A Dragons Tale; The Dragon Queen

Freya

Hiccup winced as the light streamed through his window. He didn't get much sleep that night despite the lack of dragon attacks, he was too busy thinking about the story Gobber had told them last night. The way he told the story and would pause and look up at the stars made Hiccup think that the black smith was hiding something from them, like he knew something that they didn't. No one else had picked up on this action but then again, no one knew Gobber as well as he did. Perhaps he could ask him about it at work today? With this thought in his head he got up and raced down to the armoury. When he got their however, Gobber was already at work.

"About time you showed up lad, take this and give it a good sharpen would you?" Tossing a sword in Hiccups direction, the blacksmith walked back to the front of the shop to serve the next costumer. There seemed to be a line up today. Not wanting to have to deal with any angry Vikings today, Hiccup set off to work sharpening sword after sword. Whenever the crowds died down he would ask Gobber questions as to what happened to the dragon King but all he got was answers such as 'I wouldn't want to give away the ending' and 'I guess you will have to wait and see'. This annoyed Hiccup to no end but was extremely amusing for the older Viking that could see the annoyance written on his apprentice's face. The young Viking would usually just shrug off his stories but this one was different, which is what he wanted. He needed the children to remember this tale, especially if the prophecy was true.

***

As the sun began to set and the sky turned a mix of oranges, pinks and reds the old blacksmith made his way up to the bonfire when they had been sitting yesterday. He expecting the children to be excited, what he didn't expect was to see the fire already blazing and the children sitting around it waiting for him to arrive. He let out a low laugh and sat down next to them. Eager eyes watched him, waiting for the rest of the story that they had been promised.

"Where was I yesterday?" he asked

"The dragons had all just escaped the cave they were trapped inside!" Fishlegs answered happily.

"Ah yes, I remember now. The dragons escaped the cave and had spread out throughout the islands. Nothing much happened to the third brother until a couple of weeks when the moon become full. You know how a werewolf only becomes a werewolf on a full moon? It was kind of like that, but on a full moon the third brother became human again. It was a shock for him to say the least. As the months when by and he continued to change with the moons it became less and less painful. His bones got used to breaking and his skin got used to being burnt and soon his humanity returned and he longed to be with humans again. Every full moon he would fly close to a Viking village and when he changed he would sneak into the village and talk and dance with the others. Of course as soon as he met anyone he would have to leave again. He spend years wondering through the archipelago, jumping from village to village until one night that changed his forever. He had done what he usually does on a full moon but what he didn't realise was that it was the Chiefs birthday and the village had thrown a huge party. He was delighted and dance all night until he met a young Viking girl named Alena. For the rest of the moon he spent every second of his day with or thinking about her. He had fallen in love with the young Viking. Moon after moon the two would meet in the woods until she asked him where he went each month. He tried to make up story but she was too smart and demanded the truth so at the end of the full moon she waited with him and watch him change into a beast. He feared that she would scream and run but all she did was smile and kiss snout. She soon fell pregnant sparking rumours around the villagers as they didn't know of the dragon king. One full moon Alena when into the woods early to wait for her love to come back unaware that one of the villages had followed her. When they seen her embrace a dragon, he raced back to the village screaming that she was a witch and was carrying a demon dragon child. This created havoc in the village and an angry mob lit their touches and ran into the forest to kill the couple. When they got their Alena tried to explained that he was a Viking but it didn't stop them. She had barely enough time to flee. From then on the two live and hunted in the wild, keeping to themselves in fear that they or their future child would be hurt. They were both delighted when Alena gave birth to a healthy baby daughter which they named Freya to please the gods, but both shocked when they found out that she could change her form at will. It seemed that the gods had heard about their new born child and felt guilty that someone so innocent should have to burden such ruthless punishment for something she did not do. They had changed her. She was not limited to the curse like for father was. That's why they were called shape-shifters" As he finished the story he sat back and waited for the question to start. Astrid was first.

"But it didn't really happened did it? It's just a story Viking tell little kids to be behave right?"

"They are many different versions told to get Viking kids to behave themselves sure," But Astrid wasn't happy with such a vague answer and asked again.

"But the family isn't real, is it?" he seemed to be lost in thought again until he spoke once more.

"Are dragons real?" was all he asked. The children just sat there looking at each other.

"Dragons are real, that means the family must be too." Tuffnut thought out loud. "But... if there are real what happened to them?"

"The tale says that after they ran away the village become dragon hunters. They dedicated their lives to hunting and killing the beasts in search of the dragon child that Alena carried feeling that is was their job to destroy it. Somehow they finally caught up with them and managed to kill the parents," Gasps echoed throughout the group.

"But what happened to the daughter, Freya?" Fishlegs asked quietly, with a scowl. He looked to be debating if he really wanted to know the answer. Gobber just looked up to the sky. After a while of thought he spoke.

"Her father gave her the blood stone from the gods crown and was told to run. She tried to fly away but an arrow cut through her wing and she fell into the sea where she froze in ice. Most say she died that day but some say that because she was part dragon and had the blood of gods in her veins, she was still conscious but trapped in ice waiting for the day it melts so she can escape,"

"So she could still be alive and waiting to escape from an iceberg?"

"Yes,"