Symphony of Shadows

10. Shopping

Hiccup finished saddling Toothless with additional baggage space that would allow them to carry back their new supplies, but wouldn't impede Toothless' flying. The Night Fury had been patient for the lengthy process of strapping on the baskets to ensure they wouldn't lose any merchandise on their flight back. However, the dragon's attitude began to sour when a group of Nadders began playing tug of war over a small tree one of them uprooted.

"Mraouuur," Toothless growled, emphasizing his growing impatience with an eye roll.

"Just a few more seconds, bud, I'm almost done. I'm making sure we have enough dragon scales for what we need to buy," a focused Hiccup responded. The dragon rider had discovered the value of trading dragon scales when he observed a dragon hunter trade twenty Zippleback scales for thirty Gronckle-iron maces, an astonishing deal that Hiccup found incredibly valuable. Instead of having to loot gold from villages during raids, he just went around the island and collected shedded dragon scales, but never his own dragon's, for it would be foolish. The entire archipelago would realize who he was and he'd be dead in a day.

"All done! Are you ready to go, Toothless?" Hiccup placed his new prosthetic into the gear mechanism and patted his friend's side. Without warning, the dragon launched into the sky, and if Hiccup hadn't been in the saddle, he would surely be a heap of guts and bones. Hiccup patted the dragon's side in apology for the neglect.

"Sorry bud, I know we haven't flown since yesterday and you must be aching to fly."

Toothless was appeased by the apology and toned down his sporadic flying to a calmer ride.

Meanwhile, Hiccup was making a list of necessities for the island. Not only had the ink supply run out, but the tar was also running out due to the multitude of tinkering and test runs he'd conducted on the prosthetic. He was also running low on chicken, which he noted was especially helpful for training the Deadly Nadders, so if he didn't want to become a human porcupine, a chicken restock was definitely in his future. Some yak leather would also be helpful for his new inventions and for repairing his suit or wings. The sun showed it was a little later than midday and it wouldn't take long to reach the Eastern Markets. That was half the reason he had chosen the island; it was hidden but not too isolated from key locations, such as the markets and the villages they raided.

It felt like every five seconds that Hiccup was shoving his hair out of his eyes and mouth, as he'd stashed his suit and helmet in one of the baskets for the fly home to avoid being identified. Well, the biggest identifier was Toothless. But every time they visited the markets, Hiccup made sure to keep the Night Fury hidden in a cave off to the side of the island—where no merchant dared explore because of the island's dangerous co-inhabitants: Changewings.

The Eastern Market was notorious as the only place to buy Changewing acid—a major draw for any merchants brave enough to face the fierce dragons guarding the island's eastern side. There was a cave that was blocked off by thick vines near a cliff by that side of the island and that was where Toothless stayed while Hiccup lugged around the baskets full of newly bought supplies. Even if the Night Fury was found by foolish Vikings, they would be eviscerated by, well, Toothless himself.

The trek from the markets to the cave while carrying multiple baskets helped Hiccup with his strength and endurance. Hels, the first time he'd made the trip over four years ago, he'd almost fainted midway through, and while only carrying one basket. Now, he was strong enough to carry three or four back to his dragon—an accomplishment Hiccup was proud of. He had never been known for his physical abilities, so being strong enough to overcome physical challenges meant a great deal to him.

He had come a long way from being the village runt and had actually filled out nicely, probably because of all of the intense flying and training he did with Toothless.

His change in physical appearance had been most notable when he got hit on for the first time at the Eastern Markets. Hiccup had been perusing the steel gears that were on sale at a merchant's stand when all of a sudden he felt a tap on the shoulder and turned around. Her name had been Lyra, and she told him how handsome she thought he was with his thick hair and pretty eyes. Hiccup had been speechless but managed to mutter a polite "thank you" to the pretty girl, who just blushed and giggled at his stammering.

Lyra had told him to meet her at the spruce tree behind the bird seed stall and when they did reunite, he'd been thrown for a loop. The bold girl had pulled him in and given him a smashing kiss, melting him right then and there. They would meet every two weeks or so when her father would sell his chickens at his stall and one thing led to another. Lyra had been the first person to see value in Hiccup and he had treasured her attention.

His first love had ended unfortunately after more than a year of seeing each other. Lyra's family had been facing financial struggles after their farm was raided by dragons and the majority of their chickens had become rotisserie. She had broken the news to him while at their favorite spot on the island: a breathtaking waterfall that flowed into a clear lagoon. Hiccup flushed at the memories of what they'd done in that water and focused back on the mission at hand.

He realized that his earlier promise to get laid would be futile in his efforts to erase his feelings—he had never been one for flings anyways. They had always left him pining for more and questioning if he had done something wrong or if he simply wasn't enough. So, maybe it was a sign from Freya to focus on himself instead of romantic pursuits.

The familiar shape of the island where the Eastern Markets were located began to appear and Hiccup started to mentally prepare for any questions he'd be asked in the form of small talk. When asked, he was a blacksmith who sold his newly forged weapons to dragon hunters. This alibi was realistic enough that he could actually answer specific questions about being a blacksmith and it also logically explained how he had a surplus of dragon scales, as dragon hunters were the only traders with direct access to them. Hiccup wouldn't need to make a new identity with his new prosthetic, since the merchants rotated around the archipelago and it would be months before he saw the same one again. Although it would be hysterical if he was asked how he grew back his leg, he had never been recognized by a merchant he had previously bought from, and seriously doubted it would ever happen with all the new faces they saw every day.

Toothless started to drop from the sky and skimmed the water's surface to avoid being seen. They had learned to fly in from the east to avoid merchant ships. No Viking was foolish enough to approach the island from that side—too many had watched their ships sink after Changewind acid bore straight through the wood.

They flew up to the island; Toothless knew their destination from experience so no directions were needed from Hiccup. The dragon landed, and Hiccup quickly dismounted, unstrapped a couple of empty baskets, stacked them inside each other so they wouldn't be too difficult to carry, and grabbed his satchel full of dragon scales.

"All right, bud. I'll be back by sundown at the latest. I'll call if I'm in any trouble, but I shouldn't run into anything with my new leg. Take a nap and rest for the flight home, okay, Toothless?" He affectionately rubbed the dragon's head and gave him a parting hug before leaving the cave. He made sure to move the vines to cover the entire entrance and when he was done it looked like any rock wall covered in vines.

Satisfied with his work, Hiccup set out to do his routine shopping and test out the effectiveness of the prosthetic—the invention already being more comfortable to walk with than the wooden peg leg. Hel, he was even excited to go to the market; he knew exactly what was in store for him.