Edward stepped out of the swirling white light.
His boots hit solid ground.
He turned around.
The heavy wooden door clicked shut and vanished into thin air.
He stood completely alone.
He looked around.
He stood in the middle of a very thick, very green forest.
Tall pine trees reached up to the sky.
The air felt cold and damp.
It smelled strongly of salt water, wet dirt, and pine needles.
He did not know where he was.
He did not mind.
Edward opened his hidden space.
He reached inside and pulled out the long, black wooden case.
He unlatched the metal clips and took out his brand new Nimbus 2001 broomstick.
He put the empty case back into his space.
He threw his right leg over the smooth black wood.
He kicked off the ground.
The broom shot straight up into the air.
It moved incredibly fast.
He flew up through the pine branches and broke through the top of the tree line.
The wind rushed past his ears.
He stopped a few hundred feet in the air and hovered.
He looked down at the world.
It looked like a massive, wild island.
He saw high, rocky mountains and deep green valleys.
Edward closed his eyes.
He pushed his Observation Haki outward.
He felt for the sparks of life hiding in the wild.
He felt birds in the trees.
He felt large fish in the water.
He also felt several massive, strange, fiery life forces sleeping in caves on the far side of the island.
He ignored those for now.
He wanted to find humans.
He opened his eyes.
He looked for a river.
A river meant fresh water, and fresh water always meant people.
He spotted a winding silver river a few miles away.
He leaned forward on the broom.
He flew smoothly through the cold air, following the water as it flowed down from the mountains toward the ocean.
After ten minutes of flying, the river dumped into a large, rocky bay.
Edward stopped his broom.
He hid behind a thick grey cloud and looked down.
A village sat on the rocky cliffs above the bay.
It had large, heavy wooden houses with steep roofs.
Giant statues carved from stone stood near the water, holding massive stone bowls.
Sheep grazed on the patches of green grass.
A large wooden wall protected the back of the village.
Edward flew down slowly.
He landed in the thick woods just outside the wooden wall.
He stepped off his broom and put it away.
He walked quietly through the trees.
He stopped near the edge of the woods and looked at the village.
He needed to see how the people dressed and how they talked.
He watched a group of men carrying a heavy fishing net.
They wore rough, dark clothes.
They wore thick furs around their shoulders and heavy leather boots.
They wore metal helmets with horns on them.
Edward listened closely.
He heard them shouting to each other.
They spoke English, but they had thick, rough accents.
Edward stepped back behind a large tree.
He looked at his own modern clothes.
A button-up shirt, a warm winter coat, and nice trousers would stand out entirely too much.
He pulled his ash wood wand from his pocket.
He pointed it at his clothes.
He thought clearly about what he wanted.
He used a Transfiguration spell.
His nice winter coat rippled.
It turned into a rough, dark brown tunic made of thick wool.
His trousers turned into heavy leather pants.
His modern shoes turned into tall, scuffed fur boots.
Finally, he pointed his wand at a fallen tree branch.
He turned the wood into a worn leather satchel with a long strap.
He put some food from the system storage into the satchel.
He threw the satchel over his shoulder.
He looked ordinary for this place.
He put his wand away.
Edward walked out of the woods.
He walked up the dirt path toward the main gate of the village.
Two large, heavily bearded men stood at the gate.
They held thick wooden spears with iron tips.
They saw Edward walking up the path.
They crossed their spears, blocking his way.
“Halt,” the guard on the left said gruffly.
He looked Edward up and down.
“Who are you, boy?
Where did you come from?” Edward stopped.
He stood relaxed.
He put a small, tired look on his face.
“My name is Edward,” he said politely.
“My boat sank a few days ago in a storm.
I washed up on the shore down the coast.
I have been walking ever since.
I have nowhere else to go.” The guards frowned.
They looked at his rough clothes and his empty hands.
He did not carry a weapon.
“You are just a boy,” the first guard said, narrowing his eyes.
“You look no older than thirteen summers.
What is a child doing sailing a boat all alone in these waters?” Edward looked down at the dirt.
He let his shoulders drop.
He put a very sad, heavy look on his face.
“I was not alone,” Edward said quietly.
“My mother and father were with me.
But the waves were too high.
They…
they got swept into the sea.
I could not save them.” The guards’ rough faces softened instantly.
Vikings understood the cruelty of the sea better than anyone.
They lowered their heavy wooden spears.
“A shipwreck,” the second guard muttered.
He looked at Edward with pity.
“You are lucky to be alive, boy.
The sea is cruel.
And the woods are full of beasts.” “I am very lucky,” Edward agreed softly, keeping his sad act perfectly in place.
The first guard let out a heavy sigh.
“Well, you cannot stay out here.
Go on inside.
You can rest in the Great Hall for the night.
The chief will decide what to do with you tomorrow.” “Thank you,” Edward said.
“What is this place called?” The guard puffed his chest out proudly.
“This is Berk.” Edward blinked.
He kept his face blank, but inside his mind, he smiled.
Berk.
Vikings.
Dragons.
He knew exactly where the World Walker’s door brought him.
He was in the world of How to Train Your Dragon.
It was a fantastic place to spend a summer.
Edward walked past the guards and entered the village.
The village buzzed with noise.
People carried wood, hammered metal, and hauled fish.
Edward walked up the main dirt road.
He saw a group of teenagers hanging around a wooden cart.
There was a boy with a wide face and a smug look.
Next to him stood a boy and a girl who looked exactly alike, holding sticks.
A heavier boy with blonde hair stood near them.
Edward recognized them from his memories.
Snotlout, Tuffnut, Ruffnut, and Fishlegs.
Snotlout crossed his arms as Edward walked past.
“Look at this guy,” Snotlout sneered loudly.
“Looks like a drowned rat.” The twins laughed.
Edward ignored them.
He did not even turn his head.
He just kept walking.
He found the Great Hall.
It was a massive wooden building carved right into the mountain.
Huge wooden doors sat open.
Edward walked inside.
A fire burned in a massive pit in the center of the room.
An older woman saw him.
The guards who accompanied Ed had told her he was a shipwrecked boy.
She gave him a bowl of warm fish stew and pointed him to a small cot in the corner of the hall.
Edward ate the stew.
It was plain, but it filled his stomach.
He lay down on the cot, pulled a rough blanket over himself, and went to sleep.
The journey through the door had made him tired.
The next morning, Edward woke up before the sun.
The Great Hall was quiet.
The fire in the pit was just glowing red coals.
Edward got out of his cot.
He walked out of the hall and stepped into the cool morning air.
A thick fog hung over the village.
He needed to do his daily training.
He started running.
He jogged down the stone steps.
He hit the main dirt road.
He did not run slowly.
He moved at a steady, fast pace.
He ran all the way down to the docks, then turned around and ran all the way up to the wooden wall.
He ran one lap.
Then ten laps.
Then fifty laps.
The sun came up.
The village of Berk slowly woke up.
Vikings stepped out of their houses, stretching their arms and yawning.
They saw a dark-haired boy running through the streets.
They watched him go past.
Then they saw him go past again.
And again.
The two guards at the gate leaned on their spears.
They stared at Edward as he ran his eightieth lap without breaking a single sweat.
“Is he breathing?” the first guard asked, looking bewildered.
“I don’t think so,” the second guard whispered.
Edward finished his one hundredth lap.
He stopped in the middle of the village square.
He dropped to the dirt.
He started doing pushups.
He moved fast.
One, two, three, four.
He did them in a blur of motion.
A small crowd of Vikings started to gather.
They loved strength, but they had never seen a boy move like that.
Edward finished one thousand pushups.
He stood up.
He walked over to a heavy wooden beam holding up a house.
He jumped, grabbed the wood, and started doing pull-ups.
He pulled his chin over the wood over and over again.
He did one thousand pullups.
He dropped to the ground and did one thousand squats.
When he finished, he finally took a deep breath.
A single drop of sweat rolled down his forehead.
He wiped it away.
He looked around.
A dozen large Vikings stood in a circle around him, staring at him with their mouths wide open.
“Good morning,” Edward said politely.
A large man with a thick blonde mustache just pointed at him, completely unable to find any words.
Edward nodded and walked away to find breakfast.
He went back to the Great Hall and got a plate of smoked fish and hard bread.
He sat on a bench and ate.
After breakfast, Edward decided to explore the village.
He walked down the dirt paths.
He looked at the blacksmith shop.
He heard the loud clanging of a hammer hitting an anvil.
He walked near the docks.
He watched the boats bob in the water.
“Hey!
You!” Edward stopped.
He turned around.
Snotlout marched down the path toward him.
Ruffnut and Tuffnut walked right behind him.
Snotlout puffed his chest out.
He wanted to show off.
He saw a stranger, and he wanted to prove he was the toughest teenager in the village.
“You ignored me yesterday,” Snotlout said loudly.
He stopped right in front of Edward, trying to look intimidating.
Edward kept his hands resting loosely at his sides.
He looked at Snotlout.
“I apologize,” Edward said calmly.
“I did not realize you were speaking to me.” “I am Snotlout,” he bragged, pointing a thumb at his own chest.
“And you are in my way.” “The path is quite wide,” Edward pointed out.
He gestured to the empty space on the left and the right.
“You can easily walk around me.” Tuffnut laughed.
“He got you there, Snotlout.” Snotlout glared at the twin.
Then he looked back at Edward.
His face turned red.
“Are you trying to make me look stupid?” “I think you are managing that entirely on your own,” Edward said.
Snotlout yelled in anger.
He pulled his right fist back.
He threw a heavy, sloppy punch straight at Edward’s face.
Edward simply shifted his weight to his back foot and tilted his head a few inches to the left.
Snotlout’s fist sailed through the empty air.
The force of the missed punch spun Snotlout around.
He lost his balance.
He stumbled forward and smacked face-first into a large stack of empty wooden barrels.
The barrels clattered loudly.
“Oh dear,” Edward said softly, putting a hand over his mouth in fake concern.
“You should watch your step.
The ground is uneven.” Snotlout scrambled back to his feet.
He looked furious.
He rubbed his nose.
“That was a trick!
Get him!” Ruffnut and Tuffnut grinned.
They loved a fight.
They charged at Edward from both sides.
Ruffnut swung a heavy wooden bucket.
Tuffnut swung his fists.
Edward waited until the very last second.
He ducked smoothly, bending his knees.
Ruffnut’s bucket swung over Edward’s head.
It smashed directly into Tuffnut’s face.
Tuffnut yelled and fell backward into the dirt, clutching his nose.
Ruffnut gasped.
“Tuffnut!
Sorry!” Snotlout charged again.
He ran right at Edward like a bull.
Edward took a single step to the side.
He stuck his foot out just a tiny bit.
Snotlout tripped over Edward’s boot.
He flew forward.
He crashed directly into Ruffnut, knocking her into the dirt right next to her brother.
Edward stood up straight.
He looked down at the three teenagers groaning in the mud.
“Please, do not fight each other on my account,” Edward said.
“I am just a visitor.” A loud, booming laugh echoed across the path.
Edward looked up.
An older Viking stood outside the blacksmith shop.
He had a peg leg, a hook for a hand, and a massive blonde mustache.
It was Gobber.
Gobber leaned against a wooden post, howling with laughter.
He slapped his good hand against his knee.
A few other adult Vikings walking by had stopped to watch.
They were also laughing loudly.
“Did you see that?” Gobber wheezed, pointing his hook at Snotlout.
“The boy didn’t even touch you, and you knocked yourselves out!
That is the funniest thing I have seen all month!” Snotlout sat up in the mud.
His face turned purple with embarrassment.
He scrambled to his feet.
Ruffnut and Tuffnut pushed each other as they stood up.
Snotlout glared at Edward.
He wanted to say something mean, but he heard the adults laughing at him.
He turned around and stomped away angrily, the twins hurrying after him.
Edward patted his rough tunic, making sure no dirt got on him.
Gobber walked over.
He looked at Edward with a wide, friendly smile.
“That was some fancy footwork, lad,” Gobber said.
“You made him look like a fool.
What is your name?” “Edward,” he replied.
“Well, Edward,” Gobber chuckled, putting his good hand on his hip.
“I am Gobber.
You gave me a good laugh this morning.
Let’s go see the chief.
He will want to meet the boy who can run a hundred laps and dodge a punch like a ghost.” Edward smiled.
He followed Gobber up the path.
The morning in Berk had been highly entertaining.
He knew he was going to like it here.