Chapter Text
After the chief’s newest command, the twins left the hall and walked home. As most people were in the hall or already in bed, the village was oddly silent, borderline peaceful. A rarity for a village plagued by frequent dragon attacks. Especially one that was potentially frequented by a Night Fury, even though that one had been missing the last few attacks, considering their towers tended to last multiple raids now.
As they passed Gobber's forge, they noticed a construction. Gobber used it the last raid a few days ago, before they found Vidkun’s book. Or tome as he called it. They assume Vidkun is a dude, considering Vidkun is by their standards a male name.
“Vidkun said to destroy the launcher, right?” Ruffnut asked. She gestured to the launcher. “Well, now no one would notice it.”
Tuffnut nod slowly. “Anything planned? Taking it apart?”
Ruff shrugged. “Let’s go with that.”
They snuck up to the launcher and took a look at it. “I have no idea what anything is for.” Tuff said, “To think he build it. And that it works.”
Ruffnut then started to rut though some ropes with a dagger. Only to stop and say, “Would Gobber be able to replace the ropes?” Her brother shrugged. “I mean, Gobber was Hiccup’s mentor, he taught him stuff, but did you ever saw Gobber build something as complicated than this.”
“Well, his method of sorting and storing stuff at the forge seems to be complicated.” Tuffnut replied, “Heard Gustav’s cousin gave it a try, to be an apprentice. Einar said he couldn’t handle the chaos, never found something.” Tuffnut eyed the forge. “It doesn’t look that bad.” Then he saw a torch. Lit and lighting the area. “Anyway, you think Gobber could fix a burnt bola launcher?”
Ruffnut’s eyes widen. “No.”
From their hut’s roof, they saw something burning near the forge. The bola launcher. Surrounded by people, trying to put the fire out.
“Was this a dragon?!” they could hear someone yell. They were sure it was Astrid’s mother.
Both climbed back into their room and opened Vidkun’s tome.
I assume you made a decision?
The question came instantly, to the surprise of the twins. Ruffnut told him, “Yes. We, we destroyed Hiccup’s bola launcher.”
In what way? According to a source, your blacksmith uses it. I am sure he figured out to fix it in some ways.
“We set it on fire.”
Good job, Ruffnut! In that case, I will introduce you to the basics of magic. Some people give up on magic, so I only ask you to free the dragons if you commit fully to this.
“I thought you are a friend of the dragons?” Tuffnut pointed out, “But that would leave them in danger.”
I simply free them myself if you decide against, Tufffnut. Even if it means to step on your island.
“Not fond of Berk, huh?” Ruff voiced.
Well, as a dragon rider, of course I consider dragon slayers to be enemies.
“Wait, rider? You ride dragons?” both twins gasped.
Flying on a dragon’s back makes going around the archipelago easy. I could easily reach Berk in mere days if I wish to. Well, depends what dragon I ride on. A Deadly Nadder is faster than a Gronkle after all.
“Could we ride dragons as well?” Ruffnut probed. Tuffnut gave her a look. “Just imagine it, Tuff!”
I like your enthusiasm, Ruffnut! I would love to convert slayers to riders, so I would try to teach you as well, as much as I can via the two way tome. Now, I would like to get you started with something very easy, a basic levitation spell. Do you have sheets of paper on your end? They don’t have to be empty, but if they are, good. Magic is channelled by drawing sigils, symbols representing the spell.
“Making paper float doesn’t sound that useful.” Tuff argued.
But paper is good to practice. When you can make paper float, feel free to use the sigil on Meldrew's sheep or something.
The twins nod, liking the idea of annoying Meldrew that way. “Yes! Now, what do we need to do?”
A sigil appeared on the page. Under it the text: Draw it in one go on paper. If it glows and the paper floats, you got it. It helps to say the spell the first few times you use it. Followed by the incantation in question. After a few attempts, Ruffnut got her paper to float.
“Oh, by Loki, it worked!”
You were seriously sceptical, Tuffnut? You literally talk with a self writing book.
“I know, but seeing it it in person. Woah.” After seeing his sister do it, Tuffnut managed to do it as well. “Awesome.”
Practice it a few times before you do your prank. Now that you managed the float spell in it’s most basic form, I have a matter to attend to, so I need to go.
“Oh, really?” Ruff voiced. “Until tomorrow, then?”
Until tomorrow.
As the twins tried to leave their family hut to practice the spell in the forest, their father’s voice jumped them, “You going out? Good! I need to place an order with Gobber.” Their father handed Ruffnut a folded piece of paper and Tuffnut an axe. “My lumbering axe needs to be sharpened and your mother’s axe needs to be replaced.”
Ruffnut shrugged, “Well, we wanted to check on Gobber anyway.”
“We did?” Tuff asked.
“Yes, to ask if he needs fire wood.” his sister pretended to remind him.
“Oh, right.”
“So you do this for me, good.” their father said. “Don’t tell your mother I asked you to do this, Arda thinks I overwork you. If she sees you, tell her you do it out of your own volition.”
“Sure, dad.” Ruffnut said. “Did you break one of her pots again?”
“Oh, shush, you two.” He pushed them out of the house and closed their door.
“Wood collecting?” Tuff asked his sister.
“An excuse to spend time in the forest.” she said, “Now get going.”
After dropping their father’s order at Gobber's and asking about the required amount of wood they need to collect, the duo made their way to the forest. Somewhere in a clearing, the siblings started to practice their magic.
“Hey, hey, try to make me float!” Tuffnut asked his sister. He handed her a charcoal pen and pulled his shirt up, for her to draw the spell circle on his belly. Ruffnut just rolled her eyes and tried to draw it on him, but his soft belly made it difficult to draw a round circle freehandedly. “Hehehe, that tickles!”
When Ruffnut was done and said the incantation, the circle started to glow and her brother to float up. “Oh Loki, it works!” she cheered. “How does it feel?”
“Weird!” he replied. As he floated any higher, he started to wonder, “Uh, how do I get down?” He reached the trees and grabbed a twig. “Uh, Ruffnut!”
His sister tried to think. “Try-Try to rub the circle off!”
Tuffnut did his best to hold onto the tree with just one hand while he spit into his other, free hand and started to rub off the charcoal circle. One second to another, he fell down, the twig snapping under his weight. Ruffnut ran under him and caught him. “Uhu, thanks.”
“Gods, you’re heavy.” she dropped him. “We need to ask Vidkun for a better way to end these spells.”
“Yeah…” Tuff groaned in slight pain.
After they returned with the wood after tiring themselves out from their magic experiments, Gobber eyed the wood and asked, “What took you so long?” He had a hunch they just took their sweet time to avoid him.
Tuffnut lied, “We ran into a boar.”
“More like she ran into us.” Ruffnut added to their lie.
“Hm, you look tired enough to be chased by a boar.” Gobber commented. “Either way, thanks. Oh, and I already got parts of your dad’s order done! Huffnut really needs to stop touching Arda’s pots.”
“Noted.” Ruff said, “Thanks, Gobber.”
Later that day, when the night announced itself with the twilight, a tower was blown up.
“Dragons!” their father yelled as the raid ‘officially’ began.
The twins sat on their hut and watched the mayhem. But watching the dragons raid their food, attack their tribe’s members and burn their village, Ruffnut started to wonder, “Seeing this, how can Vidkun or anyone befriend dragons?”
Her brother just shrugged, before he froze as that dooming whistle appeared.
“Night Fury!”
Not that they know for a fact that it is a Night Fury. But the fact it is borderline invisible to them, and is followed by that whistle, they are certain it is a Night Fury. The whistle was ended by a blue blast trashing another tower.
Last night, before they returned to bed, Ruffnut wrote into the book why Vidkun befriends dragons despite their attacks. By the next morning, Vidkun wrote his answer for the twins to read.
Ruffnut, Tuffnut, I understand why you are sceptical. The thing is, the dragons that raid the Archipelago do not act out of their own free will. There is a Dragon Queen who commands dragons, controls them into serving her. Namely to collect food for her.
“Oh Odin…” Tuffnut whispered in awe. He couldn’t even fathom what such a dragon would be. “So basically their own Snotlout.”
That is your tribes’ new heir, yes?
“Yeah. Then again, he is the Chief’s nephew, so it no question that he’s the heir now. Now that… well…” Ruffnut continued.
Right, the passing of Chief Haddock’s son. I heard rumours that he acted as your blacksmith?
“Well, his apprentice.” Ruffnut continued, “But he did so much work for Gobber…”
How is this Gobber handling things? Is he looking for an apprentice? Not to be that guy, but at some point he will need a successor as well. A tribe struggles without a blacksmith, especially ones who tend to fight with others a lot.
“He has a point, Ruff.” Tuffnut agreed. “Gobber seems to look. At least he asked if one of our age group would be up for it. Well, he mainly asked if Fishlegs Ingermann would be up for it, but…”
I take it he rejected?
“Dunno if Fish gave it a try.” Ruff said, “He didn’t seem interested.”
Her brother admitted, “I actually talked to Fish the other day about it, at supper in the Great Hall. He said, while he is honoured Gobber asks about him, he doesn’t think he can life up to Hiccup’s skills. Apparently he feels bad for never… I dunno, being nice to Hiccup?” Tuffnut added, at a lower volume, “He seems to think Hiccup, um… killed himself.”
Suicide? O my…
Vidkun didn’t write more for a bit, before adding. Call in morbid curiosity, but what makes him think Hiccup committed suicide?
“No one treated him well, that or ignored him. It was an open secret that the chief and him had a bad relationship.” Tuffnut said, “And as we didn’t find a body, Fish thinks he… jumped. Off a cliff.”
Eh, kinda off putting he put so much thought into it…
“Yeah, I don’t feel like talking any more.” Ruffnut said before slamming the tome shut. She told her brother, “I don’t know about you, but I find it weird that he knew about Hiccup being Gobber's apprentice.”
Her brother just nod. “Not as off putting as Fish’s theory, though.”
“Nah, I consider Vidkun more creepy.”
Tuffnut then pointed out, “We forgot to ask about cancelling spells.”
Ruffnut watched Gobber finish up the rest of her father’s order. As she watched him form the metal, she started to think, ‘This looks kinda interesting. Maybe I could give it a try?’
So when she returned home, she asked Vidkun, “I… consider becoming Gobber's apprentice. Do you have any tips for a smithing novice?”
Vidkun proceeded to write five pages worth of blacksmithing knowledge, including but not limited to a step-by-step explanation of the process to make (what Vidkun claims to be) the perfect dagger. He was very excited that she asked about another passion of his.
I wish you luck! Many blacksmiths tend to test potential apprentices, unless they are desperate. Then they just take whoever asks.
As Vidkun told them, Gobber tasked Ruffnut to make a dagger without any help to access her skills. Due to this, she send her brother away, so that she can focus better. However Tuffnut still stayed close to the forge, from time to time glancing how his twin is faring in her test.
‘Of all people, I didn’t think she would attempt to replace him.’ Fishlegs voice jumped Tuffnut. ‘As Gobber's apprentice, not… his other role…’
Tuff caught his breath. He didn’t even notice the giant teen sneak up on him. ‘Oh, Fishlegs, didn’t notice you.’ Tuff replied to not appear as if Fishlegs scared him. ‘His other role, no question Snots takes his place.’
But Fishlegs shook his head. ‘I wasn’t talking about his place as heir.’
Tuffnut angled his head. ‘Then what are you talking about?’ Hiccup was either heir or Gobber's apprentice. Albeit it would have been more accurate to call him his assistant.
Fishlegs looked around before bowing down to Tuffnut’s height. ‘A few weeks before Hiccup vanished, I overheard Hiccup, Gobber and Gothi talk to the chief. They proposed Hiccup should step back, so that Snot can take the spot as heir while Hiccup becomes Gothi’s apprentice. Well, and while she is still the tribe healer, he would have remained Gobber's apprentice.’
Tuffnut blinked in confusion. ‘Why would Gothi choose him for that role?’
‘Didn’t you know?’ Fishlegs replied, ‘Valka, his mother, is a grand daughter of Gothi, meaning she is-was Hiccup’s great grand mother.’
‘I did not know that.’ Tuffnut admitted. But it explains why the elder became more solitary after his vanishing, and avoidant of the chief. ‘Oh Odin.’
Fishlegs nod. ‘If you tell anyone other than Ruffnut, don’t mention I told you that.’ He then left. ‘The chief said we shall not speak about his son.’
After a few hours, Ruffnut’s dagger was finished and she presented it to Gobber. Before looking at the dagger, he told her, ‘You seem to have known what to do, when to do. How come?’
Ruffnut lied, ‘I watched you and Hiccup from time to time.’ She couldn’t tell him about Vidkun’s guidance.
Gobber was silent for a bit before replying, ‘Right, right. You said that was how you became interested to begin with. Now lets take a look.’ He balanced the dagger on his fingers of his remaining hand and felt the edges with his fingers. ‘Not bad for a first try. Reminds me of…’
‘Of what?’
‘One of Hiccup’s first daggers. In that case, ya will be a promising apprentice, lassie.’ Gobber told her. ‘I expect you to come tomorrow bright and early.’
Ruffnut opened the door with so much vigour, it jumped her brother and father and a wide, proud smile. Her mother just turned to the door and asked, ‘I assume you passed Gobber's test?’
‘I did! I’m his apprentice now.’ Ruffnut stated. ‘Meaning I may be gone by the time you wake up.’
‘I’m proud of you!’ her mother said.
Her dad just shrugged, ‘So am I, but I would prefer if you find a husband.’ Only to freeze, when his wife glared daggers at him. ‘A-And Tuffnut, you also should find a profession!’ But his son wasn’t listening to him, too busy high fiving his twin.
The only thing illuminating the arena was the lone torch Ruffnut was holding, as she and her twin walked though the arena in the dead of the night. In the middle of the arena, both stopped. ‘Should we do this? Should we commit to this?’ Ruffnut asked again. ‘In a way, we do betray Berk…’
‘Considering there will be the point Snotlout calls the shots… I don’t care that we betray Berk in a way.’ her brother countered. He recalled the way Snotlout treated Astrid over the last few weeks. ‘You know, maybe we should introduce Astrid to Vidkun. She could use the magic, too.’
‘But what if he is against this?’ Ruff pointed out.
Her brother just shrugged. ‘If she knows, not much he can do but teach her as well in exchange for her silence.’
Ruffnut sighed. A part of her doesn’t want to tell the other blonde. ‘But she is so bossy!’ And rarely fun, at least by their definition of fun. ‘And she is a tad too loyal.’ Ruff took a deep breath. ‘Lets do this.’
With that, the twins opened one dragon cage after the other. To their surprise, not even the Nadder nor the Monstrous Nightmare attacked them. Sure, they showcased their spikes and flames respectfully, but like the Zippleback and Gronkle, they just sniffed at then and left.
The Zippleback, unlike its brethren, stayed behind for a while and eyed the twins. One head focused on Ruffnut and the other on Tuffnut. After a while, the twin headed dragon gurred and flew off with the rest.
The dragons had left their prison, leaving the twins alone in the arena.
‘Did you notice that?’ Ruffnut asked.
Her brother guessed, ‘They didn’t attack us like Vidkun said they won’t?’
She shook her head. ‘No, their eyes. Small when we opened the cages, but big and round after smelling us.’ He just nod. Ruffnut then started to walk out. ‘Let us go, before anyone sees us here. And we need to tell Vidkun we’re committed to his teachings now.’
You freed the dragons in the arena? Wonderful news, you two! I was already worried I would need to pay Berk a visit myself and free these precious creatures.
Ruffnut and Tuffnut looked into each other’s eyes. Something about the notion of Vidkun visiting Berk just sounded dangerous. Ruffnut dared to ask, ‘What now, Vidkun?’
To unlock your full magical potential, you need to tame a dragon.
Following this, Vidkun dropped over a dozen pages on how to do so. Luckily, he also dropped a one page long overview on them.
Admittedly, I am a bit worried. This is something that should be taught in person, but…
‘Considering the bond to dragons unlocks magic, would a showcase of Magic tell the dragons we mean no harm?’ Ruffnut theorized.
It could. I… never tried that.
The hardest part was to find a dragon. The dragons from the arena, they left them flee. It made sense that they didn’t stick around as to not be recaptured, but this also means that no other dragons bother with Berk, unless they raid the village.
By now Gobber got used to Tuffnut hanging around the forge, albeit he was still sceptical. Tuff peered over his sister’s shoulder, pretending to look at the sword she was making. He whispered to Ruff, ‘Let’s hope Vidkun isn’t thinking we dropped him.’ He wasn’t sure if they could even find a dragon in a timely manner. But if Vidkun considers their inability as just not doing as promised… to some extent, the posibility of Vidkun as an enemy was scary to the twins.
Ruffnut just shrugged, ‘Vidkun should know. He knows a lot.’ She shuddered, ‘Thinking about it…’
‘Yeah.’ Him knowing stuff he should not doesn’t help with that subdue feeling fo fear. ‘Yeah, he should.’