guest: I mean, yeah, kinda, but that's the point. Two, he's doing what he can without breaking the law of his country, that even though he is a chief, he is still a subject of. And three, he knows what's best for Hiccup isn't on Berk. So he looked around and found the nuclear option.

Hiccup was sitting by a gathering of candles, reading the book the princess had recommended three days earlier. Unfortunately, he could not make heads or tails of the instructions within: "Hold your focus within your own being, feel the inner energy thrumming through you, and gain control to cast your will outward." It did not really make a lot of sense to Hiccup. Suddenly, a series of knocks filled the air. Looking around, he saw that the sun had barely risen; the sky outside his windows was still gray and purple in the twilight. Rousing himself from his desk, he quickly blew out the candles and ventured downstairs carefully in the darkness. Opening the door, he revealed a man in his late thirties.

The man had pale skin, short black hair, thick eyebrows, and, most strikingly, horrendous burn scars covering the right side of his face and one blind eye. "Good morning, Hiccup, is it not?" he paused but didn't wait for confirmation before continuing. "My name is Viggo Grimborn. I believe you should have been expecting me."

Hiccup stepped aside to let the man inside. "Oh, yes! Yes, sorry, I lost track of time, I guess. Learning where everything is around here and figuring out how to run this advanced equipment has been challenging. I got lost for four hours yesterday trying to find the market stalls to make myself dinner. And I still could not find them."

He raised an eyebrow. "I take it you didn't go hungry?"

"No, tavern food works well enough," Hiccup shrugged.

The man looked at Hiccup and, after a moment, spoke. "Quite. I find myself surprised you didn't make your way to the royal district in search of dinner. I hear the princess is quite a fan of yours. You most likely could have spoken to her, and she would have welcomed you to dinner." He said coyly, as if testing Hiccup.

"I am perfectly capable of finding my own food, thank you. I know better than to go knocking on the doors of my betters unannounced." This caused Viggo to smirk.

"Yes, well, all that aside, I am here to deliver your royal work orders from the engineers and to ensure you know your role in this city and how to perform it."

"I think I have everything squared away, but just in case I missed something, feel free to enlighten me."

"Caution!" The man said laughing. "How unexpected from one so young. Excellent, young Hiccup, most excellent. Well then, I see you've already got the coal deliveries and have been stockpiling. That's smart. Gregor, your neighbor, is always running low because he never orders extra. The coal delivery is, obviously, one thirty-pound bag of coal every three days. Ten pounds of coal should be more than enough to last for an entire day's work. More can be ordered, paid for from your own pocket, of course. You also have obviously found the storehouse where we keep your allowance of iron and other metals. Your work orders must be completed seven days after they are issued; any delay, and you will be fined five gold pieces a day."

"Your current work order is worth 10 gold pieces." He stuck his hand up to forestall hiccups. "Don't worry; as your reputation grows, you will have the opportunity to make many times more gold than a bank will see in its lifetime. My brother Ryker currently routinely gets orders upwards of 250 coins a week. And if what I've heard of your skills is true, then you will raise your reputation faster than most.

"Now, your current work order is the same order we give all our fledgling smiths: one thousand nails, one thousand three-twist screws, 500 framing brackets, and 10 brass hammers." That last bit caught Hiccup's attention.

"Why brass?" asked Hiccup.

The older man smirked at Hiccup. "Have you any knowledge of stone masonry?" At Hiccup's confused head shake, indicating a negative, Viggo seemed even more amused. "Brass doesn't harm granite. We use them when placing heavy blocks, and they have a much longer life than wooden mallets. Our entire city is made of granite and other hard stones, young Hiccup. We use many, many brass hammers."

Hiccup understood now. Immediately grasping how the buildings were constructed, he had seen that they were framed in wooden beams and planks to make the interior walls more easily customized and repaired. But the outer walls were made of granite, lending the stones' strength and resilience to the structure as well as protecting the city from the spread of fire that threatened wooden huts like Berk's.

"Alright, all of that sounds doable. If I finish early, can I request more work?

"No, the engineer's pass forward requisitions only once a week, and the budgeting office only approves these requisitions once a week. You can understand that it takes the office a full week to determine if requisitions are necessary or appropriate for approval. Still, you are more than welcome to advertise your services at the local taverns and inns in the commons or the message boards that are scattered around the districts. I would recommend starting out by advertising your services cheaply; we have many smiths here, and they all take private work. If you want to stand out, that's the way to do so until your reputation is better known." He was about to walk away but then stopped and turned around. "Oh, yes, I was approached by my brother Rycker and another smith, Horst, I believe. They are petitioning to form a metalworkers' guild for the city. The bureaucrats, of course, don't like the idea, but it would make passing out work orders easier. They're just talking right now, but it's something to consider. Well, young man, it has been a pleasure meeting you. I recommend you get to work on that order as fast as possible. Before I go, do you have any questions for me?"

""Uh, yeah. Do you know when or if they'll be opening instruction at that magic school I heard they were building?" Hiccup asked, scratching his head awkwardly and holding up the book he had brought downstairs. "I can't really make heads or tails of this. And I know there are a lot of smiths, and the farmlands outside the city are massive. Is there a smith who stays down in the commons? Or one that focuses his craft on the farmers? I don't believe every smith here can solely be a bladesmith."

"Ah, not for many years, I believe. They haven't even started construction on the actual building yet yet; they're still designing blueprints. But the two who have placed themselves in charge of the college's development, Masters Bori and Roland, are always happy to point burgeoning magic users in the right direction, when they have the time, that i. As to the smith question, no, there aren't any down in the commons. City regulations require the smiths to work on this level; however, many farmers come here to replace lost or broken farming equipment. The smith I mentioned before, Horst, focuses on hoes, scythes, and wagon frames and other things needed for farm or mill work,rather than heavy equipment and armory that's all?" He asked this time waiting for Hiccups nod before continuing. "Fare thee well then, young Hiccup. I'll see you next week, if not sooner. I will be in this district very often, after all," Viggo said before thrusting a closed fist over his heart, slightly bending his head in the strange solute hiccup had seen the guards do while in town with the princess, and walking away.

Hiccup spent the day heating and drawing out ten iron bars to the one-fourth of an inch specified in the work orders, marking the length of the finished bar every five inches, cutting the hot iron on those marks, and quenching the iron nails to cool them. He finished the day by going to a masons store and acquiring molding sand so he could make molds and thus could make as many nails at once as possible.

"Work smarter, not harder, right?" joked the mason when giving Hiccup the sack of sand.

"Yep! Although I don't know much about making casts, I'll learn though. I think there's a section in that introduction book they left at the shop." said Hiccup Handing over ten silver and heading back to his home.

It was a few days later that Hiccup completed the order. Twisting and hammering the nails took considerably longer than he had thought, but crafting a one-fourth grip to twist them worked wonders. He even managed to get some side work from a miller who wanted to expand his operations, convincing the man to take a risk on him for one-fourth the going rate. This side work promised to boost his reputation considerably.

But that was a problem for later. It was early on washday, as it was known on Berk, and lørdag, as it is known in Hiccup's new home. Which means it was finally time to put Hiccup's newly forged war hammer through its paces. He walked up to the weapon he finished just last night. The dark brown, supple maple wood handle gleamed in the morning light. The leather grip he fastened to the bottom felt soft and pliant in his hand and covered the counterweight that Hiccup turned into a sort of pommel. The shaft, covered with many soft iron spikes to help catch and hold sword blows. And the intricate hammer head felt like a comforting weight in his hands. The wedge-style hammerhead would maim anything it hit; the spike at the rear more than capable of punching straight through chainmail and leather armor. And the wedge keeping the hammer head in place was extended to include a crude but prominent blade that, when sharpened, would stab and slash with the best daggers in an army. It was a truly fear-inducing weapon, and Hiccup designed it not only to fit his hand but to act as an extension of his very being.

With his hammer in hand, he made his way to the door and then to the far side of the tier, where the guard headquarters and practice field were located. There, he was met with the clashing of arms and the sound of men cheering. When Hiccup got closer, he saw the guard captain, Ugg, and the princess sparring vigorously.

As massive as Astrid's axe was compared to her own body, she wielded it as if it weighed no more than a switch. Slash, slash, chop, somersault, roll, jump, block, leg sweep. But no matter what she did, the captain still outclassed her in every way on the battlefield. The man wasn't even attacking, just dodging and blocking with a bored expression, suddenly one quick leg sweep and a grappling motion had Astrid pinned to the hard ground, breathing heavily. While Ugg himself was hardly winded when Astrid went down, it was to a loud cheer. Even Hiccup was aware of the princess's prodigious skills, readily able to beat any man there except the captain.

"Ahhhh, Master Haddock! Are you to be my next challenger?" It wasn't actually a question. In answer, Hiccup brandished his new hammer at the man. The man in turn smiled and raised his arms, clad in heavy steel gauntlets. "Come on then, I've come prepared." By this time, Astrid had stood up and cleared out of the training field. Hiccup entered as soon as he was within the bounds of the circle. Ugg struck, lightning-fast, with a blow to Hiccup's navel that Hiccup barely managed to block. Sadly yet understandably, that was his only success that day. Ugg was careful not to break any bones, but Hiccup's entire upper body and most of his lower body were mottled black and blue after the two-hour training session.

"Good show today, Hiccup. I guess it's true what they say about your people—four times as strong and half that as fast as fast as a normal person. Of course, you're a tad more scrawny than most islanders, but you're still able to hold your own better than any other novice aside from lady astrid."

Hiccup groaned. "Tell that to my wrist," he said, holding up his arm that displayed a thick, rancid purple and yellow bruise.

"Oh, just go for a soak in one of the bathhouses and quit being a baby." The princess laughed.

Hiccup sat up and slumped his shoulders. "i can't, yet, I'm going to go find the lead mages at that academy and find some clarity on these beginner instructions in this book i've tried reading."

"Ah, off to find Roland? I have to warn you, he is an incessant busybody. You'd do best to find Bori instead." captain ugg suggested.

"Oh we'll Find master bori don't worry."Said Astrid.

"We?" Asked hiccup?

"Yes, we! You expect me to sit high up in my tower, signing sonnets and brushing my hair a thousand times? Today is the only free time I get during the week and I still have duties. So I'm going to at least spend my freebie doing what I want." Astrid snarked with a sour Expression.

Hiccup looked at her and snorted before walking further into the district. "If you were any other princess, or i didnt get introduced to you with that massive ax3 strapped to your back, I would say yes." This got another tinkling laugh from the princess and the surrounding guardsman, which Hiccup counted as a win. As they walked through the city the two teens exchanged stories from their week as Astrid led him around three entire districts until they came across a district that was totally unbuilt except for a building of truly massive scale. Its architecture broke all rules of the city that Hiccup had seen. The long, ornate body of the building was at least four stories tall, and the towering spire was at least two hundred feet tall, with a clear viewport high up on the belfry. The entire building was a huge, black edifice of clearly ancient, weathered black stone, cold and intimidating.

"Welcome to "the Cloud Spire cathedral." It's an ancient wizard's tower; it was here long before we chose this mountain as our home, and my father decided not to knock it down. The mages are converting it into the jewel in the crown of their college, school, or whatever they choose to call it. The entire thing is as large as our Coliseum on the northeastern side of the commons and has enough space to hold over 10 million tomes, books, and scrolls. It already contains just under a million and has a full-time staff." Astrid explained with a grand gesture

The foundation was raised from the ground, and a seven-foot flight of granite stairs was placed around it. For twenty feet surrounding this glorious building, the beginnings of a masterfully worked flower garden were taking shape. This ancient building was even more impressive than the city's gracefully crafted stonework, and the large, circular window the filled the center of the face of the building, filled with thousands of fragments of stained glass depicting a black dragon soaring high in the sky, was lit with the reds and oranges of a setting sun.

"I have no words. It's-"

"Beautiful, yes, that's why Dad couldn't tear it down. Its history is completely lost; no one alive knows when, how, or why it was built, nor who built it. We call it the cloud spire cathedral, but the locals who used to live at the base of this mountain called it 'Skæbnens Hvile.' Or—

"Fate's rest, yes, it's Burkian, or close enough to it," finished Hiccup.

Astrid nodded and started walking."Come on, Master Bori should be inside; he will be able to explain your book to you." She walked up the stairs and crossed to the large, ancient oak doors before pushing one open. The door disappeared into the dark interior before Hiccup followed. The interior was even larger than Hiccup had thought. The center of the massive building was dedicated to reading and writing areas; desks and chairs were arranged to fit any need or purpose. So much natural light streamed in through the large, nearly floor-to-ceiling windows running along the sides of the building and even the roof far above his head that no torches would be necessary, even on the cloudiest day. There were four levels of platforms around the edge of the building, and from what Hiccup could see, each level was filled with row upon row of sparsely populated bookshelves.

In the center of the desk area was an old and very portly man whose bald head shone in the afternoon sun, and whose long white beard grew into ringlets. He was directing a near-constant stream of workmen coming to ask questions. Not that this seemed to bother Astrid as she strolled right up and addressed the busy man.

"Master Bori, Sir." She stood there for a minute, stunned and blinking owlishly after he thrust a finger at her to forestall her speech before she lost patience and drew her axe, proceeding to slam it into the man's desk right by his hand resting over a book, causing the constant stream to cease.

"Ah, good! Now that you have a moment, Master Bori." She said snidely.

"Eh, yes, Princess. Sorry for silencing you, Princess; it won't happen again. What did you need, child?" The man said shakily, unwilling to move as the pointed end of her axe blade poked his nose.

"I don't need anything; my friend here, however, does. Master Bori, this is Hiccup. Hiccup, this is Master Mage Einarth Bori. Master Bori, Hiccup is a mage and is just learning to wield his abilities, and the book he brought to teach himself isn't helping. I brought him here to get him some professional help." She smiled very sweetly at the old man and yanked her axe out of the desk with a crack. The man simply waved his hand over the crack, and it sealed back without even a mark on the wood, which seemed to displease Astrid.

"A new apprentice, eh? Well, we are nowhere near ready for classes, so if you are hoping for formal instruction, you will be disappointed. And yet, I cannot turn away an aspiring mage. So, tell me, what magic can you do? the man asked, eyeing Hiccup speculatively.

"Uhhhhh, nothing. I have only done magic once, and I do not really want to recreate the circumstances," Hiccup said, scratching the back of his head. "In my village, magic is outlawed, feared, and hated. I have known I had magic all my life, but without knowledge to manifest it, and it being a death sentence if I was caught, my father banned me from ever learning it. But it manifested itself in response to my cousin trying to kill me."

The old man nodded in understanding. "A sad occurrence that happens far too often. Many times, a young student has come to me after being driven from their village after getting angry or scared and burning down their childhood home. There was one young man, about 30 years ago; I found him tied to a tree after he accidentally burned down his village in response to his father beating his mother and him. It took 10 years to train him properly. So, young man, what have you learned thus far?"

Master Bori and Astrid sat in silence, listening as Hiccup discussed his fruitless exercises and experiences using magic, guided by the book he had bought. He tried to detail how he did things and why he felt it wasn't working.

"I was afraid of this. I'm sorry to say this boy but to unlock your magic we will need the templars." Said Bori with a very serious expression.

Hiccup started feeling very apprehensive at the ominous title of Templar. "What exactly are the Templars?"

"An elite group of knights dedicated to and purpose-built to attack, fight, and kill magic users. they will have attack you to unlock your magic, the Templars will be far less likely to be injured when it inevitably explodes outward, as you said it did the last time," explained Bori in a serious, yet academic voice, like he was giving a lecture. Before turning around, he called one of his assistants forward and whispered something to him.

"Okay, so where are they? I haven't seen any special knights around here. And why do they have to attack me to unlock my magic."

"Because to put it simply, you're almost too old. Without using your gift the ability becomes stagnant and blocked before fading away. You are old enough to wear we can "Break" this block so to speak. I'm sorry young man but it is the only way. You must be put into life threatening situations until you can feel the flow of your magic and then learn to control it." explained master bori.

"And Yes, you have seen special knights around." said Astrid. "My friend Eret? The one I was sparring with? He's one, as well as several of my father's personal guards. We don't mind magic here, but that doesn't mean we don't see the dangers involved. Especially those involved in… more… arciac subjects, not just elemental magic."

"Tell me, young Hiccup, have you learned the basic rules of magic yet?"

"The book I bought doesn't mention basic rules. So no." replied Hiccup, confused.

"Hmph! I Figured Trafalgar was always lax on the fundamentals. Magic isn't an easy or safe practice, boy; it is inherently dangerous, and not just because you are swinging around broiling balls of wizard's fire. Magic is limited only by a person's will, energy, and imagination and, loosely speaking, the laws of the natural world. So we magicians are aware of three very important rules of magic.

The first and most important is: Know your limits. Magic isn't an infinite energy source. It uses the energy available to your body at any given time. If you exceed that limit, it will kill you. If you try to turn sand into water, for example, it most likely won't even work because it goes against natural elemental laws. But it also just might kill you instead, and there's nothing you can do because once you release the energy for a spell, there is no recalling it; it will seep out of you until the action you desire is accomplished, or you are dead.

The second rule is that a magician or mage must not try to bring back the dead. There's a wall between death and life and if you try to stick even a finger through that wall it will collapse and kill you.

And the third is never to try to unmake anything. It breaks reality and results in a massive, inescapable explosion.

Follow those rules in your self-discovery, and you will be fine. You can also come here for advice and help whenever you want; these books and our knowledge belong to everyone.

"If magic can kill me, how do I control it? Is it just my own force of will, or is there a language?"

"Ah yes, a smart question. On a quick lesson the answer is both. You don't need a language to shape magic. But many find the use of the dracos arcanum helpful when writing out spell formulas or casting long complex spells." Explained the ancient master.

"Dracos Arcanum? That's an odd name," laughed Hiccup.

"It is believed that the language was taught to the first magical beings by the ancient dragons before they went extinct. Unfortunately, that's about all we know of the language's history. Unfortunately, we cannot plan more until the templars manage to temper your magic and theory can only do you so much. I'm sorry, lad, but this is the only way. If you were younger and your magic more free-flowing, it would be different, but we need to 'break the dam,' so to speak."

"When will they start trying to kill me?" asked Hiccup, resigning himself to the torture.

"As soon as Eret and his cohort arrive. You're a smith, it's important we do this as fast as possible; if you survive, you'll need a few days to recover from this fight," replied Astrid, looking grim.

"If I sur—oh. I'll need to be in actual danger, won't I?" It was Astrid and Master Boris's silent nods that set his stomach rolling with terror. And it remained so when a messenger returned and escorted them and a small group of mages to the practice field he had left earlier that day. On the field stood a contingent of knights dressed in shining, heavy plate armor with winged helmets and black and purple surcoats. They wielded a mottled collection of weapons, from axes and swords to hammers and maces. The tallest knight, the one in the center of the formation, had a truly massive, six-foot-tall claymore.

"Good luck out there. They won't stop until you're dead or you've released your magic. So best not fight it. But don't do anything dumb, okay?" Astrid looked very concerned.

Drawing his new hammer and lamenting his lack of armor, he replied, "right. I dont think ill be doing much of anything other than bleeding." this caused the princess to smirk at him before stepping into the ring. As he entered the training field, the knights silently spread around him; the only noise in the area was the slight clinking of their armor. The tall knight with the claymore drew his weapon up with one arm, showing his prodigious strength, and pointed it at Hiccup.

"Hiccup Haddock! Our order challenges you, here and now. We shall not stop until we all, or you, are dead. Do you accept our challenge?" The man spoke in a muffled and unfamiliar accent.

"I accept your challenge and the consequences." Hiccup knew this would most likely be his only offensive attack. He stepped forward and struck the flat of the knight's massive sword with the diamond-shaped head of his warhammer at the base of the blade, below the leather-wrapped handle. The blade shattered, leaving a relatively useless handle behind and the knight recoiling from the impact. His compatriots did not halt or falter at their leader's poor luck. They struck and swung, pushing at Hiccup from every height and angle. Even so, Hiccup managed to block or dodge every blow for a solid three minutes. But soon, a mace clipped his calf, and the broad side of an axe smashed his shoulder, causing Hiccup to spin and fall to the ground with a numb arm and leg. The man whose sword Hiccup had shattered now stood over him and swung a mace toward Hiccup's head. Causing hiccup to fumble and roll out of the way just in time. Still the mace crushed his prosthetic. Block, swing, block, swing, block, and then the man kicked Hiccup hard in the ribs. Hiccup felt his ribs give way; he immediately tasted blood, and his lung was punctured. An ice-cold intrusion pierced his side, and he looked down to see the bare blade of a sword sticking out of his navel. The lead knight stood above him, and Hiccup watched as that ice-cold feeling spread. Time seemed to slow as he felt the ice climb from his very essence. Clear as day, he heard a word in his mind and repeated it aloud, forcing this new found purpose up his arm and through his hammer as he brought it up to meet and deflect the mace that was about to smash his skull. He yelled this word, which filled his soul, as he struck the weapons against each other.

"Glyssa!" On the contact of his hammer with the head of the mace as it swung down, bringing his death with it, ice exploded from the impact, sending razor-sharp shards against the armor of the man who sought his death. Then Hiccup turned far faster than he should have been able to and drove the wedge spike of his weapon into the gut of the Templar who had stabbed him and brought this awakening. Once again, on impact and with a call of "Glyssa!", a shaft of ice formed around the Templar. Hiccup felt another weapon sliding through the air, which he sidestepped, and brought the pommel of his hammer into the visor of the warrior who was trying to sneak attack him. The visor crumpled inward from the impact.

"stop the fight!" someone yelled, as Hiccup, his eyes glowing with the intensity of his magical energy, sent a crescent-shaped blast of ice and wind at three of his attackers, sending all three flying with the tinkling sound of splintered mail hitting The ground.

The last templar standing rushed Hiccup with a dagger which Hiccup sidestepped and clutched the mans throat. The glow in Hiccup's eyes intensifies as more magic wells in his center."Hiccup, stop!" Astrid said, and launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around him to stop him from reacting. "Calm down, please this isn't you! I know I haven't known you for a long time, but I can tell you're no killer! Please!" She tightened her grip as the aura of ice that surrounded him sent out another blast of razor-sharp shards that cut at her arms and face. "Please, Hiccup! Stop, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't know it would go this far. Please stop."

His body lost all tension, although the young man had no conscious realization of stopping his rage. He dropped the nameless Templar to the ground, his body going limp. The feel of her warmth pressed against his icy body was the last thing he felt before his world went black.