"Here we are! Home sweet home!" Tuffnut yells.
My eyes widen at the sight before me as my lips part in awe. The village is astounding, with elaborate huts and a Great Hall in the side of a mountain. There's large arena seating near what looks like a race track. In other places, dragons fly around helping with fishing or collecting wood. I hear clanging and smell smoke coming from a forge, where people are lined up to buy things.
I've seen a lot of villages before, but this one is definitely one of the most astounding that I've ever witnessed.
"It's beautiful," I murmur. Nightstar roars in agreement.
The other dragons around us let out roars as they swoop downwards, heading for a spacious patch of land. Nightstar pulls to a stop and hovers in midair, looking back at me. I purse my lips, my stomach tight and my limbs rigid.
Hiccup pulls up next to me, Toothless beating his wings as they remain near us. He smiles at me, but the kind gesture does little to soothe my nerves.
"Follow me. You should meet my dad first," he says. "Let me know if things get too crazy."
I only nod. He spurs his dragon forwards and Nightstar follows without waiting for a signal from me. Usually, that would annoy me, but right now I'm just glad that she's being friendlier than I am.
We touch down and I slip off of Nightstar's back easily. Automatically, I can see many of the Vikings around us looking up and staring at me in awe. I swallow and raise my head, adjusting my auburn braid and reverting back to my usual look; strong and silent.
Toothless shambles over to Nightstar, standing next to her as a growl of greeting passes his lips. She seems to laugh at whatever he said, making me smile without even thinking. Seeing my dragon looking so at ease.
Something grabs my hand, causing me to jump and recoil my arm. I meet Hiccup's shocked look, his hands held up. We stare at each other for a second before an apologetic smile flickers across his face.
"Uh...sorry," he says, clearing his throat. He holds his hand out to me. "May I? I don't want to lose you in these crowds."
I swallow, keeping my strong outward appearance as I take his hand again. He exhales before he turns and starts leading me away, instantly causing panic to rise in my chest. I look over my shoulder at Nightstar. She gives me a reassuring look, as if silently telling me to remain calm, before we disappear from her view.
Hiccup keeps leading me, heading in the direction of a large man wearing a horned helmet and a fur cape. He stands at the entrance to the Great Hall, his burly arms crossed over his chest. He has a full beard that takes up most of his face, which is creased with age. I can't help but compare him to my father, who was a rather slim man, much like Hiccup and his friends. Most of the men in my village were like that.
The man's eyes flicker with confusion and curiosity as Hiccup leads me up the steps towards him. I release Hiccup's hand immediately, lifting my chin a tiny bit more.
"Dad, this is Thora. Thora, this is Stoick the Vast, chieftain of Berk," Hiccup introduces, gesturing his hands between the two of us as he speaks.
I bow my head respectively, growing impossibly more nervous; especially since Hiccup is the chieftain's son. That's basically royalty.
Stoick looks me over and nods curtly. "Come in and we'll talk," he says, his deep voice rumbling.
He turns and moves towards the large doors. I look back in Nightstar's general direction, still feeling anxious for my best friend. Hiccup's hand grasps my wrist after another second, making goosebumps erupt on my skin.
"Don't worry. She's fine," he assures me as he tugs me after him.
We slip inside the Great Hall, the large doors ajar and letting in the sunlight. I stare up at the high ceilings in awe, not having seen anything like this in years. Pictures of warriors and dragons alike are carved into the magnificent wood walls. We walk to a long table, where Hiccup offers me a seat. I take it as the two men settle themselves.
"So, Thora, what are you doing here?" Stoick asks.
I arch an eyebrow at how he worded the question. Both men wait for my response, making me want to fidget beneath their gazes. I swallow and compose myself.
"I was looking for a home," I say, trying to sound more confident than I feel.
Stoick leans forwards a little, maintaining eye contact. I find it to be incredibly intimidating, gripping my hands in an attempt to stop them from shaking. I'm not a nervous person, usually, but this is very different.
"Where'd you live before this?" he questions.
"A remote village far from Berk," I admit. "It was destroyed when I was seven."
"It doesn't have a name?"
I keep my mouth shut. I know the name, but I know the reputation that my village upheld. I just shake my head, knowing full well that I'm lying.
"Alright," Stoick says, accepting my vague response. "How old are you now?"
"Twenty years old."
Stoick leans back, stroking his beard and contemplating my words. I lower my gaze, hoping and praying that this will be over soon.
"Hiccup?" the chieftain addresses his son. "How'd you find her?"
"We were just out on an innocent early morning ride. Toothless started acting up and urging me to go higher. The next thing we know, there's a flash of black soaring above us with a rider on its back," he explains. "She was riding a Night Fury."
I scowl, disliking how they're talking as though finding me was their choice, or dare I say an accident. They wouldn't have found me if I didn't choose to reveal myself.
"There's more?" Stoick asks, his face seeming to light up with childlike joy.
"Well...no. It was just hers," the younger Viking admits sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "But, we called her over and she said she was looking for Berk...so we brought her back."
"Well then, welcome to Berk!" Stoick stands up, clapping a giant hand on my shoulder. The sudden force makes me nearly fall over, which makes Hiccup laugh. "We can have a newcomer's celebration in a few days!"
My shock is deliberately honest on my face, my chest seizing up a little. Is this really all it took for me to join their village? I expected a test or a thorough investigation of past sources. Even so, I don't even know if I want to stay for a prolonged amount of time.
"Oh," I squeak. "Uh...I don't need a—"
"Nonsense! We need to welcome you properly! But, for now, you'll need some armour, new clothes, and a place to sleep," Stoick lists, his large hand still encasing my shoulder. "Hiccup can help you with those, right son?"
"Yeah, sure thing," Hiccup says with a smile. He pulls me away from his enthusiastic father. "Come on."
I follow him out of the hut, still shaken by this entire experience. Many Vikings are crowded around Nightstar once we near her again. She looks just as freaked out as me by the newfound attention. I whistle one crisp note and she perks to attention, leaping over the crowd and scampering to me like a frightened puppy.
"It's okay, girl," I murmur, scratching her chin. "I hate the attention too."
She churrs happily, raising her neck so that my fingers can reach different spots. I hit a certain section and she flops to the ground, sighing loudly. I smirk triumphantly as Hiccup chuckles beside me.
"Every dragon's weak spot," he comments, his deep green eyes sparkling.
"Every dragon?" I repeat. "I will admit, I thought it was a Night Fury thing."
He shrugs. "Well, the Gronckles don't really have a neck, so not them."
"Good to know."
He glances around, most of the Vikings still craning to get a look at Nightstar and I. I shrink away from their gazes, hesitant, and Hiccup seems to notice my discomfort. He whistles, and Toothless scampers to him after a mere second.
"Hey bud, you mind taking Nightstar back home?" he asks. "These ladies need less attention."
I look at my feet, surprised by his kindness. Toothless gurgles in response and looks to Nightstar, his pale green eyes warm as he jerks his head to the side. My blue-eyed dragon hesitantly slips past me and shambles after the male Night Fury. I peer after them, noticing that Toothless is missing one tail fin, which has been replaced with a canvas replacement.
"I could show you around. Get you that armour and such?" Hiccup suggests.
I swallow again, my gut still knotted with anxiousness. "The armour is fine, but I think I'll pass on the tour. I've...had enough excitement for one day."
He nods. "Right, of course."
He offers me his hand again. I take it, allowing him to lead me through the dispersing Vikings. We head towards a large hut, the one I recognized as smelling like metal and fire. I can see glowing embers within and numerous weapons hanging on racks.
"Gobber? You in here?" Hiccup calls as we go inside.
There's a few crashes and a grumble or two. A pudgy orange dragon lays next to the main forge, snoozing contentedly. I've never seen this type of dragon, seeing as my dragon knowledge is limited to Night Furies and few others.
"Heya Hiccup! How're you?" an accented voice asks.
A man rounds a corner and comes into view. He's certainly a ragtag Viking, seeing as he only has one leg and one hand plus a metal tooth. His blond hair is rather dirty, a smudge of ash on his cheek.
"Who's this little lass?" he asks, his eyes narrowing in confusion.
"This is Thora," Hiccup introduces. "She's new."
I don't wave. "Hello."
"Gobber. Pleasure to meet you." The man grins widely. "You need anything?"
I look to the tall man beside me, my gaze switching between him and Gobber easily. He takes the hint.
"New armour for her and a saddle for a Night Fury," Hiccup answers for me.
Gobber scratches his head with his hooked hand. "Toothless needs a new one? Strange, I'm sure that you already—"
"No. I..." I interrupt. "I...have a Night Fury," I mumble, bracing myself for more excited reactions.
Gobber's eyes widen as he strokes his moustache. "By Odin's beard...that's quite something. I'll have it done in no time!"
He hobbles off. Hiccup chuckles lightly and gestures for me to follow him. I oblige, striding after him as we move towards a separate part of the forge. He reaches a door and pushes it open, revealing a room stuffed with helmets, shields, and other things. Extras, I suppose. Even so, I can't stop my eyes from widening. I've been living off what I've been able to scrounge up from other places for so long that this is like a gold mine.
I realize with distaste that I must look like some vagabond. I make a mental note to ask about cleaning up.
"Cool," I whisper. This whole place is so different from anything I've ever known.
"Pick some stuff. Clothes too, if you need," Hiccup offers.
"Thanks." I smile lightly as I start searching.
I immediately find some metal shoulder pads that fit me nicely. I grab some fur arm sleeves, a metal belt, and a leather headband as well. I slip them on, adding to my simple outfit of a purple tunic, green pants, fur boots, and one green sleeve on my right arm.
Hiccup looks me over, his face growing curious. He steps closer to me, pointing to a spot near my collarbone.
"What's that?" he asks.
I look down, noticing that my most prized possession has slipped out from under my tunic. It's a necklace with a sparkling blue gem the colour of the afternoon sky, paired with a sleek black chain. My cheeks go red and I grip it, my brown eyes flashing with protectiveness.
"Nothing...just a keepsake from...from..." I don't finish the sentence, my chest tightening uncomfortably.
Hiccup holds his hands up apologetically. "Sorry, I shouldn't have pried," he apologizes. "But, on another note, you look more like a Viking now."
I frown a little. I'm about to take that wrong, but then calm myself. Of course I didn't look like a Viking before. I looked like a homeless girl who's been living in the woods for thirteen years.
"Your outfit is way cooler anyways," I compliment, ignoring his own comment.
His outfit is partly leather around his upper body with what appears to be a type of armour, along with arm brackets. His pants are dark brown and has straps around them with a leather boot for his right foot, since his left is missing. One of his shoulder pads has a red symbol on it. To me, it looks like it could be a Viking skull or a Night Fury. Either way is good.
"Maybe, I could make you a belt with this symbol." He points to his shoulder with a smile. "We are kind of like a club now."
I force a smile. "Yeah...a club."
He laughs softly, gesturing out of the space. We leave, him leading me towards the various houses dotting the village. He stops at a relatively large one, much grander than any of the others nearby.
"You'll stay here," Hiccup says, motioning to the big door.
Again, my curiosity gets the best of me. "Whose house is this?"
"Mine, actually," he answers. "We've got an extra room where you can stay."
I swallow, my body tensing. "What? That's nice and all, but I really don't want to be a bother. Maybe I'll just stick with the dragons or something."
He holds his hand up, silencing me. "You aren't intruding. I want to make you feel comfortable."
I nod stiffly, still unsure. Besides, if I'm only going to be staying for a little while, how bad can it be?
He turns and pushes open the door, holding it open and letting me go inside first. Once we're both in, he leads me to the guest room swiftly, also holding that door open for me. It's a decently sized room, definitely large enough for Nightstar to fit. There's a chest and a bed and a fur rug, but no other special furnishings. A window opens to the view of Berk and the ocean, a cool breeze blowing through the space. I sit down on the bed, feeling the blanket. It's the nicest thing I've seen or felt in a while.
"This is good?" he asks.
"Better than that," I admit.
I flop down on to the bed, the feeling of the fur blankets soft against my back. I'm so used to the feeling of rocks and sticks beneath me, so this is a welcome difference. Hiccup watches me for a moment, but then furrows his eyebrows and taps his chin.
He smacks his forehead after a few seconds, his eyes widening. "I completely forgot...I've got some work to do, Thora. Are you all good here or—"
"Oh yeah, I'm fine," I respond immediately. Honestly, I need some alone time.
He sighs with relief. "I'll see you around though, okay?"
"Okay," I respond. As he starts to leave, I call out, "Oh, and Hiccup?"
"Yeah?" he asks, turning around.
We stare at each other for a moment. I look at my feet, brushing a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
"Thanks for helping me out," I say.
He smiles. "No problem, Thora."
He dashes out the door. I stand up, walking to the window and leaning against the ledge. The wind blows across my face gently and I shut my eyes. No matter what's going to change now, I swear I'm going to do my best to fit in.
Yet, even with all the nervousness, I feel as though I could get used to this.