Chapter 2
This is Berk
It was yet another morning in the life of Astrid Hofferson. Flying around and making certain the defenses were all in place and functioning, patrolling the waters around the island of Berk, making certain nothing out of the ordinary was happening; this was a routine she performed every morning and sometimes more frequently. She loved the opportunity to go out for a flight and she also loved the chance to inspect the coastal defenses. She found she slept better at night in doing so. It had been nearly a year since the great battle with Drago Bludvist and his unsavory allies Alvin the Treacherous and Dagur the Deranged. For Astrid it had been the battle of a lifetime and she wanted it to stay that way. She was not going to let anyone catch Berk off guard if she could help it, and she patrolled with a fiery passion.
Having a dragon helped immensely. Her dragon was a blue and yellow Deadly Nadder named Stormfly and Astrid knew of no better dragon to fly on. They had become a fierce team in combat and they both enjoyed flying a great deal. They also both understood the need for patrolling, and they both had sharp eyes that could easily spot anything in the water.
And like most days, there was nothing to be seen. It was just blue skies and blue water, both undisturbed and devoid of the presence of humans. The day was promising to be a nice one in terms of the weather. Above and below the two of them seagulls glided through the clouds or gathered on the imposing sea stacks. The sun was shining brightly, the clouds were white, and already the temperature felt comfortably warm. It was the kind of weather where a person could go sailing and take a nap out on their boat, in the middle of a calm light blue sea, and just forget about every problem.
Speaking of boats, as they completed their arch and turned around they flew over a small group of fishing boats. Even though she was used to the sight, Astrid still was delighted by it. From up in the air the boats looked like toys. Dragons were flying around with large nets in their claws. They would fly low, dragging their nets through the water, then pull up and drop their catches of fish onto the boats. But the fishermen were not letting the dragons do all the work: they were using their own nets in the same manner as they had for centuries. For them the sight of a Nadder flying overhead was nothing new and most paid it no mind. Every now and then someone would look up and notice Astrid and give a pleasant wave or call out a casual greeting which she could only faintly hear.
And now they had reached Berk itself. Dragons were everywhere. They carried materials to construction sites, or to the farm areas. They helped herd the very uneasy sheep. She saw children playing with them. She saw adults riding them as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
The homes were tall, sturdy, and most looked as good as new, because most of them were. Many of them were brightly painted in lovely shades of green and yellow and red. There were a handful of buildings here and there that were still works in progress, and they could see both Vikings and Dragons building them. On one house a few Nadders were hovering in the air while lowering large planks for the Vikings to add to the unfinished roof.
Astrid could not help but smile at the sight. Dragons without a doubt were integrated on Berk. And to think, only a year ago nobody on Berk would ever have wanted anything to do with dragons apart from killing them.
As soon as she landed she was greeted by her friend Fishlegs Ingerman running towards her shouting
"AstridhaveyouseenSnotlout?Mildew'sonthehuntagain!He'sshouting forhimtogetthosenailsoutofhis—"
"Hold up there a minute, Fish, what's going on? Speak slower!" Astrid laughed as they moved towards her house.
Fishlegs took a deep breath. "I was saying have you seen Snotlout? Mildew's on the hunt again!"
"What's he done this time?"
"Well, it was Tuffnut's idea—Snotlout decided to see how long it took for a newly sheered sheep to catch fire, so he stole Mildew's sheep Fungus—" There was a loud scream from somewhere in the village "—and evidently Hookfang misunderstood him," he said as Snotlout came sprinting towards the house, the seat of his trousers on fire.
"ASTRID, SAVE ME SAVE ME!" He leapt onto a spot that had an 'X' shaped piece of metal imbedded in the ground.
Casually, Astrid stepped outside and pulled the rope connected to the roof. On the roof was a carving of a Nadder head. The rope pulled the mouth downwards and a flow of water spilled out right onto Snotlout.
"Thanks," he sighed with relief. People nearby who were watching laughed and went back to their daily chores.
"Maybe you should reconsider letting Hiccup build one of these on your own house,"
"But then I wouldn't be able to come to your house, Babe," he grinned. He promptly walked away, seemingly none the worse for wear.
"You know, most people only need to have their pants catch fire once in their lifetime before they learn; with Snotlout it happens several times a week and he still thinks he's fireproof," Fishlegs commented.
"Well it doesn't seem to hurt him at least," Astrid fiddled with the rope, "I keep telling Hiccup a bucket full of rocks in this would make him learn,"
"Astrid!" her mother Greta Hofferson emerged from the house to see what all the noise was about. "You're back!"
"I was only gone for a few hours mom,"
"And I can't be happy to see my only daughter?" Greta laughed, "And by the way, I keep telling you that I do not want this house turned into a fortress!"
"And Hiccup keeps conceding to your orders because he's scared of offending you,"
"He knows what's good for him," Greta replied.
Astrid made her way to the home of Stoick the Vast, the Chief of Berk. His house had gone through major remodeling. It used to be dirty, untidy, and a largely uncomfortable place to be in. Now, largely thanks to his son's return, it was a comfortable, welcoming, and relatively clean place; a nice place for anyone to go if they wanted to speak with their Chief. Stoick had made an effort to keep it clean now that he had someone else to share it with. And then there was the recent addition of Hiccup's room, which stuck out of the rest of the building very conspicuously. Hiccup's old room had grown so filthy and rotten during his long absence, so after the war with Drago, Hiccup had literally had the room removed from the house and built a larger one more to his own liking.
It looked as though a room had been included on the second floor but the room that was supposed to go below it had never been built. Where the rest of the house was painted with warm greens and browns the outside walls of Hiccup's room were red and black. Several propellers and weather vanes were attached to the top. There was a chimney in addition to several pipes sticking out of the walls. There were ropes with buckets tied to them and all kinds of wheels and pulleys and contraptions nobody but Hiccup really understood. And though nobody could see it at the moment, one of the walls could be lowered like a drawbridge so Hiccup's dragon Toothless could get in.
Astrid still felt a bit intimidated by Stoick the Vast. He was a very large, muscular man and stood nearly seven feet tall. It had been a hard year for him and his beard had considerably more gray wisps in it, but he was still a tough man with a strong grip on both his hammer and his mind and he was as dignified and friendly as he had ever been.
"Astrid, lass, good ta see you! What news do you have today?"
"Nothing, as usual,"
"Well that's better than bad news. Is it true Mildew's screaming murder at Snotlout again? Or is it the Twins this time?"
"It's Snotlout, Chief. He stole Fungus,"
Stoick groaned. "I don't know which of them is worse to deal with! And I suppose Hiccup is nowhere to be found?"
"He always gets back from his trips when it's dark, Chief. He and Toothless like flying at sunset."
"Yes, yes, I know. They wake up me with that drawbridge wall of his sometimes. I just feel a bit more at ease when he's here and not at the mercy of anyone who might want to hurt him."
"Chief, I know it's not really my place to say it, but you know he can take care of himself—for the most part,"
Stoick smiled. "Right as usual, lass. 'For the most part'. I know I worry too much, but I don't want him getting hurt. Or you for that matter. After what happened a few months ago—"
She waved a hand dismissively. "Bah. A few hunters with muscles and nothing else. They were nothing. And Drago's dead, Alvin was executed on your orders, and Dagur was banished from his tribe the moment we released him to them. Who else is out there that poses a real threat to Berk?"
"Well, those Dragon Hunters that attacked you guys could pose a threat. Hiccup told me he's been ruining their line of business for years now, since it hurt Drago, and these days the ruining has increased. Someday someone might take extreme measures." He sat down. "One never knows, lass. Sometimes friends turn into enemies and sometimes enemies are waiting in the wings for the right moment. It's a big world, and we've gotta look out for ourselves and our island." He looked at the wall for a moment. "So, Lass, how's your mother?"
"Doing all right, thank you sir,"
"I heard someone mention she was thinking of remarrying, is that true?"
"Not that I know of," Astrid said flatly.
"It must have been someone else then. I think my mind's starting to forget things, you know that?" Astrid knew he was exaggerating and that he was really implying it was time for him to step down and make Hiccup Chief.
"I don't think my mom will ever remarry,"
Stoick nodded and said gently, "I know she and Olaf were very close."
"Yeah," Astrid said quietly. She did not want to talk about her dead father right now.
"It was the same with me and Valka, you know. There was only one woman I've ever had eyes for and when she was gone no woman ever interested me again." he said hoping to lighten the mood, "And I reckon there's only one woman who my son has any eyes for!" he added with a twinkle in his eyes. Astrid went red and quickly announced she had to go attend to Stormfly.
"Kids," Stoick laughed after she had left, "they may be all over 20, but they're still children at heart. Ah, Val, I hope wherever you are you can see Hiccup now. You'd be so proud of him, just as I am. It won't be long before he's Chief now. Of course, he doesn't want to be Chief, but I'll take him under my wing and help him get adjusted to it, just like how he's helped Berk adjust to having dragons living with us," He heard a loud noise behind his house, "Sounds like Skullcrsuher's brought home a new log to play with. Beard of Thor, how does he manage to carry those things in his mouth without breaking all his teeth? One day he'll be the toothless one!" He laughed and went outside to see what his Rumblehorn was up to.
The dragons had helped immensely during the long winter, breaking up the ice in spots so fishing could be done and often going fishing themselves, as well as keeping the Vikings warm whenever there were shortages of firewood.
The dragons had also helped with rebuilding. Timberjacks could cut down trees more easily and Gronkles could drag the timber to the building sites, leaving the humans free to put the materials together. Dragon dung was good fertilizer as well, though for the most part dragons had little to do with farming. They were also useful livestock herders—and child watchers too. So the humans found their labors lightened, allowing them time to focus on other matters, including families and improving their lives and the community. As for the dragons, they got a place to live, a place with food, and people to be friends with.
Of course, life on Berk was not perfect. There were a handful of people, especially the cankerous old Mildew who still was convinced that dragons were a menace to everything it meant to be a Viking. But few paid attention to him and for every attempt he made to get the dragons banished Ruffnut and Tuffnut Thorsten paid him back with humiliating pranks. Other problems included the occasional dragon that went for the livestock it were supposed to be watching, got into the stores, or set a house on fire. People got burned frequently as well, with Snotlout holding the Official Village Record, a title Tuffnut Thorsten was determined to take from him one day. One of the first things dealt with when the integration began was to have an improved fire fighting system. There were also frequently flying accidents. It was a rule that a child under 10 could not fly on a dragon without adult supervision but that rule was not always followed, with predictable results.
So it was not perfect. But such problems were largely accepted, as a sailor accepts the risk of storms and violent waves when living at sea, and Berk had taken long strides to correct these problems. And most of this had been done under the supervision of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III. Berk, however, was not the only island to go through this transformation. Other tribes like the Bog Burglars and Owl Guts, and more recently the Meat Heads, had made the change as well, and since Hiccup was the most knowledgeable authority on dragons around, he spent one week each month flying to the other islands to check up on them. Ten months ago it had been much more frequently, but now, much like Berk, the other Tribes were growing adept at handling dragons and the problems had grown less frequent and more trivial, rather to his relief, for he had found it annoying to juggle the troubles of so many tribes.
While Stoick naturally approved of Hiccup going around to help diplomatic ties, nobody really was happy about his absences, especially Astrid. Stoick refused to let her go with Hiccup, as he was reluctant to risk anything happening to both of his best Riders and Heirs. He was especially firm about this after the failed attack on Astrid several months ago. They had both protested this, pointing out that Hiccup would be safer if someone went with him. Stoick agreed, but nobody seemed fit to go with him. Snotlout and the Twins were out of the question, for they were all unreliable when it came to diplomacy. Hiccup would have liked to take Fishlegs along, but his dragon Meatlug was not well suited to long journeys and got tired easily. So while Fishlegs began taking steps to help Meatlug improve her stamina, it became a fact that Hiccup would make these trips with nobody but his best friend Toothless.
That evening Astrid and Greta Hofferson made their way to Mead Hall for dinner.
"I could eat a boar," Astrid commented.
"You want to eat Snotlout?"
"Mom!" Astrid laughed.
The hall was nearly empty; just a handful of Vikings having a late dinner or chatting with friends over a mug of mead, and here and there a dragon slumbered. A few tiny Fireworms kept the fire going, filling the hall with a warm and cozy glow. Astrid's gaze drifted over to a corner of the hall and then she suddenly forgot about food.
"They must have gotten back early this time," she said. She saw a man slouched against a moderate sized black dragon, both of them fast asleep. She wanted to go over to them but felt they should get some sleep and she should get some dinner first.
Finally Astrid strolled over to Hiccup and Toothless, for that was who the sleeping ones were, and prodded Hiccup gently. After a few minutes he slowly opened his eyes.
"Good evening, Milady,"
She slapped him in the shoulder.
"OW!" His shout jolted Toothless awake with a loud screech. "What was that for?"
"For not coming to see me as soon as you got back," she said with a sweet smile. She pulled him to his feet as Toothless shook himself. "How was the trip?"
"About the same as it always is. Even Camicazi trying to steal my stuff is starting to get old! Ran into a trapper ship. They tried to trap me but didn't disarm me, so I cut a hole in the ship below the water line! How's it been here?"
"Oh fine, just the usual ruckus and tranquility—oh and I found my ring!"
"Oh good," his hand slid into a pocket and he smiled.
"Yeah, I don't know what happened. When I woke up the day you left it was right on top of my jewelry box. I don't get it,"
"Hmm. Maybe a Smothering Smokebreath had snatched it."
"Well I hope they'll never do it again. My father gave it to me as a Snoggletog gift!" Olaf Hofferson had been killed by Drago Bludvist and anything he had given to Astrid was valued deeply by her.
Hiccup went to join her and her mother. "Good evening Mrs. Hofferson,"
"Hiccup,"
"So, usual ruckus huh? I'm guessing that means that the Twins and Mildew have been at it again," He glanced at the doors, "And right on cue—"
"There ya are!" a tall cankerous old man who looked like he should have died twenty years ago had stormed into the hall and walked straight over to them. In one hand he clutched a Terrible Terror, a dragon about the size of a weasel, by the throat. "Ah wanna word wid ya!"
The Night Fury growled at the man and he took a step backwards.
"And what can we do for you today, Mildew?" Hiccup asked dully, "Did the Twins walk barefoot over your cabbages again?"
"NO! First yer cousin steals me sheep Fungus, then them dragons 'ave been sneakin' inta me house and stealin' me food!"
"Oh really?"
"Stealin' me food, the means of me survival! Ah demand justice!"
Hiccup took the Terror from Mildew's hand and petted him soothingly. "Is this true?"
"No!" The Terror gasped,
"Stop it!" Mildew snapped, "Ah don't like it when ya use that devil language 'round me!"
"Well I can't help it if they don't speak Norse! Would you use French to talk with people who can only speak Latin?"
"Beside the pint! Them dragons 'ave been stealin' me food! Ah demand punishment!"
Hiccup looked at the Terror and once again asked "Is this true?"
The Terror tried to puff its chest out and look dignified, "Certainly not, Sir! I'm not that desperately hungry!"
"So how did he catch you?"
"With a snare and some fish out in the woods! It was a nice tender piece of cod too," The dragon sniffed sadly.
"Mildew, you're trying to frame the dragons again, aren't you?"
"No!"
"He says you set a snare in the woods for him."
"Them dragons 'ave been eatin' me food!"
"Well you don't look any thinner," Hiccup replied dryly, "look, Mildew, I'll look into this and if you're telling the truth I'll put an end to it, all right? But if you're just telling lies again I'm going to take some of your food myself as a punishment."
"Ah might've guessed ya'd believe the demon rat before ya ever believed me!" Mildew growled, "Ah should've gone ta Stoick!"
"By all means go to him if you think it'll do any good. But Mildew, if I were you, I'd save myself the trouble and try to get used to the fact that dragons are here to say. You might find it less painful than you think."
Mildew looked like he wanted to attack Hiccup but the sight of the angry Night Fury made him reconsider. "Ya turned things around once, they can be turned back!" he shouted as he stormed out. Hiccup looked completely unfazed by what had happened as he turned back to the Hoffersons.
"All in a day's work," he grumbled.
Greta chuckled, "Berk won't be the same when he dies,"
"Well, we've still got a few decades left," Astrid said. She patted Toothless on the head. "You make a good bodyguard, you know,"
"I wish you'd let me take him flying so he'd have a heart attack," the Night Fury said.
"How's the dragonese coming?" Hiccup asked,
"Oh, all right," Astrid said as if it was not a big deal.
"Well, let's have a little practice! Say something to Toothless and try to understand his response,"
"All right. Toothless, he thinks you're…cute,"
"Well I should hope so!"
Astrid repeated this to Hiccup, who gave her a look that said 'I am not amused'. "Good. Now translate 'Oedipus Rex'."
Astrid punched him in the shoulder again.
As he groaned Hiccup turned to Toothless, "Hey, I thought you were supposed to be my bodyguard!"
"Oh am I?" Toothless asked absentmindedly before giving Astrid a big lick on the face.
"Gah!"
"Toothless! You know that—"
"Doesn't wash out," Toothless replied. He hopped forward and licked Hiccup.
"One of these days I'm going to invent some clothes that it does wash out from!" Hiccup threatened in Norse so everyone could understand him.
"Ha!"
Now the doors opened again and more people entered, namely Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the Thorsten Twins. They rushed over to the table and began bombarding Hiccup with questions. How was his trip, what did he think of blowing up Mildew's house, did he want to see Hookfang's new trick, and among other things, did he think red cabbages exploded better than green cabbages? Astrid got bombarded with questions too, mostly from Snotlout, such as when would she give in to his charms and when would she move in with him. Neither Hiccup nor Greta found this last amusing. Astrid knew enough to just ignore it. They brought their dragons too, Hookfang, Meatlug, and Barf n' Belch. The dragons began snapping at each other's tails; a reflex game of theirs.
"Well I'm hungry!" Snotlout shouted suddenly, making everyone jump as he banged his fist on the table, "Let's have some food and mead and music! I know the perfect song, wanna hear it?"
Despite everyone else frantically shaking their heads he said "My pleasure! Ahem…" In a voice that sounded musical only to his own ears he began to 'sing':
"With a bad fever I am stricken
Oh how my heartbeats quicken
My waistline badly needs to thicken
The only cure for me is roasted..."
At that instant Tuffnut attacked him with a wooden ladle.
"Augh! Tuff, stop it! I'm trying to sing!"
"I know what you were about to say! You oughta be ashamed of yourself for even thinking such a horrible thing!" They wrestled around on the floor. Ruffnut decided to join in and kicked both boys in the head. "Ow! The Chicken will not be amused! The Chicken will not be amused!"
"Maybe not, but I will be!" Ruffnut yelled at her brother.
The noise attracted more Vikings into the hall and the next thing anyone knew a party appeared to be going on. It was a common occurrence, actually. People just showed up in the evenings to Mead Hall, brought some food or drink, started chats with friends, or sang a few songs, among other things. It was the social hour after a hard day's work. And with the Vikings came the dragons. There were Gronkles, Nightmares, Nadders, Timberjacks, Terrors, Smokebreaths, and a dozen other species. How they managed to fit everyone in here was a bit of a wonder. In fact, to save space, the Vikings opened the windows and the larger dragons simply stuck their heads inside.
Songs broke out from random corners of the Hall. They were mostly drinking songs or battle epics which everybody knew by heart.
At one point, Mildew showed up and started singing in his grating old voice:
"On Berk only one thing counts
Dragon heads and legs on mounts
But because they don't come that way—"
He got no further in his song before the booing drowned him out, and he left the Hall in a huff after Snotlout threw a cabbage at him.
Nearby they could hear some of the older Vikings deep in discussion "Do you think this time Hiccup will lose?"
"Only to Astrid!"
"Aye, no other Rider has a dragon fast enough,"
"I'll wager he'll let her win this time,"
"How much?"
"So Hiccup," Tuffnut said in reaction to what he heard, "are you ready to lose the upcoming race?"
"Are you?" Hiccup grinned.
"Sure am! It's gonna be a tricky one this time—Stoick's agreed to station dragons around the flight path to breathe fire at timed intervals!"
"How'd you get him to go along with that?"
"We hinted that we might get caught in a blast and burnt to a crisp. Then his problems with us would be over!" Ruffnut said triumphantly.
"And they pointed out it was less dangerous than dragon training had been, since in this case the dragons won't actually try to kill us," Fishlegs added, "it was such a compelling argument by their standards that the Chief felt inclined to agree,"
Dragon Racing was conceived as a replacement for the dragon fights in the Arena that the Berkians used to have. It was also conceived as a way to boost morale after the battle with Drago, and a creative and competitive outlet for those riding dragons, especially for Hiccup, who had designed the original race course. Each race was different, but it was generally an obstacle course along a set route while catching sheep for points. And it had become the most popular form of entertainment anyone on Berk could think of. The races were held every two weeks, though only five dragons could compete at a time. The upcoming race would be the first time since the first one that Berk's original Dragon Riders would compete.
"Just wait; it'll be the most amazing race anyone's ever seen!" Fishlegs jumped about excitedly, "Meatlug and I are gonna get second place no question!" Since Hiccup had the fastest dragon and was the most experienced rider, people tended to take it for granted that he would get first. When he raced the real contest became who would get second place; though that did not stop anyone from desiring first.
Astrid smiled slyly, "Hiccup, I think this time you're going to be in for a big shock,"
"Oh, you plan to get first this time, do you?" Hiccup grinned,
"Yes I do!"
"Just you wait!" Toothless said proudly. "Nobody can go faster than me and my human!"
"What's he saying?" Greta asked,
"Oh just boasting about us,"
"He seems to do that quite a lot," she remarked,
"It's not boasting; it's stating a fact!"
"It's also a fact that I can go much faster than you!" Hookfang retorted, "provided that fat boy of mine isn't weighing me down!"
"I don't know what Hookfang's saying but I agree with it! We're going to get first place, just wait and see!"
"Come on, Snotlout, when have you ever gotten first place?" Fishlegs said loudly.
"This time we're gonna destroy the entire race course!" Tuffnut announced.
"Guys, I really wish you wouldn't try that," Hiccup said, "Do you have any idea how hard it is and how much it costs to rebuild the race course?"
"Nope!"
"I thought as much," he mumbled.
"Well I'm getting tired of the racing talk," Astrid said after a moment, "how about a song or something? Snotlout, I was NOT talking to YOU!" For Snotlout had just prepared to start singing again. "Hiccup, have you got that Veena of yours around?"
"Yeah, it's in my room. I'll be right back."
He entered his house and met his father looking over some parchment with Gobber the Blacksmith.
"Ah, son, you're back!" Stoick grinned, "We were just talking about your plans for this new crane,"
"Feasible?" Hiccup asked as he went upstairs,
"It's gonna mean a lot o' iron, lad. Not sure if we've got the means or labor ta make it," Gobber replied.
"You know Gobber, maybe it's time to get some new apprentices," Stoick remarked.
Hiccup came down with his veena, a large stringed instrument he had come across in India. "Maybe we can get some iron from the Owl Guts next time I visit. I know Gort's new wife likes jewelry, maybe she'd agree to a trade." Usually Hiccup would suggest Gronkles to produce the metal but Stoick liked to encourage trade between tribes.
"A Scauldron brought in a treasure chest picked from a wreck while you were gone." Stoick informed him. "Berk's a lot wealthier than it was a week ago."
"Good to know,"
Stoick rolled up the parchment. "It's settled then. We'll offer some of the jewelry we just got in exchange for some metal and get this crane built. If we move fast it'll be finished before the ice settles in. As for the labor and costs, we can afford it. Now Gobber, I think we've spent enough time talking, don't you? Let's see what's going on in Mead Hall tonight!"
"Bring your singing voices," Hiccup replied, gesturing to his instrument, "Astrid wants some music,"
"Speaking of Astrid—"
"We'll talk about that later tonight," Hiccup promised.
Back in Mead Hall, Hiccup tuned up the veena, making a sound rather like the hum of bees.
"Right, so what are we going to sing anyway?" he asked. Everybody instantly shouted their favorite song.
"Let's have 'Children of Thor'" Stoick commanded, to shouts of approval.
"When the breeze is strong the ship goes along
Like a bird soaring over the ocean
And our hearts beat hard as each pulls their oar
We're off to where no one has gone before!
That's because we are Children of Thor!
"We always will be Vikings and that's all we've got to say
We always will be Vikings no matter the year or day
We'll always be Vikings and do what Vikings do
And if you're not a Viking what is wrong with you?"
"I've always found that last bit a little depressing," Hiccup remarked to Toothless.
"Be it dusk or dawn let the storms come on,
We're fearless when our ship is in motion
We're the toughest crew you could ever meet
But to the ladies we are always sweet!
That's because we are Children of Thor!
We always will be Vikings, that's the point we'd like to make
We always will be Vikings, protest and your head will break!
We'll always be Vikings and do what Vikings do
And if you try to stop us we'd hate to be you!
Gobber suddenly interrupted, shouting at the top of his lungs:
"Smelly Stickstack is the lass ah love!
She's as huggable as a leather glove!"
"Gobber!" Stoick shouted.
"Wot? I wanna sing 'Smelly Stickstack'!"
"We haven't finished 'Children of Thor' yet!"
"Oh, sorree,"
"Hiccup, the next verse please," Stoick said. Hiccup had a slight problem complying with this because Astrid was laughing so hard she had grabbed his neck for support.
"I think someone's had a bit too much to drink tonight,"
"I'm perfectly fine!" Astrid snickered.
"Hiccup!"
"All right all right, 3, 2, 1…"
"O'er the seas of green are places unseen
To find them we give our full devotion
Round the continents north to south we'll roam
Until we return to our island home!
That's because we are Children of Thor!
We always will be Vikings, that's the point we'd like to make
We always will be Vikings protest and your head will break!
We'll always be Vikings and do what Vikings do
We're brave, strong, and audacious and forever true!"
As the music ceased to sound everyone sat around laughing. The music was very rousing and left everyone eager for another drink and a fight. Gobber started his song up again and others joined in. This prompted even more laughter when they tried to dance to it. Seeing the half drunk smith with the peg leg and the fake arm trying to spin around to a beat was downright hilarious, and he thought this more than anyone else.
"Well," Greta said at last, as things calmed down a little and the party began to break up, "I think it's time to turn in, Astrid. Lots to do tomorrow and all that,"
"All right," Astrid nodded.
"Actually, Mrs. Hofferson, may I have a word with you?" Hiccup asked. "It won't take long, I promise,"
"Go ahead Astrid, I'll be right there," Greta waved her daughter out. Before they left Astrid kissed Hiccup good night.
"See you tomorrow then,"
"I look forward to it,"
"I know you do," Toothless gave them the grin that was his namesake.
"I oughta go home too," Fishlegs announced, "I've got more writing to do." He was in the middle of writing a new Book of Dragons. He intended for it to be the most informative volume on Dragons ever written. Hiccup had helped on occasion and had loaned him his travel journals for information. Everyone knew, and Fishlegs most of all, that he would never be a powerful Chief or warrior, and his family, while respectable, would never be among the highest ranking in social circles. So Fishlegs was putting everything he could into this work. It was going to be his legacy.
"Why does Hiccup want to talk to your mother?" Ruffnut asked as they made their way to Stormfly's pen. Astrid always checked in on her friend before turning in for the night. Ruffnut came along to get away from the men for a minute.
Astrid shrugged, "I don't know. Hey girl," she said in clipped dragonese as she patted Stormfly.
"Hello!" The Nadder squawked. She and Astrid could only have minimal conversations because Astrid only knew a little of her language.
"Ready for—for the race after tonight?"
"You mean 'after tomorrow' I think," Stormfly chuckled. "And yes, I am!"
"What?"
"Yes!"
"Good," Astrid grinned. "And this time we're beating Hiccup and Toothless!"
She stroked the Nadder a bit before saying goodnight.
"So, Ruff, see you in the morning then?"
"Yeah, I'd better go make certain Tuff isn't dead or severely injured yet. And I think Mildew's got his eyes set on Chicken."
Astrid shook her head. "You guys and that chicken,"
"Hey, Snotlout has his ego, Fishlegs has his books, you have Hiccup, and we have our Chicken! Fair is fair!"
"Get out of here, Ruff," Astrid shooed her away, "Goodnight,"
Berk, if nothing else, was an interesting place to live.
Up in her room Astrid watched from the window as Hiccup, Toothless, and the Chief made their way past her house to their own. They all looked very happy, she noted. Her mother came in shortly afterwards and seemed to be fighting the urge to smile. Suspicious, Astrid went down to see her.
"What's up?"
"Oh, just the Twins and Snotlout being silly as usual," Greta said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I pity the Thorsten household."
"Their parents can barely leave the house you know," Astrid pointed out, "whereas the Twins never stay inside for very long,"
"True. And Snotlout was making a fool of himself too. But you know, I sometimes wonder if he's just acting that way to disguise how much he's hurting,"
"Maybe," Astrid said. Personally she felt Snotlout acted the way he did because it was natural, but then again, he had lost his father in the war and she supposed living in that house with only Hookfang for company could be lonely. And Fishleg's mother had died of fever during the last winter. The only intact family among the original Dragon Riders was now the Thorsten household. A household of two elderly people who were nearly invalids, a maid who spent her entire time looking after them, and two young and near insane pyromaniac adults. Whatever values the Dragon Riders stood for, they failed rather miserably at promoting the ideal family life.
The thoughts of these torn up families remained in her head as she went back to her room. She looked long and hard at the ring her father had given her.
"I hope they're all at peace and in Valhalla, Odin," she whispered, "I know Dad's not coming back, but I can't stop thinking about him and all the others who died that day. I never even had a chance to say goodbye to him." She fought the urge to cry. "Well," she said heavily, "Life goes on, doesn't it?"
With that she put out the candle and went to bed. But it was some time before she fell asleep.
This was Berk. On the surface it looked lovely and pleasant, and on most days it was full of activity and antics seldom seen elsewhere. But the Vikings had paid a heavy price for all the frivolity and prosperity and they still felt the pain of it.