Captain Fury: Pirate of Berk

EPILOGUE: A New Harbour

EPILOGUE: A New Harbour.

With a screech, the Skrill circled lower over the harbour, his wings spread wide to slow him as he skimmed the masts of the fishing vessels and the new Naval vessels that had only come into service the previous month. His nine-year-old rider whooped in joy, his black hair tousled in the summery breeze and bright green eyes shining with excitement. Even after being a rider for two years, Arild Haddock hadn't got over the excitement and sheer joy of riding Stormy the Skrill, the only big dragon left in the Archipelago-if not the whole world.

He tightened his knees on the saddle his Dad had made for him and gripped Stormy's metal head-spines tighter as they banked and shot up, looping the loop-which his Mom had forbidden him to do so many times that Arild automatically tuned her out-and sweeping over the harbour once more. Then he banked lower and waved wildly as the familiar black-sailed shape of the Night Fury as she trimmed her sails and slowed as she approached her berth in the harbour. From the deck, Captain Fishlegs waved cheerily, back from another of his dragon-hunting trips to the far reaches of the Archipelago. As the leading-and probably only real-authority on Dragons, Fishlegs had found himself a niche where his geekiness could run unchecked. He had even applied for some of the new printing technology from the Mainland-with the Governor's blessing-to print up copies of the ancient-and now much-modified-Book of Dragons and his own seminal Book of Pirates.

Arild waved again as he zipped past, slaloming through the pirate vessels docked in their own moorings. They maintained a separate area for pirates in the harbour, a secure dock which acted as a neutral territory for pirates. With the demise of Dragon Island, the Governor had seen an opportunity to offer if not sanctuary, then a welcoming port for pirates and their dependents-provided they respected the laws of the Port, didn't get into too many fights and didn't attack any of the Governor's ships. Today-as most days-the Hobblegrunt was moored, her crew preparing for another trip to the margins of the Archipelago to pick off the remaining hold-out pirates. She and the Nightmare largely worked as enforcers for the Governor, ensuring that the seas were peaceful and generally free from traumas. Allowing the pirates to police themselves was a stroke of genius that had reduced Naval costs no end and led to a lot more peaceable resolutions rather than lethal fire-fights. The confrontation off Raven's Point had, in fact, been the last large inter-pirate conflict.

Stormy swooped up, seeing most of the Port rebuilt after the shelling and new houses and shops open with the townsfolk milling around eagerly. It was market day and the housewives were determinedly prowling for the best bargains, haggling hard and jostling at the best stalls. But everyone stopped and waved at the boy on the dragon and he always waved happily back, allowing Stormy to give a small roar in greeting before they zoomed up, flipped a tight circle and came down to land in front of the Governor's Mansion, a new building sited on the promontory overlooking the harbour. The incoming Governor had been very insistent that the proud-and heavily fortified-building had great views so no one could sneak in and it could protect the harbour.

Backwinging, Stormy landed and Arild slid off before the dragon scrambled to lie on his favourite spot-a dark granite platform that overlooked the harbour and got toasty warm in the summer sun. Arild patted him affectionately then raced into the house, waving at the gunner on duty at the cannon emplacements protecting the harbour approach. It had been his Dad's insistence that they put the Night Fury's old cannons to protect the harbour and his home-including the Thunderdrum which Tuff hadn't tossed into the sea, despite Captain Fury's orders. Fury had known, of course-well, Tuff wasn't sobbing wildly at the loss of his 'Drummy', which was a huge clue-but had said nothing. If Captain Leifur of the Changewing was willing to accept the fact that the super-cannon was at the bottom of Raven's Point Trench, the deepest point of the sea around Berk, then Fury wasn't disabusing him. Besides, the twins had settled on land as ordnance experts, training gunners and devising new and more fiendish weapons with their new-found knowledge of 'Sticky Balls'. Arild knew at some point, his Dad expected them to blow themselves up but until then, they could do what they wanted, as long as they helped his Dad protect his family.