51. Introduction Malfunction

It was so...

Different.

Mirabel had only known one village before this one, and the contrast was staggering.

Instead of being vibrant and colorful, everything was dingy and grey.

The skies were gloomy and overcast, as opposed to the radiantly shining sun she was used to.

The people were trudging along, all seemingly in sour moods. She couldn’t even catch the glimpses of a smile.

The buildings were imposing, not welcoming. Covered in threatening serpentine carvings and adorned with metal spikes.

According to Hiccup, those were new.

“I don’t remember all the metal bits on the houses…” He muttered.

Gobber heard this as he was unloading the boat, and answered the question. “Well ye have been gone for a year! We installed those last winter, to keep dragons from perching on our huts.”

“We thought if they had less places to land, they wouldn’t steal as much!” Fishlegs stated. “…It didn’t work.”

Soon they’d retrieved all their items from the boat, and were making their way up the docks and into town.

A crowd of people were starting to gather, as they walked through the brittle grass. Watching the group with intrigue and uncertainty.

Not only was the chief back, not only had he found Hiccup, not only had he returned with the Night Fury, but he had four strangers with him as well.

It was all very odd.

Vikings were shoving each other around, all vying for a peek at the newcomers. One guy removed his peg leg, and started clobbering a man who tried to cut ahead of him.

They were surrounded in the village square, now. A mass of people all gawking and glaring at them.

The Madrigals huddled closer together, uncomfortable at being the centers if attention in this manner.

Toothless began growling, and Hiccup desperately tried to quiet him before someone pulled out a hammer.

Finally, Stoick had enough.

“PIPE DOWN, ALL OF YOU!” He yelled, displeased at the commotion.

This calmed the crowd a bit, but it didn’t fully deter them.

“The people have a right to know what’s going on, Stoick!” Spitelout cried, as the people behind him grew more restless.

The chief continued to try and get them under control. “And you will know what’s going on! Gather in the Great Hall, we’ll be there shortly!”

At his command, along with a stern glare, they all began to disperse. Muttering questions about the current situation.

Groaning, Stoick turned to face Hiccup.

“Time’s up, son. If you want to keep the magic a secret, I hope you have a good story prepared…” With that, he began to head for the Great Hall himself.

The Madrigals joined the scrawny teen, eyeing him inquisitively.

“Was that supposed to be our welcoming committee?” Camilo asked. “Because I don’t feel very welcomed…”

“Stoick’s got a point…” Mirabel spoke. “What are we gonna tell them?”

He grinned. “You just leave that to me!”

But despite the confidence in his grin, the twitch in his eyes made it obvious.

He had no idea what he was doing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Great Hall.

In a word, stuffy.

Especially now that everyone in town was packed into it.

Mirabel stood with her family, in front of a large fire pit. Thankful for the warmth it provided on this dreadfully cold island. A golden statue of a dragon being impaled was suspended above her, making her particularly uncomfortable.

She took a moment to examine her surroundings. It was spacious, and awfully dark. An array of torches lining the walls provided a minimal amount of light.

 She observed the tapestries depicting hairy Vikings and foul lizards, locked in bloody combat.

And she couldn’t help but think back to the statues outside the building, of warriors standing triumphantly over stone reptiles.

Even the pillars that held the building up were etched with draconic imagery.

Was everything here themed around dragon killing?

She glanced to the Night Fury sitting beside her, in-between herself and Hiccup. And suddenly felt very frightened for his safety.

If it wasn’t for the chief making it clear that Toothless was not to be harmed, they’d probably be in a lot of trouble.

They stood behind Stoick, facing a massive crowd. She was sure that everyone who lived on the island was present.

They were all yelling a multitude of questions, demanding each one got a swift answer.

“Where’ve you been?” “Who are those people?” “Is Hiccup a traitor or what?” “Why haven’t we killed the Night Fury yet?”

Stoick held up a hand, to silence them.

“I have been looking for my son, trying to bring him home. And as you can see…” He gestured to the boy beside him, who was now trying to inch away. “I’ve found him.”

“And Hiccup is no traitor! In fact, he’s brought to us the key to our salvation.” The crowd began to murmur with confusion.

“We have discovered the location of the dragon nest.” At this declaration, the murmuring hushed into shocked silence.

Until it abruptly broke out into loud cheers. Every Viking celebrated, feeling that their troubles were soon over.

Mirabel flinched from the noise, and was very thankful her oldest cousin hadn’t accompanied them…

Once the cheering died down a bit, Stoick continued. “The nest is being guarded by a truly monstrous dragon, the likes of which we’ve never seen. This queen dragon commands the others to take our food, and burn our village. If we defeat this creature, we will be troubled by the dragons no more.”

The cheers returned tenfold. Wild, uproarious, joyful shouting. And with the cheering were declarations of war.

“LET’S KILL IT!” “WE HAVE TO STORM THE NEST!” “NO MORE DRAGONS!” “KILL THE QUEEN! END THE WAR!”

Soon, this started a raucous chant.

“KILL THE QUEEN! END THE WAR! KILL THE QUEEN! END THE WAR! KILL THE QUEEN! END THE WAR!”

Isabela grimaced as her poor eardrums ached. “These guys don’t know how to use their inside voices, huh?”

“These are their inside voices…” Hiccup groaned.

Stoick bristled with frustration at the interruption, and raised his hammer to strike a nearby shield. The loud clang echoed through the hall, and hushed the chanting.

“We cannot kill the queen!” He huffed.

The crowd’s joy melted into indignation.

“Then what are we supposed to do?” “We have to stop the dragons!” “I’ll go over there and strangle it myself!”

“The only thing that can defeat the queen dragon, is the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself…a Night Fury…” The masses followed his movements, as he pointed to the jet-black dragon standing next to his son.  “This Night Fury. The one that my son tamed.”

The dragon crouched down and backed up a bit, as every eye turned to him.

“So what are ya saying, chief?” Spitelout asked, poking his head out so he could be seen amongst the swarm of helmets.

Stoick stood tall, his arms crossed, and his chest swelling with pride. “I’m saying that Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, my son, is going to ride this Night Fury into battle. And free us all from the dragon scourge!”

For a moment, no one made a sound. It was so quiet, one could hear their own heart beating.

Until someone in the back wheezed with laughter.

And now the entire hall was cracking up.

“Hiccup the Useless? Our savior? Ha!” “How is that fishbone supposed to do anything to help us?” “He’s too skinny!”

Hiccup slumped over, discouraged. But he couldn’t say he expected anything else from the Berkians.

The Madrigals all became very cross at this reaction, and Isabela especially had to stop herself from unleashing a bushel of poison ivy into the crowd. She was the only one allowed to make fun of Hiccup!

Mirabel glowered at the crowd, with great anger and frustration. Now seeing exactly what the boy had to endure, what made him so insecure and self-deprecating.

She looked over to him, eyes brimming with concern. He looked…resigned. Like he knew this would happen, and was just accepting it as the natural way of things.

She placed a supportive hand on his arm, but he didn’t respond.

“The best thing that traitor could do for us is LEAVE!” Spitelout chortled.

“Ha! Good one, dad!” Snotlout held his hand out for a high-five, but he was ignored. Instead, his slapped his other hand to his palm.

Honestly, Hiccup was tempted to leave.

Stoick was boiling with anger. But before he could let his irritation be known, a shrill screech reverberated throughout the building.

Toothless jumped in front of Hiccup, and roared at the crowd. Clearly quite angry with them.

Every Viking scurried to acquire some sort of weapon, but they stopped when they saw what came next.

Hiccup had gotten the creature’s attention.

“I appreciate the thought, bud. But we really don’t want to start a fight here…” He whispered to the dragon.

The Night Fury was insistent on blasting the crowd. Just a warning shot, to remind them not to mess with his friends. But Hiccup shut the idea down immediately.

“TOOTHLESS, NO!”

As his authoritative shout, the dragon put out the fire in his throat. And soon he returned to a docile state, though he still glared daggers at those in attendance.

The crowd was dumbstruck.

He commanded a Night Fury, one of the deadliest dragons imaginable, and it listened to him.

Yes, they’d seen him fly off on it. But bearing witness to the creature loyally obeying such a small boy right in front of them made them realize something.

Perhaps…the chief was right.

Maybe Hiccup could get the Night Fury to kill the dragon queen for them, and make all the dragons leave them forever.

And for as troublesome as he was, and as weird and un-Viking as he could be…

He was prepared to risk his life for them.

If they wanted him to help them, they’d better get on his good side.

“LET’S HEAR IT FOR HICCUP!”

A cacophony of celebratory shouting filled the space, as a horde of Vikings stormed forwards. Grabbing Hiccup before he’d even had a chance to realize what was happening.

Together, they repeatedly threw the boy into the air. Showering him with praise as they did so.

“Our savior!” “Kill the queen, lad! End the war!” “You’re not that skinny!”

He yelped every time he was tossed upwards, but what surprised him even more than being thrown was being applauded.

He had never, ever been given this kind of treatment on Berk. It was quite jarring.

Stoick watched, bursting with pride and joy. At this rate, there would be no reason for Hiccup not to stay.

Mirabel was utterly confounded by the sudden change, but she was happy that they weren’t treating her boyfriend so harshly. At least for now.

Spitelout hadn’t joined in on the cheering, and he soon shoved his way through the crowd to demand an answer to another one of their questions.

“Alright, fine! So the boy wants to get himself killed, good for him!” He pointed to the Madrigals, overflowing with distrust. “But just who are they supposed to be?”

Stoick looked to Hiccup, expectantly. As did the Madrigals. He said he’d had a cover story for them.

Every Viking followed their gaze, and soon were looking at Hiccup too. Awaiting his response.

From atop his perched position, the scrawny teen gulped. “Th-They’re my friends!” He spoke, nervously.

Such a noncommittal answer did nothing to satiate their curiosities.

“Is that the best he’s got?” Camilo whispered to his relatives, unimpressed.

Clambering down from the Vikings holding him up, he moved to stand in front of his family.

He began to speak, in a dramatic tone. And added extra flourishes to his movements.

He had to sell this story, to deter them from inquiring about the miracle. And there was nothing Vikings enjoyed more than a tall-tale.

“I met them in a strange land, far away from the archipelago…” He could already see the crowd becoming enraptured by his story, before it’d even got started.

“You see, my friends here have been given gifts by the Gods. Vowing to use their powers for good, they came along with me to help slay the dragon queen!” At the mention of sacred gifts, the audience became baffled.

What in Thor’s name was he talking about?

Hiccup glanced to his companions, and whispered to them hastily. “Just follow my lead…”

Clearing his throat, he gestured to Luisa. “Presenting…Luisa the Mountainous! Graced with the gift of tremendous strength, she could lift this entire island like it was a feather!”

The crowd all looked to Luisa, questioningly. Hiccup gave her an urging nod, and she understood his silent request.

A demonstration was in order.

She moved to the back of the Great Hall, towards one of the massive statues. With barely a hint of effort, she hefted the entire statue into the air.

With just her finger and her thumb.

Awestruck, the crowd broke into feverish applause. Berkians loved a good show of strength, and this was something else entirely.

She shyly smiled at their approval.

“This…is Isabela the Wild! She can grow any plant you can think of, but don’t underestimate her! This rose has thorns…” Isabela rolled her eyes.

“That line was super cheesy…” She whispered.

“Just do the thing!” He whispered back.

With a flick of her wrist, she manifested a garden. Comprised of ravenous flytraps, massive thorny vines, and an array of particularly pointy cacti.

Impressed by the deadly greenery, the Vikings gave the girl her share of applause.

She flippantly tossed her hair, and dissipated the garden.

“This is- “

Before Hiccup could introduce him, Camilo butted it and did his own introduction.

“I am known as…Camilo the Chaotic! Reincarnation of Loki!” To prove his point, he began shifting into several of the Vikings in attendance.

While initially surprised, the Berkians began to find his antics amusing. Not to mention that having Loki on their side would certainly help them turn the tides of the war.

During this time, Ruffnut and Tuffnut cheered the loudest from the crowd.

“Oh, great. He’s got a God complex now…” Hiccup sighed.

Finally, it was time to introduce them to a certain bespectacled girl.

Subconsciously, Mirabel found herself awaiting just what he was going to say about her.

With a growing smirk, Hiccup gestured to his girlfriend.

“Behold…Mirabel the Miraculous!”

“Her gift isn’t as obvious as the others. But she has the incredible ability to find a solution to any problem! Her ingenuity and creativity are unparalleled…” He glanced to her with a wide smile. “…And we’d all be lost without her!”

Her heart fluttered, and warmed immensely at his kind words. And she returned his smile with an even brighter one.

“…Is that it?”

From the crowd, Spitelout asked the question. “No fire powers, or time travel or…shooting lasers from her eyes? She just…thinks good?”

It was then that Hiccup realized he’d made a mistake.

Because he’d forgotten that Berkians do not value thinking.

Before he could say anything else, it was too late.

The Vikings began laughing at the girl, loudly mocking her lack of a gift.

“Imagine being the only mortal in a family of demigods!” Spitelout chortled.

Immediately, Mirabel’s smile fell. And was replaced with a look both portraying self-consciousness and familiarity. Her deep brown eyes, quivering with humiliation.

Hiccup felt awful, and quickly moved to comfort her. As if he could physically shield her from their jeering.

Isabela, Luisa, Camilo, and Toothless all grew scowls, and were nearly ready to throw down.

No one upsets Mirabel.

Before the group could start wrecking the hall and all who resided within, Stoick once again demanded total silence.

“QUIEEET!!!”

Glaring at the village, Stoick voiced his dissatisfaction.

“These are our guests!” He shouted. “They have traveled here from their home, far away from here, just to aid us! You are not to make them feel unwelcome in any way!”

“The next person to insult this girl, answers to me…understood?” He seethed.

Silent, stiff nods were what he received.

Hiccup and the Madrigals gawked at the bearded man in surprise. Why did he defend her?

“Now here’s what’s going to happen…” It was time to wrap this meeting up, and Stoick decided that a brief summary was needed.

Vikings did not have the best memories.

“Hiccup and his companions are going to stay with us for the time being, while we come up with a battle plan. Once we have our course of action, we’ll launch a full-scale attack on the nest. And end this war for good.”

“We will treat our guests with the utmost respect…or else.” Satisfied that they’d gotten the message, Stoick called the meeting to a close in the traditional Berkian manner.

“We’re done here! Go! Get out!”

The crowd began shuffling outside, and the hall gradually became less and less stuffy.

Soon, all who remained there were the chief, and dragon, and four and a half Madrigals.

Stoick turned to the young group. “You will stay in the Great Hall during your time here. Blankets will be provided for you, and food is served here three times a day. But while you’re here, you’ll be expected to assist the village where you can.”

“Isn’t taking care of your dragon problem assisting enough?” Camilo snarked.

A stern glare from Mirabel wiped the smirk off his face. “That won’t be an issue.” She spoke. “And…thanks. For sticking up for me…”

Wordlessly, he nodded to her.

“There’s much I must attend to. The life of a chief is a busy one…” He began heading for the exit. “Enjoy the rest of your day, we’ll begin discussing strategy tomorrow. Come, Hiccup.”

Ignoring the urge to just tell him to buzz off, especially after what he’d done for Mirabel, Hiccup opted for a more diplomatic approach.

“Actually, I was thinking I’d take them on a tour of the island. See the sights, avoid the smells, you know…” His tone was nonchalant, but there was an underlying quality to it that implied he wasn’t going to be dissuaded.

Stoick was initially shocked, but soon he regained his composure and nodded once more. “Very well. I’ll see you later, then.”

And with that, he left.

After waiting a moment to ensure they wouldn’t bump into him, their group left as well.

The sun was shining brightly, the oppressive blanket of grey clouds briefly clearing. And yet it was still freakishly cold.

They had to shield their eyes from the brightness, upon exiting the dark building. As they did so, Isabela boiled with rage.

“Ugh, what is with those guys!?” She grumbled.

“They’re Vikings. Not exactly the masters of sensitivity.” Hiccup sighed, before placing a hand on Mirabel’s shoulder. “But hey, don’t let them get to you. They’re just a bunch of- “

“It’s fine, I'm fine...” Mirabel cut off his attempts at reassuring her. She truly appreciated it, but she’d rather focus on something else.

“Besides, didn’t you say you would take us on a tour?” She asked, small smile returning.

“I did, didn’t I?” Grinning, Hiccup moved to the front of the pack. “Allow me to welcome you all to the Island of Berk!” He announced.

His grin fell when he noticed that his companions were all shivering. With chattering teeth and skin covered in goosebumps.

After spending time in the relatively warm Great Hall, the bitter cold of the outside was now even more bitter and cold.

And now that he thought about it, in just his white button-up, he was pretty chilly too…

“Actually…we should get some new clothes first.” He suggested.

The freezing Madrigals whole-heartedly agreed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stepping out from the local tailor’s, the four and a half Madrigals were now equipped with clothing that would help them withstand the cold climate.

Hiccup’s outfit was remarkably similar to what he wore every day, when he still lived on Berk. The only difference was that his tunic was a teal blue, instead of green. He was a cool color now, he had to represent.

Mirabel wore a fluffy fur coat, cobalt in color. With white fuzz surrounding the upper-arm length sleeves, and outlining her massive hood. She had a darker blue pleated skirt, black leggings, and grey fur boots. A skull emblem was pinned on the chest of her coat.

Luisa was wearing a sleeveless, violet shirt. With metal shoulder pads, and a small fur cape. Spiked braces were attached to her wrists. She had a bronze belt around her waist, depicting a coiled serpent. Her brown skirt was adorned with metal studs, and she wore brown fur boots.

Isabela’s shirt was a faded magenta, and it was also sleeveless. Black fur lined the collar, which was slanted to bare a single shoulder. A belt with metal studs sat above her charcoal-black skirt, covered in spikes. She had bracelets made of thorny vines, black leggings, and her boots were fur as well.

Camilo’s attire was very close to that of Ruffnut and Tuffnut’s. A pale tangerine tunic, with a grey wrapping around the midsection. Similar wrappings also covered his forearms. A black fur coat covered his back, and grey pants covered his legs. A tooth of some kind hung around his neck. The most obvious feature was his helmet. Its horns were huge, jutting straight out and curving slightly upwards. They made him look way taller than he really was. Like the rest of his relatives, his boots were made of fur.

Toothless didn’t need a wardrobe change. He was perfect.

“How do you even walk with those?” Isabela asked, as Camilo fought to keep his balance.

“Very, very carefully!” He answered, wobbling on his feet.

“I feel so…poofy.” Mirabel said, examining her new coat.

Luisa smiled down on her. “I think it looks good on you, sis!”

The four Madrigals then stopped their idle chit-chat, as the fifth member of their group arrived.

And they all started laughing.

Hiccup slumped over, annoyed. Twice, he’s been laughed at today. “…I really don’t get what’s so funny…”

“N-No, it’s just…” Mirabel was trying to talk through her snickering. “You look just like how you did when you first arrived in the Encanto!”

“God, it’s been so long…” Isabela sighed. “You were so little, and geeky…”

“I mean, you still are! But you were then too!” She grinned, earning even more laughter from the others.

Despite his agitation, Hiccup found himself laughing along with them.

They were right, it really has been such a long time since he’s worn something like this. He was nearly a completely different person, back then.

“Alright!” He called, getting their attention. He then performed an elaborate pose, as he made his announcement. “I welcome you all to the Island of Berk! For real this time!”

Now that they were all ready to face the chilly weather, the tour of Berk finally began.