Rise of the Dragon Master

Chapter Thirteen

After Astrid promised to stop trying to kill me Toothless let her up and I led the vikings into the kitchen where we all stood around the table eating a lunch of bread and salted fish. It was Fishlegs who broke the silence "So Stryker, He said, How did you become Lord of the Dragons?" I finished chewing then answered. "The same way I stopped the dragon raids on your village." I stated smugly. At the stunned look on their faces I elaborated. "The dragons didn't raid viking villages because they chose to, they were forced to. The queen dragon, which I call the Red Death, forced them to raid. They would bring back all of their kill to give to her as an offering." I paused looking at the open jaw stares they all gave me. "Once Toothless here took me to her, I said scratching his head, I knew we had to stop it so Toothless and I fought and defeated it. That's how I lost my leg" Pointing at my metal prosthetic. "Anyway, after the battle the dragons decided to make me their new leader and now they obey me." I finished the story simply. It was a while before any of them spoke. Finally Astrid broke the silence "So how did you meet Toothless?" She asked. "That's a story I'm not ready to share." I responded as I knew that story might sound a little too familiar for them to ignore. My silence however earned me a glare from Astrid. Snotlout then piped up "So if you saved us then why do you raid viking villages?" This caused them all to stop eating and look at me eagerly for an answer. "I don't." I responded simply which caused them to grow puzzled looks on their face. I continued "Have you ever paid attention to when I visit you? I never steal anything and never attack anyone unprovoked. All I do is free your captive dragons." I finished my story and looked around seeing realization dawn on their faces. "Now it's my turn". I said. "How did you come so close to my island the only ships that ever come near hear are Meathead ships?" At this question Snotlout, Astrid, and Fishlegs shut their mouths tight to show they wouldn't say anything. Tuffnut however became incredibly excited. "Ooh, I know, we came as our last training exercise before we became viking warriors." At this statement Snotlout, Astrid, and Fishlegs glared at their friend but Ruffnut just high fived her brother. "The war with the Dragons is over, why are you training to become warriors so hard?" I asked confused. Ruffnut then picked up where her brother had left off "Uh Duh, she said, We're training to kill you and your night fury." At this statement I became angry. "What, why?" I asked shocked. "Because the chief's son was killed by a night fury!" The twins shouted together. This stunned me. "What, I thought to myself, after all of this time he actually still cares?" However what I said was very different from what I thought. "That's impossible. Toothless here is the only night fury in the entire archipelago and he hasn't killed anyone in years." At this statement Astrid's face grew bright red and she slammed her fist on the table. "That's a lie, she screamed, I saw it happen with my own two eyes." Upon saying this tears welled up in her eyes and I realized that she cared. The girl I had had a crush on since I was seven years old actually cared that I was gone even years later. I was suddenly at a loss for words. I wanted to comfort her, to tell her the truth but I knew it was not the right time and that I could not trust these people. After a few minutes of agonizing silence Astrid's voice cut through the tension like a knife. "Are we your prisoners." She asked. "No, I replied, you are my guests." "So then we can leave right now?" Snotlout asked. "If you had a way off the island you could, I responded, but your ship was destroyed in the storm and I won't make my dragons carry you anymore." At this their faces dropped as they knew they were trapped. " I will get you off this island though, I promised, a close friend of mine is coming in one month and he will gladly take you back to your island." "That is if you swear to keep his identity a secret." I warned. "Now come on, I'll give you a tour."