Haley and the Dragon Riders

A Rocky Start

I was enjoying my mug of mead and the familiar sound of vikings drunkenly shouting and fighting each other when the door to the bar opened. A large man walked in. He had an impressive red beard. The moment the crowd noticed him, an intimidating aura filled the place. A simple nod from him, though, and everyone was back to doing their own things again. I finished my drink and followed the large Viking with my eyes as he walked over and grabbed a drink. As he scanned the Hall for a place to sit, we locked eyes for a second before I quickly looked away. I left the Mead Hall immediately afterwards. I heard the door open behind me, but by the time whoever it was got outside, I was already gone.

I went back home and relaxed for a while. I had spent most of the day hunting for food and training, so relaxing with some mead in the evening before going home for the night was always enjoyable. I was curious about that red-bearded viking with the intimidating aura, but I didn't come to that island often enough that it would really matter who he was in the end.

I took a walk around my hut to make sure everything was in place for the night. As I was checking my fence one last time, I heard a weird sound. At first, I couldn't tell where it was coming from or even what was making it. But then, as it flew over my head, I noticed it. There was no doubt about it. A dragon. And not just any dragon—the fastest and deadliest flier known to Vikings. It didn't seem like it was going to attack immediately, which was good for me. I went inside my hut, found my dagger, and laid down in bed. There was no reason to worry about the dragon at this moment. It would be better for me to save my strength and get some sleep.

I woke up early the next day and set out. I couldn't stop thinking about the dragon from last night. It was definitely going to come back. They always do. I spent most of the morning preparing for the dragon. I hid all my food under the floorboards of my hut, put a few pieces of clothing in a sack hidden in a nearby tree, and got a sword and crossbow and hid myself up in another nearby tree.

It took a little while, but eventually I heard the dragon land nearby. I couldn't see it yet, but I could hear its heavy footsteps approaching. I prepared my crossbow and got ready to fire, but something was wrong. I couldn't be sure, but it sounded like there were another set of footsteps. This one, lighter than the other. A juvenile dragon perhaps? I couldn't worry about it. Even a juvenile dragon was still a dragon, and I would have to deal with it sooner or later. I readied my arrow once again and waited. As soon as I got the dragon's head in my sights, I fired.

The arrow went flying and landed right next to its head. It quickly looked my way and growled. I would normally have given the dragon a warning after this, but the surprised sound of a human threw me off guard.

"Whoa! Take it easy, we're not here to fight." I peeked further to the left and could finally see the person talking. It was a young man who was about my height. He didn't look as big as all the other Vikings I've seen, so he probably wasn't as strong. It looked like he said something to the dragon just now, but it was too quiet for me to hear it.

"That was a warning shot. The next one won't be. My arrows are coated with dragon roots. Now state your business!" I reloaded my crossbow and aimed at the dragon. It was still growling at me and I could tell it was ready to fight.

"My business? Uhh... I don't have any business... We were just taking a walk and happened to find your hut." He chuckled. He sounded cute. I almost felt bad for having to kill him. Maybe I'll let him live, but the dragon's gotta go for sure.

"Has anybody ever told you you're a lousy liar? Now state your business or leave. I won't say it again."

"Alright, we'll leave. C'mon Toothless, let's go." They turned around and walked away, but I wasn't satisfied.