Barren summits to the verdant plains
〰〰〰𖠳 〰〰〰
"See? Old village, lots and lots of new houses."
"𝔽𝕀ℝ𝔼!" echoed through the air as a Viking man urgently yelled, rallying a group of individuals around Frida's age to respond. The group came running for aid, surging past Frida in their determined sprint.
"Let's go!" a voice, belonging to one of the group members, urged as they raced to retrieve buckets of water to combat the spreading fire on the hut. Among them, a boy in a fur-like outfit resembling a bear, clutching a bucket, sprinted with a sense of urgency. Another boy, with a frown on his face and an air of massive ego, competed for a bucket, contrasting with a flirtatious dynamic. Amidst the chaos, a boy and a girl fought over another bucket, known for their mischievous pranks that often kept the village on its toes. The diversity within the group reflected the varied personalities and skills that each individual brought to the community during times of crisis.
"That's Fishlegs, Snotlout, the twins: Ruffnut and Tuffnut..."
A boy with long, golden locks, a portion of his bangs stylishly covering one eye, emerged with a determined stride. In his hands, he carried a bucket filled with water. With a swift and practiced motion, he splashed the water onto the flames, a cascade of droplets extinguishing the fiery menace.
"... and..."
As he turned around, the fiery explosion behind him cast a mesmerizing glow that accentuated the contours of his features. The play of light and shadow added an unexpected allure, making him appear more attractive in Frida's eyes. The radiant backdrop of the flames enhanced the golden hues of his locks, creating a captivating image that momentarily held her attention. Amidst the chaos and danger, the unexpected beauty of the moment left a lingering impression, and Frida found herself drawn to the striking figure who had just quelled the flames with such grace and skill.
"...Astor."
Frida's gaze fixated on Astor with a mesmerizing intensity, and within her eyes, one could glimpse a tapestry of emotions-adoration, respect, and perhaps something more nuanced.
"Their job is so much cooler."
As the group of Vikings ran past once again, Frida found her eyes instinctively following them. Leaning forward to get a better view, she was abruptly grabbed and lifted away from the window by Gobber. "Aw, come on. Let me out, please. I need to make my mark," she pleaded, her eagerness evident. Gobber set her down, a knowing smile playing on his face.
"Oh, you've made plenty of marks, all in the wrong places," he remarked, gently pushing her back.
"Please, just two minutes. I'll kill a dragon. My life will get infinitely better. I might even get a date," Frida implored, her determination to prove herself evident in her words.
"You can't lift a hammer. You can't swing an axe. You can't even throw one of these," Gobber remarked, emphasizing Frida's perceived shortcomings as he held up a bola. Without missing a beat, a nearby Viking grabbed the bola and skilfully threw it, successfully taking down a Gronckle.
"OK, fine, but this will throw it for me," Frida asserted confidently, striding towards an invention. However, as she touched it, the contraption unexpectedly triggered, launching a bola at a Viking's head and sending him sprawling. "See? Now, this right here is what I'm talking about," Gobber said, gesturing towards the invention with approval as he approached Frida. She attempted to explain, "Mild calibration issue..." But Gobber interrupted sternly, "Frida! If you ever want to get out there to fight dragons, you need to stop all this." Gobber pointed toward Frida, "But you just pointed to all of me."
"Yes, that's it! Stop being all of you," Gobber instructed with a hint of frustration. Frida, unimpressed, scoffed at the suggestion. "You, sir, are playing a dangerous game. Keeping this raw Vikingness contained? There will be consequences!" she warned with a mischievous glint in her eyes. Gobber, seemingly unfazed, looked bored before handing her a blunt and dull sword. "I'll take my chances. Sword. Sharpen. Now," he ordered. Frida groaned in response but dutifully took the blade to the grindstone, preparing to do the necessary work despite her protest.
"One day, I'll get out there. Because killing a dragon... is everything around here."
"A Nadder head is sure to get me at least noticed. Gronckles are tough, taking down one of those would definitely get me a boyfriend. A Zippleback? Exotic. Two heads, twice the status."
"They found the sheep!" The Viking announced.
"Concentrate fire over the lower bank," Stoick commanded, his voice cutting through the tense air as they readied the catapult, aiming it at its destination. "Fire!" With Stoick's command, they released the massive boulder, sending it hurtling towards its intended target.
"And then there's the Monstrous Nightmare. Only the best Vikings go after those. They have this nasty habit of setting themselves on fire."
"Reload! I'll take care of this," Stoick declared, swiftly hitting the flaming dragon with his hammer. However, as the dragon departed, a haunting sound pierced the dark sky-an ominous, high-pitched whistling that seized everyone's attention.
"But the ultimate prize is the dragon on one's ever seen."
"We call it the..."
"Night Fury!"
"Get down!"
The dragon soared through the darkened sky, unleashing a barrage of fiery breath aimed at the catapult, forcing the other Vikings stationed there to hastily abandon their posts, leaping off for safety from the scorching flames.
"This thing never steals food, never shows itself and..."
The dragon soared once more, unleashing a powerful blast that struck the catapult tower, shattering it into pieces and leaving destruction in its wake.
"...never misses."
"No one has ever killed a Night Fury. That's why I'm going to be the first."
As she was on the verge of leaving, Gobber intercepted her with a decisive command, "Man the fort, Frida. They need me out there." Just before departing, he turned to her and reiterated, "Stay. Put. There." Frida responded with a knowing smile, arching her brow, "You know what I mean." With those words, Gobber charged out, his battle cry echoing in the air.
"Where are you going?"
Yeah, I know."
"Frida!"
"Be right back!" Frida exclaimed as she sprinted, clutching the invention, swiftly passing by the Vikings. Running to a strategic vantage point, she scanned the dark sky, waiting patiently. "Come on. Give me something to shoot at. Give me something to shoot at." Her eyes darted across the expanse, searching for a target.
Suddenly, the familiar high-pitched sound resonated in the sky. As it shot through the air, Frida reacted swiftly, pulling the trigger. The invention came to life, releasing a bola that soared through the sky, finding its mark, and bringing down its target in the distance.
"I hit it. Yes, I hit it!" Frida exclaimed with excitement. "Did anybody see that?" Just as she voiced her triumph, a noise emanated from behind her. Turning around, she was greeted by a Monstrous Nightmare that fixed its gaze upon her. With a wry smile, she added, "Except for you."
From a distance, Stoick heard a scream, and his attention was drawn to the sight of a Monstrous Nightmare chasing Frida. He sighed and commanded, "Don't let them escape!" to the men before swiftly running off to rescue Frida.
As Frida sprinted, the dragon unleashed torrents of fire in pursuit. Skilfully dodging the flames, she sought refuge behind a wooden pillar that promptly caught fire from the dragon's breath. Peering behind her cover, she didn't notice the dragon attempting to flank her from the other side. Just as the dragon was about to reach her, Stoick leaped into action, jumping onto the creature. The dragon, now fixated on Stoick, prepared to unleash a fiery attack. However, to its surprise, it merely spat out a harmless liquid. The dragon looked at Stoick with a sheepish expression, creating a momentary pause in the intensity of the situation.
"You're all out," Stoick declared to the dragon as he unleashed a flurry of punches, forcing the creature to retreat and fly away. With the dragon gone, Stoick turned around to face the burning pillar, surveying the aftermath of the fiery encounter.
"Oh, and there's one more thing you need to know."
The burning pillar crumbled, revealing Frida standing with a sheepish smile. As the pillar fell, the flaming torch broke off, rolling down from its perch. "Sorry, dad." As she spoke, the torch rolled onto the net that held the dragons, inadvertently freeing them. The dragons took flight, soaring away with the ship, escaping into the night. There was a moment of stunned silence before Frida finally spoke up, "Ok, but I hit a Night Fury." Her words hung in the air before her father swiftly grabbed her and dragged her away. "It's not like the last few times, dad! I really did hit it. You guys were busy. I had a very clear shot," she protested earnestly.
"It went down off Raven Point. Let's get a search party up there before-" Frida was abruptly cut off as her father released her and fixed her with a stern look. "Stop!" he shouted at her, annoyance evident in his voice, leaving her stunned as the villagers watched. "Just stop. Every time you step outside, disaster follows. Can you not see that I have bigger problems? Winter is almost here, and I have an entire village to feed!"
"Between you and me, the village could do with a little less feeding. Don't you think?" Frida said jokingly. However, Stoick responded sternly, "This isn't a joke, Frida! Why can't you follow the simplest orders?"
Frida looked at him before answering, "I can't stop myself. I see a dragon, and I just have to kill it." She mimicked a neck-breaking motion, adding, "You know, it's who I am, dad."
Stoick sighed, rubbing his head. "You're many things, Frida. But a dragon killer is not one of them. Get back to the house." Frida sighed and looked down, muttering, "Make sure she gets there," to Gobber, who gently slapped her head. "I have her mess to clean up," Stoick said, and Frida looked at him with angry tears in her eyes. "Yeah, as if I'm the major issue here! You never bother to hear what your own daughter has to say. Sometimes, it feels like you'd prefer to have a different daughter, a better one," Frida exclaimed, her voice filled with frustration and hurt. Glaring at her shocked father before walking away.
She hung her head low as she walked past the group who were laughing at her. "Quite the performance," Tuffnut remarked as Snoutlout added, "I've never seen anyone mess up that badly. That helped."
Frida glared at him for a moment before looking back down. "Thank you, thank you. I was trying," she responded sarcastically as she walked away. Gobber pushed Snoutlout down, and Astor, witnessing the scene, looked at Frida with sympathy in his eyes. As Snoutlout got back up, Astor smacked him hard on the back of his head, sending a stern warning.
"I really did hit one," Frida said in a soft tone as she and Gobber arrived at the hut. "Sure, Frida," Gobber responded. "He never listens," Frida said before Gobber added, "It runs in the family."
As they walked up the stairs, Frida continued, "When he does, it's with this disappointed scowl, like someone skimped on meat in his sandwich." Frida turned to Gobber and imitated her father's voice, "Excuse me, barmaid. You brought me the wrong offspring. I ordered an extra-large girl with the might of a Valkyrie, extra guts and glory on the side. This here, this is a talking fishbone." She sighed and looked down. Gobber responded, "You're thinking about this wrong. It's not so much what you look like; it's what's inside that he can't stand."
Frida looked at him with an unamused face before saying, "Thank you for summing that up. I feel so much better," in a sarcastic tone. "Look, the point is, stop trying so hard to be something you're not," Gobber advised, looking at her. Frida replied, "I just want to be one of you guys." With that, she went into the hut, shutting the door. Gobber sighed, but then she ran out from the back door and sprinted into the forest.
〰〰〰𖠳 〰〰〰
By: SilverMist707
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