Hiccup woke up as the sun Shone through the open window of his new house. His new home.
When he woke he realized that not only was he warm, but that he had actually crawled out from under the blankets during the night. It was a novel experience for him to not wake up partially frozen, although he did do the standard berkian frostbite check.
'Nope no black fingers today.' he assured himself.
Despite his abilities negating the harm the cold would do to him he still checked himself every morning for the rot of too much cold. He didn't Exactly trust his magic. nor had he any control or faith in it to remain functioning the same way as it had always done.
Not having anything to do yet he decided to explore his new space in the light of day. They apartment he would be staying in appeared To be fairly large. It had two bedrooms each large enough to accommodate a double bed and chest of drawers or maybe a vanity. The washroom held a large brass tub with a built in drain and two taps one for hot and one for cold water. There was also a small cooking area complete with larder and a trapdoor to a subterranean ice room. A dining space big enough for a four person table and a rather Open area with a large window open to the district streets that let in plenty of sun light. This area was most likely a sitting room some thing only the largest and wealthiest berkian houses had as most socializing was done in the great hall.
following the steps down below to the work space. Hiccup saw that it was divided into 3 areas; the largest was a storage space for raw materials amd surplus tools amd weapons. The second was something of a store front plenty of hooks, racks, and shelves for display and a large counter and several empty ledgers stacked in a row under the counter, there was even a wooden box with a space on top to fit and hold a ledger with a space for a quill and ink. it also had compartments inside it that slid out from the counter in a drawer. It had a very strong lock on it but opened well enough with the provided key. Hiccup didn't know the name of this feature but he could tell it was a money drawer for keeping coins after transactions. It was the last room however took Hiccup nearly to his knees.
Opening the door to the rear of the shop Hiccup's mouth dropped open. This room opened up to a space obviously built on a balcony outside of this tiers wall. The balcony itself had a five foot high wall with several arrow slits that doubled as ventilation as well as a metal grating that ran through the middle of the wall to increase air flow. The balcony also had a retractable waxed canvas canopy So Hiccup could block out the rain or enjoy the sun. The equipment on the balcony was what had Hiccup nearly drooling; however, on the fair side was a large crucible smelter. Which meant unlike on Berk, Hiccup could make high quality steel, something that berkian technology hadn't perfected yet. On the side closest to the door was something Hiccup had only seen in waterlogged books that the traders brought something that he had tried his best to emulate with his fire bricks. An enclosed stone stückofen with a thick cast iron door and a large pedal driven bellows built into it. The fuel consumption and heat retention Would probably be five or six times greater than what he was capable of with his bricks and his forge had an almost ten time improvement to berks traditional open air forge.
Hiccup immediately had one hundred questions he needed answers to. What to do with the ash? Where to get fuel? What fuel was available? Was he expected to fill the store front with goods? And many many more questions that would most likely only be answered when that Viggo person turned up. He knew he could go.amd ask any.number of the other smiths in the shops around him but in his experience unless you were an apprentice its.best to leave other smiths alone.
Without any delay Hiccup started emptying the boxes he brought and organizing his stock in the store room, except for the iron and steel that was all going to be reworked, reprocessed and remade. So he stacked those bars next to the smelter for immediate use whenever he got the fuel he needed. Technically Hiccup brought fuel but the type of good quality Charcoal was far better used to make steel than to power a furnace.
Upon further inspection Hiccup found a book detailing how supplies are managed. Every three days coal from the mines is brought to each smithy; the first 3 shipments are free but after that the delivery team collects 10 gold pieces every week to maintain the delivery of goods. Iron, brass, and other metalworking supplies are to be ordered and brought in and paid for at the smiths discretion from a warehouse located at 3-E-24. It is a fortified warehouse on the interior of the mountain and an escort Will be provided once inside the restricted area. The warehouse holds all metal ingots not stocked in a smithy everything from pewter to platinum. Any excess stock of ingots can also be sold to.thenwear house There was also a list of merchants and warehouses who specialized in other raw materials needed For smiting. Wood, leather, adhesive. The instructions for the smelter and new forge were also included in this very helpful book. It also detailed how smiths operate in the city.
There were currently seventeen master smiths in the city. Each smith works directly for the king and his engineers. Thus each smith gets a share of work orders for a week arriving Every Monday money if paid to the smiths to compensate for Time, energy, and complexity. Each smith is also free to take on private jobs if they have time to further gain coin amd to fill the needs of the individuals inside the city and not just the engineers.
Jobs are handed out on a merit base. The more skill you prove to have the more skillful Amd thus higjer paying jobs you acquire.
With this book in hand Hiccup spent the rest of the day going over and testing the mechanisms in the forge and smelter without the proper fuel he could do very little in the way of testing how well they worked but triple checking the mechanisms inside even taking the smelter apart to brass tacks and putting it back together. Around midday gobber and stoick found their way to his shop and barged right in in true berkian fashion.
"Hiccup!" Shouted the chief. "This place is amazing. It's given me an idea or two about rebuilding the berk. Maybe stand a bit of a better chance when the outcasts try to raid us again." As the chief went into details about how to reorganize the building in the village Hiccup had to admit focusing the houses into a half circle surrounding the great hall. And building false alleyways was an actual good idea. The two older Vikings spent the day with Hiccup as he inspected his new home and examined his new tools and further helped him unpack his smiting tools and everything else he had brought. Only Occasionally being interrupted by messengers on reports of various deals and trades they had done not that Hiccup listened particularly closely but one deal got Hiccups attention.
"What do you possibly Need with five hundred panes of glass for?"
"Gonna sell em!" his father said genially. "Round to the other chiefs you know how much of a premium glass goes for in the archipelago. Every chief and well off village will want some to show off. We'll make a killing." The large mountain of a red haired viking said, showing gleaming teeth. Just then there was a knock on the door, which confused Hiccup, as none of the berkians would or have ever bothered knocking they just came in. "Ehh come in?" Called Hiccup.
To his great surprise it was the king with a young man in his early or mid twenties who had wild loose blonde hair that touched his shoulders and was the spitting image of the king. Another young man in his late teens or early twenties with swept back blonde hair and who had on plate metal gauntlets and sabatons and a black surcoat with a deep blue "H" on the front, shining steel pauldrons and black fur lined mantle completing the look, both young men carried large bearded axes the same as the king. Behind them turning on the spot taking in the piles of boxes and cluttered equipment, was the princess resplendent in another sky blue dress. This one ending at her mid calf showing very well made blue suede boots and wearing the steel pauldrons and studded leather wrap vambraces he has.quickly come to ascosiate with her.
"See? I told you one day was not enough time for him to properly set up his shop. When will you learn patience, daughter?" Chided the king. "Stoick! Just the man I need. Apart from my children wanting to introduce themselves I'm afraid there's been an incident involving one of your people. Snot-hat? I believe." The king finishes shaking the chief's hand.
stoick heaved a great sigh. "What did my foolish nephew do this time?"
"I'm afraid it's not necessarily what he did as much as hiw he reacted, you know mainlanders are…. Cautious about you islanders." the oldest prince spoke with a clear authority but his voice still spoke of caution. "I'm afraid your man reacted Poorly to an instigation by one of our citizens. Both men were locked in a pillory In response but we need you or if you'll allow my father and I wanted to test the political prowess of our newest ambassador." Here the prince turned to Hiccup. "Hello my name is Hadvar I am the crowned prince of this kingdom. This is my little brother Hroki. And I believe you met my sister when you arrived." Hiccups eyes flicked to the blonde beauty before he nodded.
"It is my job to meet with the ambassadors and deal with minor foreign affairs. I want to see how you deal with one of your constituents do wrong. Come my father and your father will keep each other company. I suspect kings are really the only people who can understand other kings. You can come with my siblings and myself and we can resolve this issue, while our fathers talk as equals." said prince Hadvarr.
"That sounds like a plan to me. But I must insist you stop referring to the chief as me father. He hasn't been for some years now." said Hiccup diplomatically while looking at Stoik with sad eyes.
"Ahh you must explain that on the way then." And the prince gestures to the door. It was nearly an hour later that they arrived at the pillory located in one of the open market squares in the commons.
Hiccup took in the scene in front of him. Snotlout and a tall dark-skinned man were bent low in the stocks. Both had leather straps tied over their mouths preventing them from speaking. Around them stood a contingent Of 6 regular guards bearing the leather armor Hiccup was already becoming familiar with and one man not wearing regular guards amor but instead a black and blue padded jerkin.
" Lieutenant Raynes! This is Ambassador Haddock, ambassador, this is Hadvar raynes the guard lieutenant in charge of this area of the commons. So lieutenant, if you could please explain what's happened my father is most interested in a mutual trade partnership with the islanders and is not happy about a situation that could possibly endanger that." Said prince Hadvarr ignoring the bows and cries of "sire!", or "my liege!" As the people who saw him spoke up in supplication.
"Well, sir, there's not much to tell, I'm afraid. Both men were down in their cups at thoralds tavern. Krogan there, according to witnesses, started hurling insults about the intellect and genetic make up, and errrr, intimate Habits, of the islanders inside the archipelago." He explained before turning his attention to Hiccup.
"Your man responded by throwing his tankard at mister krogans face. A heroic throw or so I'm told as he managed to break his nose from more than 6 feet away, piss drunk.
It was our man that started the altercation by Hurling insults. But your man definitely responded in a manner that did not fit the Insult." Complete lieutenant Raynes.
Hiccup took a minute to think quietly. "Well instigation is a specialty of snotlouts unfortunately, normally i'd have no problem having him submit to whatever punishment your laws be fit his crime. But as I happen to know his group will be disembarking in little under 4 days. I say making him keep to his ships while they complete their visit would be fair for everyone. If he is caught outside of the docks his ship is moored on than you can do whatever you want with him."
"That sounds more than reasonable, and what do you think should be done with mister krogan here?" Asked the lieutenant.
"Him? Ummmm nothing time served I guess, the only punishment needed for hurling baseless insults is realizing how foolish it makes you." Said Hiccup.
"Ahh well as it stands mister Haddock I disagree, but then I know the man's personal history he's a long standing trouble maker."said the lieutenant. And sentenced Krogan to stay in his stock for the rest of the night to be released with the morning guard change. Snotlout was released and escorted away by two guards with a sour look on his face. As Hiccup watched his cousin disappear the princess spoke up.
"Mister Haddock? I am curious about the reason that this snotlout fellow angers you so? Are you not family?"
"We are." And here Hiccup hesitated, staring at the sky for a moment. "Snotlout has spent nearly pur whole lives trying to more or less kill me or ruin my life. He is almost directly responsible fory father having to disown me.
And the reason I only have one leg." the three siblings sucked in air in sharp surprise.
"So he is a usurper." Said Hroki with a sour expression.
"Attempted, yes. While I would have been cast out anyway if not executed with him replacing me as heir because of what he did, what he caused and what he made me do and reveal about myself. My father came up with a different solution. To find a new wife and start a new family. To have a new heir. And to personally mold snotlout into an upstanding Citizen. Or work him to death. Whichever one happens first." Hiccup explained in a morose voice but cheered up while contemplating Snotlouts misery.
"Your father, the chief, is going to work your cousin to death while making it look like he's "preparing him to take over? I must say that is impressively evil. I didn't think he had time in him." Said the princess as they strolled she started walking away from them with the three young men following her.
"That's just because you don't know him. When he was young and still hadn't earned his chief title , people called him Stoik the vindictive. And not Stoik the Vast." Explained the young Smith.
"Ooooh I like that we don't really have official titles like that in our culture but I just might steal that, Astrid the vindictive. Sounds fierce"
"Sister it sounds ridiculous. I agree with the title idea though, but do come up with a better one." Replied the elder prince.
"Errr, princess? Might I ask you a question?" Hiccup asked while eyeing the axe strapped to the young woman's back as they walked.
"Of course, sir, smith."
Hiccup snorted at her use of his job title. Which caused her to spin around.
"Hey you call me my job I'll call you by yours, got that?"She said jamming her pointer finger very close to his right eye. "You don't want to be called Smith then you had best call me Astrid. Got it?"
"B-but I couldn't that would be disrespectful. I don't know you near enough to presume that type of familiarity." Replied Hiccup careful not to raise his voice at a princess in his incredulity.
She narrowed her eyes at him and before he knew it he was flat on his back with his chin resting between The twin heads of her axe.
"Hi my name is Astrid. And as princess of the king from of Hadraddan. I ask you to ignore! The fact that I'm the princess of Hadraddan and call me Astrid."
"Okay."
"Okay. What? Exactly!"
"Okay! Yes Astrid, yes Astrid okay Astrid." Hiccup said this very quickly as she had repositioned the blade of her axe to rest against his throat.
"That's better. Hiccup. See, we can be friendly. After all, I suspect I'll be seeing you far more often than my other subjects." Said Astrid almost cheerfully.
"And why is that?" Asked Hiccup.
"Our father has taken an interest in you." Explained hadvar. "You're probably familiar with your own tribe but do you know just how large the archipelago is?"
"Uhhh quite large there's at atleast 10 tribes and a similar number of islands Large enough to house them each tribe has about 3 three to 6 thousand members. Except the berserker tribe which is about ten thousand I think.
Exactly. If my father can aid your father into unifying the tribes and Agreeing to an alliance of equal support that will even further increase our nation's security. Despite our prosperity the neighboring kingdoms do not like that our father a commoner of no royal blood claimed Haddradan For himself. The former king, a tyrant named draggo was defeated by my father's fyrd and exiled from this land. We have been tirelessly building the defenses of our people both here and throughout out territory ever sense. Draggo was a beast and a brute but he had to ability to work his lies into your mind and trick you into following him, there is no doubt he'll come back with an army some day to.try and take.bqck what was once his. having the biggest and fiercest Fighters known in 6 kingdoms At our Backs would help deter any enemy kings from rallying with draggo." The prince explained this just as they were arriving back to Hiccups smithy and from the inside the building, and from Hiccup himself you could hear a matching
"Unite the tribes!?" And the king and Stoik stormed out before Stoik whirlled back around back and pointed at the king.
"You want me to wage war against the whole of the archipelago! To conquer our friends and enemies Just so I can bend my knee to you and-"
"No Stoik! I don't want you risking your people's lives more than is needed. And in return we will repay your new nation with Gold and wheat and free trade. We would be equals amongst each other. High chief stoick and King Hadvarr, equal partners in trade and war, royal shield Brothers. The Hadran-berkian Alliance.
Im still working on the name." said the king trying to placate the chief.
"I suggest instead of going straight to war you see what tribes you can win for your banner through diplomacy. Maybe convince them to send envoys here to Hiccup to see the might of Fjellene. I will also make myself available to greet any guest as well, when my duties permit it that is.
It also might break the stigma against magic your culture holds that a tribe of mighty as the hooligans have joined us in alliance.
I know you must return to your people, Stoik, that is why I'm sending along a number of representatives back with you. My own ambassador as you've given me one and a team of men to set up our eagle messengers. Eagles that deliver letters faster than any boat ever could, they could probably cover the distance in two, maybe three days, rather than a week and a half. Having several birds will make sure the eagles can rest and hunt and eat and not get overworked." Explained the crowned prince.
"I-i know of drago. In th archipelagowe called him draggo bludvist. He was a moster with out conscious or mercy! Long ago some 23 years now i was called to a great gathering of chiefs. A stranger came into our midst he spoke softly and bade us join him or face untold consequences. We luaghed at the time but he through his cloak around himself and left. It wasnt but a minute later that magiciansrent holes in the roof and spewed magical fire on us. I was the only person to escape that day.
I-I can't decide this right now, I may be the chief but this is too big, I need to consult the council And the gods and plan and act accordingly."
"Of course stoick." Said the king. "In the meantime I'll also be sending cloth cotton wool dry goods tools and a host of other fine trade goods. Consider it a gift of good faith for a future ally." The king gestured for his children to follow him from the Hiccups Doorstep.
Astrid followed him quickly, she cast a quick smile and waved behind her shoulder. As stoick and Gobber who had arrived at some point before Hiccup did, spoke quietly to each other. Hiccup saw that the princess had left her axe and grabbed it quickly to chase after her only for stoick to capture his shoulder.
"She left it for a reason lad, best let her come back for it." Said stoik.
"And it would be polite to give it a once over." supplied gobber with A chuckle.
"Right, yea, I'll do that." Hiccup said as he looked down at the axe studying its make-up with a practiced eye.
It was two days later that things started to come together for Hiccup. He had stocked enough metal, fuel, and material in his forge. To actually start working. With the help of Gobber and his father, Hiccup hung and organized his collection of tools. It was good to spend the time with Stoik and his old master before they left back to berk. So far Hiccup had made his own recipe of steel and cast a few bars and was now drawing designs for a dagger. Unfortunately today was also the day that the berkians would be leaving him behind. Or had already. He had said his goodbyes to Stoick and Gobber the night before and told them he would not come and say goodbye at the dock. With his Family gone he was relatively surprised when.
Knock.knock.knock
Someone was knocking on his door. After a call to come in however he was even more surprised to see the princess. For it was the princess even if she was not dressed like it.
Today she wore her customary shoulder armor and Studded leather wrap vambraces. But gone were her sky blue dresses, replaced with a deep crimson shirt and a knee length fur skirt over black leggings and black and red fur boots to match the black and red fur of her hooded shawl that rested on her shoulders and the studded fur skirt. The outfit was obviously luxurious. But it was also meant for function not form. Not that it diminished the princesses' looks in Hiccup's opinion.
"Hello Hiccup!" she called before stepping into his shop looking disappointed at the empty shelves.
"Hello prinses- ASTRID! ASTRID! HELLO ASTRID" said Hiccup deflating after a throwing knife had soared past his head to embed itself in the wall. "Sorry, my father drilled proper Modes of address into me from the time I could talk."
"Well, undrill it. I get "princessed" and "your majestied" far too often by people I consider friends. I'll not have it with Mala and I won't have it from you.
"Why me?"
"Be-because you are as close to my equal as yet I've met in this life. You don't put me on a shelf or a pedestal afraid to come near me or say what you want. That's special to me. So I count you as friend. And I don't let my friends be formal toward me." Replied Astrid, sounding uncharacteristically self conscious.
"I'm not really worthy of your friendship Astrid. I'm just the town screw up I'm afraid. "
"Well then I'll just have to help you not be a screw up eh?" She quickly replied. "Speaking of screwing up, I left my axe here and I need it. It's sparring day and Captain Ugg is not a patient man."
This caused Hiccup to perk up. "Oh! Right, I hope you don't mind. I took the liberty To re-hone the edge, and fit a new handle. Your old one had a hairline crack in it from where someone tried to hammer in counter weights into the shaft. I also reapplied the counter weights in what I'm sure will be more advantageous positions. I also flipped the grain pattern On where the blade sits; it will allow for more flexibility in response To your blocks and strikes." as Hiccup explained this for the first time since she met him Hiccup became truly animated in front of the princess. Quickly pulling the axe from where he had hidden It and gesturing over the different small changes he had made. The smile on his face was the only evidence she needed to know how passionate he was.about his work.
"Well thank you Hiccup and here" she tossed a small bag of coins that he quickly put away in a drawer without Counting. "Aren't you going to count them?" She asked in response to his actions.
"Nope I wasn't planning on charging you but i'll make an exception just this once.
"Good cause I wasn't going to take them back, however I did hear about a certain store up in the cloud district that just received a shipment of books of a particularly rare genre. That I thought you'd like to read. Why don't you go up there tomorrow and see what they have in stock." She said, sounding very coy.
"That sounds like a fine plan, your maj- Astrid. I just might do that." Smiled Hiccup.
"In the meantime. Why don't you come with me? Surely you can entertain me and spar with Captain Ugg? After all keeping up your fighting skills is important."
"Yea….. I don't have fighting skills it's been 3 years since I've picked up a weapon for any purpose than to work on it." Said Hiccup awkwardly.
"Even better than. A blanket slate. The captain will like that." Smiled Astrid fiendishly.
And That Was how Hiccup Found himself laying on his back covered in bruises panting as if he had just swam the north sea. Limbs shaking. Ugg had Hiccup go round after round with him after Astrid's turn.
Captain Ugg was a tall and slender man. more willowy than you'd assume a guard captain would be; his thin frame did not detract from his strength however. The man wore steel plate armor over a fitted mail hauberk and steel plate and mail britches with boots and vambraces that matched his chest piece. Despite the added weight of the armor, the man was undiminished on the field. The man bent and swayed and swung his sword in ways Hiccup could seldom believe possible.
"Bend you knees, spread your feet, MOVE!
THY WHO STANDS LIKE A TREE IN BATTLE SHALL BE CUT DOWN LIKE ONE." the man yelled before stepping toward Hiccup with a speed that surprised Hiccup, Hiccup was just too slow to stop Uggs incoming blow which resulted in the guard captain whacking Hiccup on the helmet and sending him for the final time to the ground, dazed and panting. After a minute the man walked up to Hiccup to stand over him.
"Most excellent master Hiccup, most excellent, for a beginner, that is; you almost blocked that last strike! you're a natural fighter, I can tell, especially with a bit of practice. But the next time you come I want you to bring a "condottiero". A type of fighting hammer used by an empire far to the south and the east. It has a hammer head, obviously, on one end that's for crushing armor pieces together making movement difficult. A strong pick on the other that is good for poking holes in strong armor and a short stabbing point on the top that's used for dealing with horses and infantry. just do me a favor and forgo putting an edge on it just yet." The man ordered Hiccup for there was no mistaking that it was an order.
"Why a hammer if I might ask? Doesn't seem very chivalrous." Hiccup said while laying on the ground panting.
You're a blacksmith, you buffoon, you're used to swinging hammers used to the motion. The weight. Always fight with your strengths. That's what my master taught me and that's what I teach my students.
"Take no heed if someone sees you with your weapon and makes light of you for it." He used to say. Strike a swordsman in the wrist and armor or no amor, he'll be too preoccupied with his splintered bones to defend himself properly from your next blow.
Now when you've caught your breath get your rotten carcass off my practice field before I have my men throw you down that new chute they're building into the grand road." Captain Ugg said in a brisk tone before dismissing Hiccup and walking off to torture some other poor man.
After a few minutes of Astrid making fun of him he finally sat up.
"Ugh,well, that was an experience." Hiccup groused which got a laugh from the princess.
"Yea isn't he great?"
"Where did he learn to fight like that?" Asked Hiccup.
"Noone knows.he never names his master, personally i think he's self taught and passes on the lessons he learned through experience, as a legacy of knowledge from his "teacher." But it could be wrong. He's like my father. His dad was a farmer and he fought with my dad in the fyrd against drago. Dad tried to make him a general after the war, but he wouldn't have it. He'd "rather be a great Sargent than just another officer." It's only in the last two years that he's accepted this Commission Dad kind of forced his hand. Become an officer or retire." Astrid explained. She then extended the haft of her war axe for Hiccup to grab when she helped him stand.
"You're a good blacksmith." She said simply.
"thanks? How do you figure though? You've not seen me make anything." With that question she held up the axe and shook it.
"This is how" she said, indicating her axe. "This accursed thing had had a ballance and turning issue since Greybeard made it for me 3 years ago. And neither he nor any other Smith has been able to fix it.
except for you. You balanced it perfectly amd it doesn't turn in my hand anymore. I believe you have earned yourself a high paying customer mister Haddock.
Oh. Before I leave. I come and practice with Captain Ugg every Thursday morning. Next Thursday I expect you awake at your shop waiting for me and with whatever he just told you to make for yourself. Got it?"
Hiccup very quickly bowed and almost yelled "yes princess!" Before dodging out of the girls' reach.
"Oh you!" And she chased him in a very unlady-like manner all the way to his forge. She dove through the door just before he slammed it. And it was a flushed sweaty princess that cornered him by his cold forge.
"You. turf. eating. rotten munge bucket! How dare you make me chase you for that long!" And then she punched him in the shoulder as hard as she could.
"Ow!"
"Wuss. You run very quickly for only having one foot."
"Thanks. Lots of practice, running from my cousin and his crew of thugs."
"Well at least they were good for something." She turned slowly around taking in his tools and stock and the windows when she gasped and rushed over to a window. "Father gave you a fantastic view!" Hiccup agreed outside the arrow slits and windows of his forge, you could see the entirety of the lower quarters far below. beyond that the docks and bay where Hiccup had watched his father depart just that morning. Beyond that was blocked by the thick bank of fog that seemed an omni present entity.
"It is a spectacular view. Almost as good as the view of berk from ravens point. You could see the whole island stretching out before you and the village nestled right by the sea. If you gpt there by sunset the sun sets right inline with my dad's hut."
"That sounds amazing. Maybe you can show me someday? Tell me about it. I would like to hear about your home."
" I'm not really welcome there anymore astrid.
Hmmmmm." He stopped to.think giving into the bustling city far below.
"Berk is a land of the strong. The weak do not suffer on the island for very long.
It is twelve days north of Hopeless and a few degrees south of Freezing-to-death, it is located solidly on the meridian of misery. The village is, in a word, sturdy, it's been there for five hundred years but every single building is new. The food is tough and tasteless, and the people even more so. Berk doesn't seem to have too many redeeming Qualities now that I look at it, but still, it's home.
And she turned to face him standing up straight where she had been leaning over her axe which she then hoisted onto her shoulder.
"For now Hiccup, you're not welcome there for now. we're young and with our fathers plans that might very well change." she started to leave before turning around and scrunching her face.
"Why are the buildings new?"
"OH! Raids. Another tribe nearby is led by a traitor named Alvin."explained hiccup. After that she wandered off presumably back to her home.