Dragon-Marked (Httyd)

Dragon Marks

Dragon marks were a relatively recent occurrence in the history of the small population of Berk.

It started exactly three generations ago when babies were born with strange greyscaled marks on their bodies. Normally based somewhere on their upper backs by their necks. Not all had them but at least forty per cent of them had one or two marks of some dragon, including the son of the chief.

The elders had long debated on whether it was a good or bad omen. Opinions ranged from praising them as blessed saviours sent by the Gods, to those who believed they should burn the children with fire.

The chief easily overruled this judgment and commanded that no child shall be harmed. The village collectively agreed that the marking should remain a secret from outsiders.

Years go by: and the children grow up into renowned warriors. It changed the opinions of many naysayers. Some of the parents had even arranged marriages to strengthen the line of the Dragon-Marked.

Soon, a hierarchy was formed based on the strength of the dragon they were marked with. Rarer and unknown Dragons ranked higher than all. Preferring to match the marks between them. Nadders with Nadder's, Nightmares with Nightmares and so on.

Among them, the chief's heir was matched with a woman who had a matching mark of a Thunderdrum tied up with some unknown dragon. However, she also had the mark of a Nadder. So she was considered the strongest and best match for the chief's wife.

They had a son they named Stoick, the first child born of the second generation of Dragon marked.

He like many of the second generation: had multiple marks. The one on his neck was an intimidating dragon curled up under the back of his neck. A mark on his wrist was some sort of squashed Gronkle no one knew. The mark over his heart was a four-winged dragon of some kind. He received high praise for the number of unknown dragons he showed.

He didn't match his parent's markings but two other children did. They even had the other markings that Stock had. Valka had the strange Thunderdrum and mystery dragon over her heart, the Squashed one on her wrist and the curled dragon on her neck. Gobber had his three lined up on his left wrist.

When Stoick was still quite young the chief was killed in a raid and his mother later remarried to the Jorgansons. Having Spitelout as a half-sibling. He had a Monstrous Nightmare silhouetted on the base of his neck. He and Stoick didn't get on very well and with Spitelout's farther aiming at the throne, it left a near-permanent rift between the half brothers.

When they grew up, Stoick and Valka easily fell in love and got married on their own, regardless of whether they had matching markings or not. The elders approved of the pairing anyway. Gobber remained a lifelong friend to the pair.

Then Hiccup was born.

His markings were numerous. A Nadder over his heart and every other common dragon climbing up his arm. From two Zipplebacks with their heads twisted over each other mirroring each other to a Nightmare and a Gronkle near his elbow. On his right shoulder, he had the three markings his parents shared.

The most note-worthy was the set of dragons that looked like the curled-up dragon on his back, except, it looked like three of them tied up with one sitting on top in dominance. They were hard to tell apart but they were different.

Most of his markings were shared with all the children of his generation.

Even then, not much was known about the markings but the first clue to what they might mean appeared.

Valka was taken by the very dragon that marked over Stoick's heart. It changed from black to match the colours of the foul beast that flew away with his wife in its claws.

The markings then after were a very bad omen.

Later a fourteen-year-old Hiccup had shot down the Nightfury. He was horrified to know that it matched the very dragon on his father's back.

At the same time, every person who had that marking felt a strange tingle wherever that marking showed on their skin.

Stoick was too caught up in his own mind to notice the tiny pin-prick sensation.

Gobber had seen a slight sheen to the dragon on his wrist but assumed he spilt oil or grease on it instead. He was worried but he could account for everyone's whereabouts by the end of the next day, so he was sure it was fine.

When Astrid had felt the pin-pricking sensation over her heart she was worried. Everyone knew what happened to the Chieftess and the coloured mark over the heartbroken chief's chest. So later that night she checked under candlelight in the privacy of her room and saw the black marking the same as it always was. Except it was shiny and more detailed. Whoever this mark represented, had a very close brush with death.

In a far-off land of ice and wonder, a woman felt a curious prickle on the back of her neck.

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Hiccup screwed up. Now all of Berk was heading to their doom and all because he befriended a Nightfury instead of killing it!

He just hoped he could save the tribe he wasn't even accepted in anymore.

Leading the other teens to the kill ring and showing them how to connect with the dragons was his crazy plan that would, if not save the village, give them a chance to escape.

He was surprised when the Nightmare on his arm changed to match the one in front of them when Snotlout made contact with it. Then, one by one, each mark on his right arm gained colour with Astrid's Nadder over his heart.

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Bonus:

Little did they know, Berk wasn't the only island to have this phenomenon. Among them was the Berzerker island. Their new chief Dagur had taken the dragon symbol as a sign of what legendary dragon he was destined to kill. He was outright furious when Hiccup prevented his destiny to kill the Nightfury. Which caused his long-lasting obsession with both Hiccup and the Nightfury.

When he finally calmed down his pursuit; Hiccup, Heather and Queen Malla had a long discussion about the Dragonmarks and what they represent. They had learned that the Nightfury Mark was an unrequested friendship mark, a rare and sad find. Even if Hiccup had accepted and forgiven Dagur as a friend, he had spent the majority of his time avoiding Dagur as an enemy.

Fishlegs had stayed on the island of the defenders of the wing for almost a month learning all the knowledge they had to offer on Dragonmarks. He returned and wrote what would be his legacy the book of Soulmarks. To later be praised as highly as Bork the Bold in the generations to come.