Chapter 8: Negotiation

"My lord, I take it back. This may have been a horrible idea."

Ragnar shook his head, refraining from arguing with Halfdan, who stared at the village of Berk in terror. And he could not blame him, for there were more dragons covering the town—and swarming above in the air—than he had likely seen in his entire life. There had to be thousands of them, dragons of every shape, size, color, and species. The armour and weaponry of the Endeavor suddenly didn't seem so reassuring in the face of the draconic cloud that twisted above the island, especially with the fleet anchored far from shore. But while the first mate was physically recoiling at the sight of an impending inferno, the lord of Velesheim was calm as sailors set a plank in place for disembarkment. If what he had heard about this dragon master was true, he would have nothing to fear if he had nothing to fight about. And Ragnar was not here to fight.

The aged lord slowly descended from the deck of the Endeavor, taking in the sights of the village that stretched up from the docks. The houses were all of traditional Viking design, and yet Ragnar was impressed by the wide variety of colors and shapes; strange bowls and carvings were spread out among the houses, likely devices to accommodate so many dragon residents. There were many Vikings too, large, burly, and armed to the teeth. As he continued his descent, a young male voice called out to him.

"I take it you're the leader of this great fleet!"

Ragnar looked up as his feet touched the dock. A Stormcutter dragon—a rare and curious beast, he thought—was perched atop a dockside building, and resting in one of it's massive wings was a young man in his early twenties. He was remarkably skinny for a Viking, with messy auburn hair. As the Stormcutter lowered a wing for the man to climb down, Ragnar could see he was dressed in draconic-looking armour, dotted with scales and gears and strange bits of metal. More than that, the lower part of his left leg was gone, replaced by an impressive prosthetic. Bright green eyes stared back at Ragnar as the young Viking came to stand in front of him.

"I am indeed, though I must say this island is beginning to impress me more than the fleet. You must be Chief Hiccup, the one they call dragon master." Ragnar stepped forward, extending a hand. "I am Ragnar Iverson, one of the High Lords of Velesheim."

The Stormcutter hissed from the roof of the building, eying his hand with a venomous look. But Hiccup seemed undeterred, grasping Ragnar's hand firmly despite looks from the crowd of Vikings. "I've heard little of Velesheim, I hope you will be able to tell me a lot about this great city. Maybe after why you would sail so many ships this far into the middle of nowhere."

The lord of Velesheim couldn't help but chuckle, replying; "They did not tell me you would be so young and at ease, but your jokes have a point. It's true that we've come a long way at great expense. I give you my word that we have no quarrel with Berk, nor any other Viking tribe in the Barbaric Archipelago. I wished to talk to you actually, and seek information." Gesturing to the glaive on his back, Ragnar continued. "I would offer you my blade as a gesture of peace. Though, looking at that slithering cloud overhead, I doubt it would be much use to me anyway."

Hiccup waved a hand dismissively. "There's no need for that, I'm grateful enough that the rest of your unbelievably large armada remains offshore. Come, we can talk in the Great Hall." As the young chief turned to go, Ragnar waved a hand, and the crew of the Endeavor hoisted up the gangplank; although they were following his orders, he was fully aware that he was now in completely foreign territory.

Taking the long and winding path towards what Ragnar could only assume was their Great Hall, he took careful observance of the village surroundings. The Vikings that lined the roads and building entrances all stood silently; some regarded the outsider with suspicion, others contempt, a few older warriors spitting the ground as they passed. But beyond that no one uttered a word beyond observable muttering, with some of the villagers even turning away to return to their daily business. Yet by observing as they walked Ragnar noticed, interestingly, that these Viking's seemed to possess a level of sophistication that he did not expect for an island village of this size. He noticed that above the thresholds of buildings was what appeared to be wooden gullets and buckets of water, perhaps a method of preventing fire damage to the structures. The quality of their metal also intrigued the lord of Velesheim deeply, as it shined brighter than the best steel. A dragon-related invention, perhaps? Judging from the armour of the young that walked beside him, lord Ragnar silently acknowledged a surge of respect for the chief of Berk. Dragon master indeed, but a transformational leader as well.

"I must admit, chief Hiccup, I did not expect to find a human settlement so advanced, at least not in this harsh place." the lord uttered, boots clattering against stone as the two men began to climb a series of steps.

The auburn-haired dragon rider shrugged, smiling. "Well, we've had a lot of time and a lot of damage to repair, recently. I mean, none of this would be possible without the dragons. Which, I should probably mention…" he threw a thumb over his shoulder, no doubt at the Endeavor. "... they definitely aren't happy with all the ships and weapons you brought."

The corners of Ragnar's mouth turned upwards at Hiccup's comment. "Yes, I'd imagine they would be. I will not lie to you, dragon master, I was once a dragon hunter in my youth. Velesheim sits in an interesting location, where men can either seek fortune to the great lands west, or hunt in the dragon-populated islands to the north. I have done both; no doubt an occupation you find vile. However, my fleet stays where they are because I have commanded it. I have not come to Berk for your dragons, chief."

"Oh really?" Hiccup questioned. "And why else would you bother to take over 600 armed ships here?"

"I don't know if you would believe me when I say that this is not our intended destination. We have many more miles to sail after this, I assure you. Actually…" he stopped, turning to face the chief; although both men were of decent height, Ragnar towered over Hiccup. "I came to meet you, dragon master. I was hoping that you would assist me."

The young dragon rider crossed his arms, almost smirking, but Ragnar detected a flicker of suspicion in his eyes. "Well I'm not exactly sure what help I can give you, but we can discuss it more thoroughly over food and drink. I'd imagine fresh food's been difficult to get since Velesheim is so far from here."

"I would be most grateful."

The two men reached the summit of the steps, finding the doors of the Great Hall open. Warm light issued from the hall, but the vast benches and hearths were absent of any Vikings as far as Ragnar could tell. The large pillars were decorated with traditional nordic symbols, along with winding dragon carvings that reached the ceiling. There were also numerous wreaths of antlers, forest plants and autumn, perhaps to commemorate the arrival of winter or some other yearly celebration. And it was impossible not to notice the giant, scorched tusk that hung from chains, likely the weapon of some great sea dragon taken in battle. Most impressive.

Hot breath grazed the back of lord Ragnar's neck, a low growl raising the hair on his neck; stiffening, he turned, one hand twitching for his glaive despite his self-control. The Stormcutter from the docks, which had clearly made it here before them and had likely been hanging from the threshold, stood right behind him. Mustard yellow orbs gazed angrily at him, the owl-faced dragon clearly caring little if his intentions were pure or not.

"Oh, don't mind Cloudjumper. He's not fond of hunters, but if it's true that you aren't here to take our dragons, then he won't bother you." Hiccup eased himself into a chair at the head of a large oak table, motioning for the lord of Velesheim to sit opposite. Unhooking his glaive slowly, despite a sharp growl from the dragon, Ragnar stood the weapon up alongside a pillar before taking a seat. Cloudjumper did not move closer, the quad-winged beast hoisting himself back up to hang above the entrance like a sentry.

"Speaking of that, I do have to ask. You obviously look well off, and are in high command of the armada outside. Why did you 'give up' dragon hunting?" Hiccup questioned, his emphasis not lost on Ragnar.

Grasping a cup of ale, the lord stared into the amber liquid. "I found love, strangely enough. I found a wife, and she… did not approve of my line of work: the long journeys, the constant risk of being mauled by a dragon. So I found an occupation in the city itself to be closer to her. Now we have a daughter as well."

"Well, I admire your dedication to your family." Hiccup admitted, raising a cup in acknowledgement. "But here you are, leading a great fleet armed to the teeth with dragon-killing weaponry. It's a little contradictory, don't you think?"

"True," said Ragnar. "But I am now a lord of Velesheim, responsible for the city's guard, security, and any military action that must be taken. That is partly why I am here; believe me, I did not jump for joy at this task."

Hiccup eyed him curiously. "I heard from a friend of mine, also a former dragon hunter, that Velesheim is very rich and powerful. No offense, but I also heard that they rarely send out their own armies, preferring to pay others to do the dirty work."

"No, that is true enough. Our city is large and has gained incredible wealth from all manners of trade. Most impressive are our shipyards, which have serviced dragon hunters and navies of western nations for many years. And yet, admittedly, we have rarely had to raise our own armies against an enemy; because of location, reputation, wealth, take your pick."

"Let me guess." Hiccup posed. "Velesheim did get attacked. And if you came all this way just to talk to me, I'll bet it wasn't a human foe."

Ragnar took a long draft of ale, his eyes never leaving Hiccups. "Indeed. Even dragons have never dared to attack us; islands are not close by, and there are no known nests nearby either. And yet our city was set aflame by flying beasts. I think the manner of the attack might be of interest to you."

"How so?"

The old lord glared. "We were attacked in the night, and no one could see or perceive the dragons that attacked us. All that could be heard were high-pitched screams, followed by bursts of purple and blue flame that melted steel and shattered stone. The damage was significant, the death toll as well. The dragons were almost invisible; all that we could see were shadows that blotted out the stars before incinerating something on the ground." Pulling a plate of food towards him, Ragnar continued while deboning meat, still making eye contact with Hiccup. "I have studied many dragon species, and there is only one that could possibly commit such an act of destruction in complete darkness and vanish. I think you know of what dragon I speak of."

Hiccup's face betrayed no emotion. "You want to know if you were attacked by Night Furies."

"Well, you are the expert." Ragnar admitted. "I am surprised that I have not seen your Night Fury, though I know reasonably that your dragon did not do this deed."

"He's probably busy ruling all these dragons, but you're right in any case," said Hiccup. "He couldn't do what you're describing, but I'll admit, it does sound like you were attacked by Night Furies. But that doesn't make any sense! My dragon is widely considered the last of his kind, and why on earth would a pack of Night Furies just appear out of the blue and attack Velesheim?"

"I do not know. But the other lords of Velesheim have funded this fleet at great expense to catch these creatures. I am only seeking clarification that these creatures are what I believe them to be, and you are the only one who would know. Have you seen any other dragons that could do this?"

Hiccup scratched his chin. "No, I haven't, but again, the chance of your dragon adversaries being Night Furies, while provable by the evidence of the attack, is still extremely unlikely. Forgive me, but it seems to be a heavy investment in a fleet based on hunting a dragon that might be where you're going."

"That is true enough. But in Velesheim, cost is of little consequence. But I never enter a fight without as many advantages as I can." Ragnar stated.

"Fair point. So if you didn't come here for your mysterious 'Night Fury' attackers, where are you going?" questioned the chief.

In between mouthfuls of food, Ragnar answered. "There is a small archipelago far to the southeast, directly east from Velesheim across the vastness of the ocean. We call it Mystholm, the mystic isles. Little is known about this place; some consider it to be haunted, and I can't think of any man who has ever mapped its waters. That is where we are going."

Hiccup leaned back in his chair thoughtfully. "Seems out of the way. Why do you think you'll find your dragons there if you couldn't see them?"

"We could not see them in combat, that much is true." Ragnar admitted. "But despite the darkness the sky was still littered with stars. Many were still able to take note of the large dark shadow blocking out the light, fleeing east. Where else would they go but to Mystholm?"

"I see. But you know dragons are intelligent, and in my personal experience Night Furies are among the smartest. They could've simply changed direction, given you the slip."

"You speak the truth, chief." Ragnar stated. "And I will be the first to admit that our evidence for undertaking this expedition is shaky at best. But blood was spilt, and we must avenge the dead of our city. And as I told you, cost is of no consequence. Who knows, perhaps Mystholm will provide us with untold riches. It's an unexplored land, after all." The lord took another drink.

"That's why I sent a portion of my fleet there already."

This time, Ragnar could clearly see surprise across Hiccup's features. "You have more ships?"

"I do, captained by hardened dragon hunters. Some were former servants of Drago Bludvist, who I'm sure you know. They would not have agreed with my decision to break bread with dragon riders, so I sent them ahead to avoid causing Berk any problems. If they find nothing, then we can all head home when I arrive. But if they do… then I will have gained my proof without sacrificing my own men to unknown danger."

Hiccup nodded, twirling the liquid in his own cup as he eyed Ragnar for any sign of deception. "I see, a wise move if the cost is of no consequence. And I am grateful that those hunters did not come here, it would not have ended well between them and the dragons who don't forgive their cruelty."

"Look, Ragnar, I won't lie to you; I can't support you on a mission to hunt down a nest of dragons, although I'm not going to attempt to stop you either. And I'm going to be completely transparent. If you came here expecting me to have pieces of information about Night Furies that could help you, I'm afraid I can't help you in that area. My Night Fury doesn't have any unique weaknesses that could help you, and honestly, I wouldn't share them even if I knew some."

The lord of Velesheim nodded in acceptance, concealing his disappointment. "Well then, I won't trouble your island any more than necessary. My fleet will be departing in the morning. But, if I may, I don't wish to leave empty-handed, if you'll hear one last request."

"I'm all ears."

Ragnar's face was resolute. "I believe that, despite my people's tolerance—and profit from—dragon hunting, we as two islands can benefit greatly from trade. If we were to exchange terms, I'd imagine that Berk could become rich and plentiful beyond your wildest dreams. And I'll admit that having a trading partner with access to dragons without having to hunt them would be of great benefit to my city."

"It's tempting, especially from what I've heard of the riches of your city." Hiccup admitted. "But my terms are going to be very specific, especially about the dragons. The dialogue is worth having at least; I'll send my requests with you to bring back to the other lords of your city, and we'll see how it turns out." Raising his cup, the chief of Berk smiled warmly. "Here's to new alliances, hopefully."

Ragnar his drink in agreement, the clink of the horned cups sounding throughout the Great Hall.

Some time later…

"See, Halfdan, you still seem to be in one piece!" Ragnar greeted, his feet now firmly planted on the deck of the Endeavor. The sails were in the process of being unfurled, the armoured flagship ready to leave Berk behind.

Halfdan did not appreciate his lord's humor. "While you were feasting and drinking, I've been sitting under a cloud of dragons for several hours, with a couple hundred angry Northmen less than a hundred feet away! Do you find joy in my distress?!"

"You worry too much, old friend." Ragnar patted his first mate on the shoulder, his other hand grasping a thick roll of parchment sealed with a dragon wax sigil. "Look, terms from the dragon chief. We may find this to be the most valuable prize of this expedition."

"Perhaps," said Halfdan. "But we still travelled all this way for almost nothing."

Ragnar tucked the parchment into his belt. "Not entirely; Chief Hiccup did not deny that we could have been attacked by Night Furies, and we were able to keep our stores of food replenished as we navigated the islands. We will arrive at Mystholm fully fed, armed, with terms for future trade and riches, and the rest of the fleet will enter the islands within the week before us. We will have gained much and lost little, minus some dragon hunters."

He detected a flicker of unease in Halfdan's expression, but it did not concern Ragnar. The dragon hunters may be under his command, but he freely admitted that the actual soldiers of Velesheim were the only lives he meant to preserve. Such is life, after all.

"Halfdan, while you waited, did you by chance notice the Night Fury among the dragons?"

"No my lord, no one did. Is it not the leader?"

Ragnar ran a hand through his greying mane, the wind picking up as the Endeavor increased speed. "I thought so too, yet it was not with Hiccup, either. The Stormcutter guarded him in its place. Very interesting that we are attacked by dragons as black as night, and yet the only known Night Fury in existence seems to be occupied."

Halfdan shrugged. "True, but one Night Fury couldn't have done an attack that size."

"You're right." Ragnar took one last glance at the isle of Berk. "But it is interesting."

Back in the Great Hall…

Hiccup leaned back in his chair, feet on the table as he absentmindedly read the terms lord Ragnar had left him. The terms were favorable, and yet his mind was miles southeast.

"So what do you think?!" he called out. "You think he was telling the truth?"

A figure emerged from behind one of the large pillars, completely unnoticeable from standing in the center of the hall. As Astrid came to sit on the table next to him, she grabbed the parchment from his hands and scanned the pages. "He didn't seem to have anything to hide, but now you've got a bigger problem. Unless there's another mystery archipelago to the southeast, that's where you told me Toothless went. And that's where they're going."

Running both hands through his hair, Hiccup took a deep breath. "This can't be a coincidence. A Night Fury shows up out of the blue and takes Toothless to what I assume is this 'Mystholm' place, and this fleet shows up saying they're hunting a nest of dragons that sound exactly like Night Furies, and they're also going to Mystholm."

"Even if it isn't, they could find Toothless on the way and he's going to be in trouble." Astrid stated. "What should we do? You just handed Ragnar terms for peaceful trade."

"True, and I aim to keep that peace. I'm not sending a dragon army after him." Hiccup smiled, taking her hand. "But I can't just stand by while they go off to hunt dragons, even if Ragnar came in peace." Green eyes made contact with light blue. "First, we're going to get married in two days, because that's more important. But after, I think I can think of a way we can help Toothless without drawing Velesheim's ire."

Astrid smiled back. "Oh, really? What grand plan will it be this time?" she asked sarcastically.

"All will be revealed in good time, milady." Hiccup answered, waving a hand theatrically. "I'm going to head to the forge; would you mind finding Fishlegs and the twins and having them meet me there?" She nodded, planting a kiss on his forehead as she ran out.

The chief of Berk rose to leave, approaching Cloudjumper, who stared intently. "I need another favor from you, friend. Tomorrow morning, can you and my mom gather the sea dragons in the dock? I want to see how many we have."

The owl-faced dragon blinked and nodded, before taking flight through the doors.

"Let's just hope this isn't a bad idea." Hiccup said to himself.

Author's Note: Another human chapter before we return to our Night Furies, apologies for taking so long.