Howling Echoes - A How to Train Your Dragon Story, The Echoes, Book 1

Chapter 78: Harald

   "Hiccup?"  Astrid called.  Her voice was slightly confused and panicked.

   "Astrid?"  Hiccup got up and opened the door.  "There's somebody at the docks - he didn't announce himself, and he's just...standing there,"  Astrid said.

   I narrowed my eyes in confusion, then followed the pair down to the docks.  A man with blond hair was standing there, a purple Terrible Terror with light green eyes on his shoulder.  "Ah, hello?"  Hiccup called.  The man turned and waved with a friendly smile as we walked down the dock.  

   "Do - do we know you?"  Hiccup asked hesitantly.  "No, I am Harald Forkbeard,"  Harald said, putting a fist to his chest.  "Hey K, who is this?"  Dagur asked, hopping down next to me.  "Harald Forkbeard,"  I said with evident skepticism. 

   "Why are you here?"  Astrid asked.  "I've heard of your Dragon Riders rescues of dragons and decided I wanted to look into it to see if the rumors are true,"  Harald replied.  I narrowed my eyes.  "Who's your little friend, here?"  I gestured to his Terror.

   "Oh, him?"  Harald asked, scratching the small purple dragon under the chin.  He didn't appear to be trapped there by any sort of rope or anything...  "This is my pet, Leopold."  Frostflake, who I hadn't realized had been tailing us, let out a fierce roar of objection.  "Dragons are no pets!"  She snarled.

   "Oh - uh, Harald, we don't see the dragons as our pets - we see them as our friends."  Hiccup said quickly, most likely getting the message.  "Oh, my apologies,"  Harald said.

   "As you can see, I am a friend to dragons,"  Harald said.  "Well, Harald, you're in luck - Berk has many dragons for you to make friends with!"  Hiccup said.  Frostflake narrowed her eyes and snarled at Harald.  His Terrible Terror squealed back.

   "Hiccup, can we talk for a moment?"  Astrid asked, tugging Dagur and I along behind her as we went up above the docks.  "Are you sure we should be trusting him?"  She asked as soon as we were out of earshot.  "He did just show up out of nowhere."

   "She's got a point, brother."  Dagur agreed.  "Ok, guys, I got this, alright?  Besides, you saw his dragon!  If he wasn't a friend he'd have let by now, ok?"  Hiccup said.  "Or he was raised from birth and doesn't have anywhere else to go."  I chimed in.

   "Alright, look, at least give him a chance."  Hiccup said.  Astrid and I looked at him skeptically.  "Please."

   "Fine."  We agreed at the same time, scowling down at the docks below.  "Thank you."  Hiccup breathed as he went to speak to his new guest.

   I turned and left.  As usual when I needed somewhere to vent, I went to my cliff.  I sat down, my fingers gently running through the soft grass.  "I can't believe I just...let it happen."  I murmured. 

   "I could've fought back - I could've - I could've TRIED!  But no...and now he's dead because of it.  And I thought we were done with him, but - ...but no.  He came back he ALWAYS.  COMES.  BACK!"  I snapped a branch in two between my hands.

   "My STUPID BROTHER always MESSES THESE THINGS UP!"  I yelled to myself heatedly.  "How come everything that happens I feel like happens because of me?"  I wondered aloud.  "I feel like I'm right back where i started - at the edge of abandoning them completely in hopes that it will lead THEM to a better world...a more safer world, even if it takes me out of the picture."