishlegs was speechless.
The chief went on, "I'd support a candidate like that because I think he might be the best man for the job. I would much rather have supported my own son to become chief of Berk, but it's taken me this long to realize, he never could have done it."
"Do you think he could have done it if he hadn't... I mean, if he was still human?" Fishlegs asked nervously.
"No," Stoick answered quietly. "For Hiccup, that would have been much too small a thing."
They slowly made their way back to the village in the darkness.
The End
o
A/N
As I mentioned at the start of this story, this was the result of a challenge from "Aegis Dragon." Here is the actual challenge:
"I want to see you write a story in which a transformed Hiccup is paired with an OC female Night Fury. Not Toothless, not a female human turned into a Night Fury. A true female Night Fury that you create. I have yet to see a pairing like this and I'd love to see how ... you would pull it off."
I realized that a dragon like this would have to be very different from the dragons in "Lightning and Death Itself." She would be, in essence, a wild dragon. She would not trust humans, or like them. Her motives would be very different from the motives of a human, and those motives would affect her personality. If Myrkrid seems rather mercurial in her moods, it's because her moods are dictated by her surroundings. If all her needs are being met, she's quite pleasant, although a bit short on sentimentality most of the time. If one of those needs is going unmet, she will totally focus on meeting that need, to the exclusion of all else.
Hiccup is also treated differently in this story. His dragon nature has a lot more effect on him here than it does in "LaDI." This enables him to accept the changes that happened to him, and pair off with a female dragon, much faster than he might have done if he'd clung to his old nature the way he did in "LaDI." One way to look at it is that New-night-fury is Hiccup in a dragon's body, while Dimmadreki is a dragon with Hiccup's personality.
This is the only story I've written (so far) that didn't come from one of my own ideas. Readers often send me story ideas, which I take as a compliment, but none of those ideas has ever caught my imagination until this one. I was surprised at how quickly the plotbunnies began breeding once I considered the idea, and I wrote it down pretty much the way it initially came to me.
As I said in an earlier author's note, the name Dimmadreki is bad Icelandic for "shadow dragon." I'm not totally thrilled with this name, but I can't think of anything better. The name Myrkrid is Icelandic for "darkness," sounds cool, and is somewhat reminiscent of "Astrid," whom she displaced in Hiccup's heart. Tannlaus is the Icelandic equivalent of Toothless. Tannin is the Hebrew word used in Psalm 148:7 for "dragon" (in the King James Version; newer versions translate this word as "sea monster"). I also used her in a similar way in "Do You Mind?" Excellinor, the witch who is Alvin's mother, came straight out of the books by Cressida Cowell. Spitelout is still my favorite jerk from the actual cast, so I have no qualms about using him as one of the villains in this story. Fishlegs gets some extra attention here because he really is the only one of Hiccup's friends who wouldn't kill him on sight. Astrid plays a limited role because the plot diverges from the movie at a time when she felt no emotion for him at all.
Thank you, Haganeochibi, for pointing out that my original dragon names, DarkShadow for Hiccup and BlackMoreNight for his partner, weren't so great and needed replacing. Thank you, Magnor, for the impromptu lessons in Icelandic and the suggestions for names. You helped make my story better.
As usual, I threw in an assortment of references to other stories. This time, they included the Wizard of Oz, the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (in two places), Sesame Street, The Lion King, Dune, Shrek, Geico commercials, Seinfeld, The Life of Brian, and a song by The Searchers.
To all my readers: thank you for going on this journey with me. I hope it was worth your time. You might enjoy this story's sequel, "Dimmadreki's Quest."
On March 23, 2018, this story passed the 100,000-hit mark. It is my fifth story to reach six figures. To all my readers, thank you so much.