Heart of a Berserker: Love (School of Dragons)

Chapter 13

"Courage is by no means incompatible with tenderness. On the contrary, gentleness and tenderness have been found to characterize the men, no less than the women, who have done the most courageous deeds." - Samuel Smiles

Chapter 13

"It's oddly quiet today," Harald mused as we exited my house. Indeed, there was none of the usual chaos that had become associated with our new visitors.

"I wonder if someone took the Night Lights away to play," I said.

"Hey, Harald!" Snotlout called from across the road. "Over here!" He waved his arms frantically until we approached him. He was by far the most accepting of Harald out of Hiccup's riders, and I appreciated him for it. "I've a business opportunity for you."

Harald lifted his eyebrows in interest. "I'm listening."

"This should be good," I muttered.

"You can get in on it too, Brennda," Snotlout said. "You have a good head on those shoulders."

I smirked. "Thanks."

"It was a piece of cake to convince Bucket to pitch in. He's one of those 'true artists' who wants to create for the sake of creating. Good for him. I'm a fan of more art in the world, but even better for me and you, he's willing to give them for us to sell."

"Sounds good so far," Harald said.

"Now, these Night Lights are going to be the hot tickets this Snoggletog season. We'd be suckers to not capitalize on the situation."

"I couldn't agree more."

"Now, I've convinced Hiccup to let the Night Lights see the old town, so you'll be able to meet them there. Can you go to Berk and talk to Bucket?"

Harald glanced at me, and I shrugged. "Sounds good to me," I said. "We'll do it."

Snotlout grinned. "Thanks!"

Harald and I flew to Berk on our dragons. Fishlegs had decorated the old village, so it had a festive feel. We spotted Bucket before the Night Lights, so we landed near him to speak to him.

"Thank you for meeting me here, Brennda," Bucket said. He looked at my companion almost warily. "You too, Harald."

"It's no problem," I said. "It looks like you've got everything ready." I nodded at his paints and canvas.

Bucket shook his head. "I don't know what I want to make yet. The best way to figure it out is to immerse yourself in beauty and see where that takes you. No matter how hard it is! No matter the blood, sweat, and tears it requires! That is art. The Night Lights are somewhere on the island. Bring them to me!"

"That shouldn't be too hard," Harald said.

Sure enough, we found the baby dragons playing on a hill near the village. Bolt and Elska were able to coax them in the direction of Bucket. When we neared the Vikings, Leopold flew to the ground and led them the rest of the way.

Bucket stared at the dragons with wide eyes. "Oh my! Oh my. They're even prettier in person. I'm speechless. I can't even put any thoughts together..."

"This may take awhile," Harald said in a low voice.

I nudged him in the side. "Take your time."

After a minute, Bucket spoke again, though he seemed to be voicing his thoughts instead of talking to us. "These dragons are so good that I could make a thousand things using them as inspiration, and I wouldn't repeat even once! Statues, perhaps, though it will be hard to capture the grace of their movement. A watercolor, maybe? Oh, I can't wait to decide. There are two things you should never rush: dinner, and art! Yes, yes. I need more time, more time! Give me the time to nest on this art egg and I will reward your patience tenfold."