The fire in the forge burned bright orange.
The air smelled strongly of coal smoke and hot iron.
Edward stood at the anvil.
He held his heavy hammer in his right hand.
He pulled a long, glowing piece of steel from the hot coals with a pair of iron tongs.
He placed the steel on the anvil.
He raised his hammer.
He brought it down.
Clang.
He hit the metal with a steady, even rhythm.
He did not hit it too hard.
He hit it exactly where he wanted to shape the edge.
He folded the steel, heated it, and hit it again.
He worked in complete silence for two hours.
Finally, Edward plunged the hot steel into a wooden barrel of cold water.
The water hissed loudly.
A cloud of white steam rose into the air.
Edward pulled the metal out.
It was a sword.
The blade was perfectly straight.
The edges were clean.
He wiped the soot off the metal with a rough cloth.
Gobber walked over.
His peg leg tapped on the stone floor.
He took the sword from Edward.
He weighed it in his good hand.
He sighted down the flat side of the blade.
“By the gods,” Gobber breathed.
He looked at Edward in absolute shock.
“I have been hitting metal for thirty years.
I could not make a blade this straight if my life depended on it.
The balance is flawless.
You have a real gift, lad.” “Thank you, Gobber,” Edward said.
He put his hammer down and wiped his hands.
At the work table in the corner, Hiccup grunted in frustration.
Hiccup sat on a wooden stool.
He tried to bend a thick iron rod to match a drawing on his parchment.
He pushed with all his weight, but his thin arms lacked the strength.
The iron rod did not move at all.
Edward walked over.
He looked at the drawing.
It showed a saddle, a series of leather straps, and a mechanism for a tail fin.
“Do you need a hand with that?” Edward asked.
Hiccup wiped sweat from his forehead.
“Yes, please.
The iron is too thick for me to bend cold.
And if I heat it, the leather will burn when I attach them.” “Hold the leather back,” Edward said.
Hiccup pulled the leather straps out of the way.
Edward grabbed the thick iron rod with both of his bare hands.
He just gripped the metal tightly and pushed his thumbs down.
The thick iron bent smoothly.
It folded exactly on the charcoal line Hiccup drew.
Hiccup stared at the bent iron.
His jaw dropped.
“How do you do that without tools?” “Good grip,” Edward said simply.
He grabbed a handful of small metal rivets.
“Show me where you want these pinned.” They spent the rest of the afternoon working together.
Edward bent the metal frames perfectly.
He showed Hiccup how to hammer the rivets so the leather would not tear.
Hiccup worked the sewing needle, tying the tough leather straps together.
By the time the sun started to go down, the riding gear and the red tail fin were completely finished.
The next few days passed in a busy routine.
Hiccup spent all his free time sneaking out of the village.
He took a large basket of fish to the hidden cove.
He fed the black dragon.
He gained the beast’s trust.
He slowly attached the leather straps and the red tail fin.
He learned that the dragon liked the name Toothless.
Hiccup also used the time in the cove to learn about dragons.
He watched how Toothless moved.
He watched how the dragon reacted to things.
Hiccup brought this new knowledge back to the village.
One afternoon, the teenagers stood in the training arena.
The high stone walls kept the wind out.
Gobber opened the heavy iron doors.
A green Gronckle flew into the ring.
It hovered in the air, chewing on rocks to make fireballs.
“Alright, who wants to go first?” Gobber shouted.
Snotlout backed away.
Astrid raised her axe.
Hiccup dropped his shield.
He dropped his sword into the dirt.
He walked right toward the hovering Gronckle.
He held his empty hands out in front of him.
“Hiccup, what are you doing?” Gobber yelled, looking panicked.
“Get your weapon!” The Gronckle growled.
It landed on the dirt and lowered its heavy, bumpy head.
Hiccup did not stop.
He walked right up to the dragon.
He reached out and scratched the Gronckle directly under its chin, right in a soft spot between the scales.
The Gronckle’s eyes went wide.
Its mouth fell open.
It let out a soft, happy groan.
The heavy dragon simply rolled over onto its side in the dirt and went completely to sleep, acting like a giant, lazy dog.
The arena went dead silent.
Snotlout rubbed his eyes.
Astrid lowered her axe, staring at Hiccup in total disbelief.
Up on the stone wall, the village elders who came to watch the training leaned forward, muttering to each other in amazement.
“Well,” Hiccup said, dusting his hands off.
“That was easy.” Edward stood near the wall.
He hid a small smile behind his hand.
The next day, Edward decided to join Hiccup for his afternoon trip.
Hiccup walked ahead through the woods.
He carried a heavy riding saddle.
Edward walked behind him, keeping his hands in his pockets.
They reached the edge of the ravine.
They slipped through a crack in the tall rocks and stepped into the hidden cove.
A large pond sat in the middle of the rocky clearing.
Toothless lay on a flat, warm rock near the water.
The black dragon rested his head on his paws.
Hiccup walked into the clearing.
“Hey, Toothless.
I brought the rest of the gear.” Toothless lifted his head.
He gave a happy, warbling sound.
Then, Edward stepped out from the narrow crack in the rocks.
Toothless stopped making happy sounds.
His ears pinned flat against his head.
His vivid green eyes locked onto Edward.
The dragon jumped to his feet.
He opened his jaws, baring his sharp teeth, and let out a deep, threatening growl that shook the ground.
“No, wait!” Hiccup yelled in panic.
He threw his arms out, stepping between Edward and the angry dragon.
“He is a friend, Toothless!
He won’t hurt you!
He helped me build your tail!” Toothless did not care.
He hissed loudly at Edward.
The dragon smelled danger.
He smelled a predator.
Edward did not flinch.
He stopped walking.
He closed his eyes for a single second.
He pushed a very thin, very light layer of Ten out from his body.
He did not project fear or anger.
He projected total calm.
He made his aura feel like a quiet, still pond.
He opened his eyes.
He reached his right hand into his deep coat pocket.
He opened his system storage space.
He pulled out a massive, high-quality cut of roast beef from his bag.
The meat was fresh.
It weighed at least ten pounds.
Edward tossed the massive piece of beef through the air.
Toothless stopped growling.
The dragon watched the meat fly.
He snapped his jaws shut around the beef in mid-air.
He swallowed it in two huge gulps.
Toothless licked his lips.
He looked at Edward.
The threat was completely gone.
The dragon let out a soft croon, sat back down on his rock, and decided Edward was his new best friend.
Hiccup let out a massive sigh of relief.
He lowered his arms.
“I thought he was going to blast you.” “Food solves most problems,” Edward said, walking forward.
They spent the entire afternoon in the cove.
Hiccup strapped the saddle onto Toothless’s back.
He connected the leather ropes to the red tail fin.
He hopped onto the saddle and started learning how to steer the dragon in the air above the pond.
He fell off a few times, splashing into the cold water, but he got better with every try.
Then as Hiccup played with Toothless, he wrote all of these secrets down in a small notebook.
Hiccup used the secrets in the village.
His performance in the training arena became legendary.
A few days later, Gobber let the Hideous Zippleback out of its cage.
The two-headed dragon filled the ring with thick, green gas.
It snapped its teeth to create sparks.
The other teenagers ran for their lives, coughing in the smoke.
Hiccup simply walked into the gas cloud.
He reached into his vest.
He pulled out a long, slimy river eel.
He held it up in the air.
The Zippleback saw the eel.
Both heads shrieked in terror.
The giant dragon backed away so fast it tripped over its own tail.
It scrambled backward and locked itself back inside its own iron cage to get away from the fish.
Hiccup stood in the empty ring, holding the eel.
The green gas blew away.
The crowd went wild.
The villagers cheered from the walls.
They shouted Hiccup’s name.
A group of large, burly Vikings jumped down into the ring.
They lifted Hiccup onto their heavy shoulders and carried him out of the arena like a king.
Snotlout sat in the dirt in the corner.
He crossed his arms, looking jealous.
Edward did not follow the cheering crowd.
He stayed behind in the empty dirt ring.
He walked around quietly.
He picked up a sharp blue spike a Nadder dropped.
He picked up a thick, bumpy scale from a Gronckle.
He dropped the dragon loot right into his system storage space.
The materials would be very useful for crafting magical items later.
That night, the Great Hall was warm and busy.
The Vikings gave Hiccup the best cuts of roasted meat.
Hours later, the hall emptied out.
The fires burned low.
Hiccup sat alone at a long wooden table.
A single candle burned in front of him.
He had the heavy, ancient Book of Dragons open on the wood.
He read the entry for the Night Fury.
The page called it the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself.
Hiccup pulled a piece of black charcoal from his pocket.
He crossed those words out entirely.
He wrote a new note in the margin, stating the dragon was just a giant, overgrown cat.
Edward sat directly across the table from him.
Edward had a thick, dusty book about magical runes open.
They sat in comfortable silence, both doing their own quiet reading.
Hiccup finished writing.
He closed the heavy book.
He yawned.
“I am going to bed.
See you tomorrow, Ed.” “Good night,” Edward said, turning a page.
Hiccup walked out of the hall.
Edward read for another five minutes.
SLAM.
Two heavy hands hit the wood directly across from him.
Edward looked up from his book.
Astrid stood there.
Her blonde hair hung in her face.
Her blue eyes burned with anger and frustration.
She gripped her wooden axe tightly in one hand.
“How is he doing it?” Astrid demanded.
Her voice shook with anger.
“Doing what?” Edward asked.
He closed his book.
“Hiccup!” Astrid said loudly.
“He went from being the worst Viking in history to dropping dragons without even swinging a weapon!
It makes no sense.
The village thinks he is a genius.
But I know better.
He spends all his time with you.
Are you helping him cheat?” Edward kept his face completely blank.
“Astrid,” Edward said in a very calm, polite voice.
“Are you asking me if I am secretly controlling the dragons in the arena just to make Hiccup look good?” Astrid crossed her arms.
“Yes.” “That sounds like a lot of work,” Edward noted.
“I prefer to spend my afternoons hammering iron.” “Then how is he doing it?” she pressed, leaning over the table.
“He pays attention,” Edward said simply.
“He looks at the dragons instead of just swinging an axe at them.
You should try it.” Astrid’s face turned red.
She hated vague answers.
She hated feeling like she was falling behind.
She glared at Edward for a long second, then turned around and stomped out of the Great Hall, looking more frustrated than before.
Edward watched her leave.
The story was moving right along.
The next afternoon, Hiccup grabbed his basket of fish and walked into the woods.
He did not know Astrid followed right behind him, hiding behind the tall trees.
Hiccup reached a quiet patch of trees near the cove.
Suddenly, Astrid jumped out from the bushes.
She tackled Hiccup to the dirt.
She grabbed his arm, twisted it hard behind his back, and pressed her boot heavily into his chest to pin him down.
“What are you hiding?” Astrid demanded, pressing her boot down harder.
“Tell me right now!” Hiccup gasped for air.
“Astrid, let me go!” Astrid raised her wooden axe, ready to threaten him again.
Before she could speak, a noise came from the rocks.
Toothless heard the shouting.
The dragon spun around.
He saw the girl pinning Hiccup down.
Her eyes went wide.
She gasped out loud.
She dropped her wooden axe.
It hit the stone with a loud clatter.
Toothless let out a loud roar and charged toward the trees.
Astrid screamed.
She let go of Hiccup, turned around, and ran into the woods.
Toothless jumped.
He bounded over the rocks, easily catching up to her.
He swooped down, grabbed Astrid by the back of her shirt with his jaws, and carried her high into the air.
He dropped her safely onto a thick, high tree branch.
Astrid hung onto the wood, terrified.
Hiccup ran up to the tree.
“Astrid, wait!
Don’t scream!
He won’t hurt you!” “He is a dragon!” Astrid yelled down.
“Get me down from here!” Hiccup climbed up the tree.
Toothless hovered in the air next to them.
Hiccup looked at Astrid.
“We can’t let you run back to the village,” Hiccup said.
“If you tell my dad, they will kill him.
Please, Astrid.
Just let me show you.
He is not dangerous.” Astrid looked at Hiccup.
She looked at the black dragon.
She slowly climbed off the branch and climbed onto the leather saddle behind Hiccup.
She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist.
Toothless flapped his wide wings.
He shot straight up into the sky.
At first, the dragon flew terribly.
He spun in rapid, dizzying barrel rolls.
He dove sharply toward the dark ocean water, making the wind scream in their ears.
Toothless was punishing her for hurting Hiccup.
Astrid screamed in absolute terror.
She buried her face in Hiccup’s back.
“I’m sorry!
I’m sorry!
Tell him to stop!” “Toothless, stop!” Hiccup yelled, adjusting the tail ropes.
“Smooth it out!” The dragon listened.
He leveled his wings.
The ride became completely smooth.
Astrid slowly opened her eyes.
They flew high above the clouds.
The sky turned bright orange from the setting sun.
The wind blew through her hair.
The ocean looked like smooth glass far below them.
Astrid relaxed her grip.
She looked around in absolute wonder.
She reached her hand out and touched the soft clouds.
She smiled.
She finally understood.
Hiccup wasn’t a traitor.
He found something amazing.
Suddenly, Toothless stopped flying smoothly.
His ears twitched.
He heard a strange, pulling sound.
Toothless dove down.
He flew directly into a thick, heavy bank of grey fog.
Other dragons flew in the fog beside them.
Hundreds of dragons carried stolen sheep and fish in their claws.
Toothless followed the flock.
They flew toward a massive, dark island covered in sharp, black rocks.
A giant volcano sat in the middle of the island.
It was the Dragon’s Nest.
Toothless flew down a deep, dark tunnel into the volcano.
The air turned incredibly hot.
The bottom of the volcano was a giant pit of fire.
Millions of bones covered the floor.
The smaller dragons dropped their stolen food into the pit.
Suddenly, the ground shook.
A massive, terrifying head rose out of the fire pit.
It was a giant dragon.
It had six heavy eyes and a massive mouth lined with thousands of teeth.
The giant beast opened its jaws and ate a green Gronckle in a single bite.
The giant dragon roared.
The sound shook the walls.
Toothless did not wait.
He spun around and flew back up the tunnel as fast as he could.
They shot out of the volcano and flew back into the safety of the open sky.
Hiccup and Astrid flew back to the cove in total silence.
They landed near the pond.
“It makes sense now,” Astrid whispered, sliding off the saddle.
“They steal our food to feed that giant thing.
If they don’t bring enough food, they become the food.” Hiccup nodded.
He looked very worried.
The next morning, the weather turned cold.
A thick fog rolled off the ocean.
Edward stood by the forge.
He heard a loud horn blow from the docks.
He walked down the long stone steps toward the water.
A crowd of Vikings gathered on the wooden piers.
They looked out into the grey mist.
Three ships slowly emerged from the fog.
They looked terrible.
The wooden hulls were scorched black with heavy burn marks.
The large sails were torn into shreds.
The men on the decks looked exhausted, battered, and completely defeated.
Stoick the Vast stood at the front of the lead ship.
His heavy fur cape looked singed.
His red beard looked messy.
He looked incredibly angry.
The ships bumped against the wooden docks.
The men tied the thick ropes.
Gobber walked to the edge of the pier.
He looked at the damaged ships and the tired men.
“Well,” Gobber said quietly.
“I take it you did not find the dragon’s nest, Chief?” Stoick stepped off the ship.
His heavy boots hit the wood.
“We searched everywhere.
We found nothing but fog and fire.
We lost two ships.
It was a complete disaster.” Stoick rubbed his eyes.
He looked up toward the village.
“I need to rest.
And I need to talk to my son.
I suppose Hiccup has been a complete nuisance while I was gone?” Gobber broke into a massive, proud grin.
He pointed his hook toward the village.
“A nuisance?” Gobber laughed loudly.
“Chief, you will not believe it!
Your son is a marvel!
He is the star of Dragon Training!
He puts the beasts on the ground without a scratch!
In fact, he has his final exam today.
If he wins, he gets the honor of killing his first dragon in front of the whole village!” Stoick stopped walking.
He stared at Gobber.
His tired eyes went completely wide.
All the anger from the failed trip vanished instantly.
“My son?” Stoick breathed.
“My Hiccup?” “The very same!” Gobber cheered.
Stoick threw his head back and let out a massive, booming laugh.
He grabbed Gobber by the shoulders and shook him happily.
He forgot all about the damaged ships.
He marched up the stone steps toward the village, eager to see his son, ready to watch him become a true Viking.
A few hours later, the entire village of Berk gathered around the training arena.
The high stone walls were packed with shouting, cheering Vikings.
Stoick stood in the dark stone tunnel outside the ring.
He waited with Hiccup.
The crowd roared outside.
Stoick reached into his heavy fur cape.
He pulled out a heavy metal helmet with two horns.
He handed it to his son.
Hiccup looked at the helmet.
He looked confused.
“I had Gobber make it for you,” Stoick said.
His deep voice sounded unusually soft.
“It was forged from your mother’s breastplate.
She would have been very proud of you today.” Hiccup swallowed hard.
The emotional weight of the gift hit him heavily.
He did not want to kill a dragon, but he did not want to break his father’s heart either.
He took the helmet and put it on his head.
“Thanks, Dad,” Hiccup whispered.
Hiccup grabbed a wooden shield and a short sword.
He took a deep breath and walked out into the sunlight.
The crowd roared his name.
Stoick climbed up to his large wooden chair near the top of the wall.
Gobber pulled the heavy lever.
The iron doors ground open.
A massive, red Monstrous Nightmare crawled out of the dark cave.
It opened its jaws, spat thick fire onto its own scales, and roared loudly.
Hiccup did not raise his shield.
He did not point his sword.
He walked toward the burning dragon.
He threw his shield onto the dirt.
He dropped his sword.
The metal clattered loudly.
The crowd stopped cheering.
They went completely silent.
“I am not one of them,” Hiccup said in a clear, loud voice.
He held his empty hands out to the dragon.
The Nightmare stopped crawling.
It stared at Hiccup’s empty hands.
The fire on its scales started to fade away.
It lowered its heavy head, confused by the lack of threat.
Up on the wall, Stoick shot out of his chair.
His face turned bright red with anger.
“Stop the fight!” Stoick yelled loudly.
“Stop it right now!” He grabbed his heavy metal hammer.
He slammed it violently against the iron bars around his chair.
CLANG!
CLANG!
The loud, ringing noise echoed in the pit.
The Nightmare flinched.
The sudden noise terrified the dragon.
It forgot about Hiccup’s empty hands.
Its survival instincts kicked in.
The dragon roared.
Its scales burst back into bright fire.
It lunged forward, snapping its jaws directly at Hiccup.
Hiccup screamed and ran backward.
The dragon chased him across the dirt.
Edward stood near the wall.
He moved forward, ready to jump into the ring.
But before Edward could move, a high-pitched whistling sound tore through the sky.
A massive blast of blue fire hit the heavy iron cage covering the arena.
The iron bars shattered instantly.
Toothless dropped out of the sky.
The black dragon landed heavily in the dirt right between Hiccup and the angry Nightmare.
Toothless roared fiercely.
He lunged at the Nightmare.
The two dragons wrestled in the dirt.
Toothless bit the Nightmare’s neck and pinned it hard to the ground.
The red dragon submitted and crawled back into its cave.
Toothless turned around.
He checked on Hiccup, making sure the boy was safe.
“No, Toothless, go!” Hiccup yelled, pushing the dragon’s shoulder.
“Get out of here!” It was too late.
Stoick leaped down into the ring.
A dozen angry Vikings jumped down right behind him.
They carried heavy axes, ropes, and thick nets.
Toothless bared his teeth.
He growled at the men.
He stepped in front of Hiccup to protect him.
“Get him!” Stoick yelled.
The Vikings threw a massive, heavy net over Toothless.
The ropes tangled around the dragon’s wings and legs.
Several large men jumped on top of the net, using their heavy weight to pin the dragon to the dirt.
Toothless roared and struggled, but there were too many men.
“No!
Stop!” Hiccup screamed.
He grabbed his father’s arm.
“Please!
You are hurting him!” Stoick pushed Hiccup away.
He grabbed heavy chains and locked them around the black dragon’s neck.
Toothless stopped struggling.
He looked at Hiccup with sad green eyes and let out a low, defeated sound.
An hour later, the Great Hall was completely empty except for Stoick and Hiccup.
Stoick paced back and forth near the fire pit.
He looked absolutely furious.
“You threw your lot in with them!” Stoick yelled.
His deep voice shook the wooden walls.
“You hid a dragon right under our noses!
You are not a Viking!
You are not my son!” Hiccup flinched.
He looked at the floor.
“I was trying to protect him.
They are not what we think they are.
They don’t want to kill us.
They have to steal the food.” Stoick stopped pacing.
He stared at Hiccup.
“What do you mean, they have to?” “There is a giant dragon,” Hiccup explained quickly.
“It lives in the nest.
It is massive.
It controls the others.
If they don’t bring enough food back to the island, the giant beast eats them instead.” Stoick narrowed his eyes.
“A giant dragon?
In the nest?
How do you know this?” “I saw it,” Hiccup said.
“When we flew there.” “You flew to the nest?” Stoick asked.
He took a step closer.
“We have searched for that island for three hundred years.
Where is it?
How do we find it?” Hiccup realized his mistake.
He backed away.
“No.
You can’t go there.
The giant dragon will kill all of you.
You don’t understand how big it is.” “Tell me where it is!” Stoick demanded loudly.
“I don’t know!” Hiccup shouted back.
“Only a dragon can find the island!” Stoick froze.
He stared at Hiccup.
A slow, grim realization washed over his face.
He turned his head and looked toward the docks.
“Only a dragon can find it,” Stoick repeated softly.
Hiccup’s eyes went wide.
“No.
No, Dad, please!
Don’t use him!
You will kill him!” Stoick ignored him.
He turned around and marched out the heavy wooden doors.
He left Hiccup standing alone in the empty hall.
Down at the docks, the Vikings worked quickly.
They loaded their weapons onto the ships.
They dragged Toothless onto the lead ship.
They locked his heavy chains to a thick wooden frame on the deck.
They locked a heavy iron muzzle over his jaws.
Toothless laid his head on the wood, looking completely helpless.
Stoick stood on the deck.
He gave the order.
The Vikings pushed the ships away from the docks.
They rowed the oars.
The fleet moved out into the cold, grey fog, heading straight for the dragon’s nest.
Hiccup stood on the high cliff near the village.
He watched the ships disappear into the mist.
He felt entirely defeated.
He ruined everything.
Astrid walked up behind him.
She stood quietly for a moment.
“What are you going to do?” Astrid asked.
Hiccup looked at the empty ocean.
“Something crazy.” He turned around and ran back down the path toward the training arena.
Astrid followed him.
Snotlout, Fishlegs, Tuffnut, and Ruffnut were already standing near the arena gates.
Edward stood with them, keeping his hands in his pockets.
Hiccup stopped in front of the group.
He looked determined.
“We have to help them,” Hiccup said clearly.
“My dad is going to get everyone killed.
The giant dragon is too big.
We have to go after them.” “How?” Snotlout asked, crossing his arms.
“They took the ships.” Hiccup walked to the heavy iron lever on the wall.
“We tame the arena dragons.” He pulled the lever.
The heavy doors opened.
The Gronckle, the Nadder, and the Zippleback walked out into the sunlight.
They looked at the teenagers.
Hiccup showed his friends exactly what to do.
He showed them how to drop their weapons.
He showed them how to hold their hands out.
He showed them how to scratch the soft spots under the scales.
It took an hour, but the teenagers managed to calm the dragons down.
Astrid patted the blue Nadder.
Fishlegs hugged the heavy Gronckle.
Hiccup looked at the remaining dragons, then he looked at Edward.
“Edward, pick a dragon.
We need you with us.” “I don’t need a dragon,” Edward said calmly.
He pointed down to the docks.
“We can’t fly them all the way there.
We don’t know how to steer them in the air yet.
And someone needs to steer the ship while you fly.” A small, fast wooden fishing ship sat tied to a post.
The Vikings left it behind.
“Edward is right,” Hiccup said, nodding.
“We take that ship.
We tie heavy ropes to the dragons.
They can fly low over the water and pull the ship fast enough to catch up to the fleet.
Edward, grab the ropes.” “On it,” Edward said.
They ran down to the docks.
They boarded the small wooden ship.
Edward helped them tie the thick ropes to the front of the boat and connect the other ends to the dragons’ saddles.
Hiccup stood at the front of the ship.
He pointed toward the thick, grey fog hiding the ocean.
“Let’s go!” Hiccup yelled.
The teenagers cheered.
The dragons flapped their heavy wings.
They lifted into the air and pulled the ropes tight.
The small wooden ship jerked forward.
It cut rapidly through the waves, moving incredibly fast.
Edward stood at the back of the boat, holding the heavy wooden rudder, steering them straight into the fog toward the giant beast waiting in the dark.