The Dragon Master

Chapter 13 - Peace Plan

Astrid sat down with Stoick and the Berk council members for a meeting. This was a closed meeting held in one of the rooms in the Great Hall. The Berk council meeting had been going on for quite a while. Various matters were discussed in this meeting. Starting from livestock problems, food supplies, the storm that will soon occur and culminating in problems regarding dragons. For them, all of this is very important for their survival on the island of Berk, but none of them know that a nation out there can overcome these things so easily.

Mildew continues to grumble about the poor facilities for looking after his sheep, much to Stoick's annoyance. He wanted to send him away but Mildew was an elder of Berk.

"Are you crazy Stoick!?" Spitelout shouted loudly, his voice echoing throughout the room. The rest of the council was also shocked by Stoick's statement. "Make peace with the dragons?! Remember Stoick, how many of us have lost their lives to those wild animals, how many have lost their families, their homes, their limbs?! And you want us to make peace with those beasts?!"

"Yes, I know there were a lot of Vikings who lost their lives in this war that lasted 300 years," said Stoick calmly, unaffected by the anger of Spitelout and the others. "I also know what it's like to lose your family to a dragon. My own wife, Valka, was kidnapped by the dragon and never returned."

"If that's the case, what makes you think of making peace with the dragons?" asked a small, muscular council member with a beard longer than his own body.

"I not only plan to make peace with the dragons, but also plan to make an alliance with Dragon Utopia as a nation that represents the freedom of the dragons," said Stoick. Many council members wore looks of astonishment and disbelief and others were shocked to death. Spitelout had a terrible look after hearing Stoick's words. Astrid herself was not surprised by those words, considering that she already knew about her chief's plan.

"It's true what Spitelout said, you're crazy Stoick!!" shouted Mildew hoarsely, his ugly voice echoing around the hall. Some torches even went out. "Before it, making peace with dragons, now allying with those barbarians!? Ridiculous, stupid, idiot!"

Mildew's swearing continued, decorating the atmosphere of the meeting which became increasingly hot and tense. Many council members were talking to each other, making the echo bigger and the atmosphere very noisy.

"You have no basis that Dragon Utopia is a barbaric nation, Mildew," said Astrid calmly, trying to cover her annoyance with old Mildew. The council members including Stoick now focused their attention on Astrid. But the girl didn't pay much attention because her focus was on Mildew. "Before meeting them in person you can't judge carelessly like that!"

"Is our heir now on the side of those dragon lovers?" said Mildew, sarcastically.

"I never said that I sided with the Dragon Utopia nation," said Astrid, maintaining her composure, to cover up her annoyance at old Mildew. "What I'm saying is don't judge something before seeing it in person. It's clear that you are accusing the nation without evidence."

"So you're defending them huh?" Mildew said again, making Astrid clearly very annoyed. Apparently Mildew was trying to provoke Astrid's anger. Mildew is famous among the Berkians, as a grumbler and anger-provoker. Apparently these two things had been ingrained in his body for a long time. "I'll make you a Nadder toy to sleep with."

Nadder's coincidental remark made Astrid a little surprised. Stormfly is a Nadder, and coincidentally, Mildew mentions Nadder. Is it just a coincidence? Astrid saw Mildew smiling annoyingly. His dirty teeth adorned his disgusting smile.

"Listen damn old man, what you said just now was wrong!" Astrid exclaimed angrily. Her hands were shaking and her face was red after she was teased by old Mildew. Her sharp ax was ready to slit Mildew's throat. Astrid's outburst took the Berk council members by surprise. "You can only say that that nation is a barbaric nation after you visited there and lost almost all your limbs!"