34. what Selardalr looks like now

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"So, why does this seem so impossible?" Hiccup asked his own thoughts.

The only answer came in the form of Toothless, who came up to his side and nuzzle his arm. His Night Fury had undergone some growth of his own over the years: even kneeling on all fours he could reach up to Hiccup's chest. His body had gotten longer, larger, and more developed, his muscles more powerful and more prominent spines growing along the backs of his legs and his head and tail. His wingspan had gotten much greater, and his tailfin could cover a small child like Alvis completely with just one fin. Spending so much time with Hiccup had also enlightened him to more human mannerisms, shown in how he suddenly gave a light, playful 'punch' with his clenched claws.

'I didn't think stuff like this would faze you, compared to everything else you've gotten through.' He said in a rumble.

Hiccup sighed and plopped himself down on the ground, laying his head down on the grass. "I guess I'm just... bummed out we didn't have more time for stuff like... this." What he could define as 'this,' if he could put it all into words, was everything: flying, exploring, childhood things. He had to admit, the sadness and isolation he felt while he was on Berk didn't give him much of one. He felt like his life had actually begun on that day he came back to Selardalr, beaten from the battle with the Red Death. And he had so little time to figure things out ever since.

"Toothless, just who am I?" He had to wonder. He wasn't the cold stone of a man his father was, and he never knew his mother since no one ever told him about her. In fact, any kind of mention of her left people in a bad mood and more willing to avoid him than usual. All he wanted was answers.

'You're Hiccup, the Dragon Whisperer, Savior of Dragons, leader of men, and my best friend.' Toothless warbled, laying his large head down on Hiccup's chest, just looking at him with those adoring eyes.

Hiccup just looked back at him and rubbed his head absentmindedly. "You really think I'm ready for this, bud?"

'I know you are.' Toothless' look spoke for him, and right out of the blue, he started showering him in a barrage of slobbery dragon licks, a small one on the chin before the onslaught began. Hiccup groaned in frustration and rolled out of the Night Fury's grip, landing on his feet and shaking off the drool.

"You KNOW that doesn't wash out!" He complained, with Toothless giving a throaty dragon laugh in response. He swatted the dragon spit right onto Toothless' face before climbing back in the saddle with Toothless cleaning himself and licking his paw again.

"All right then," he said with a sigh, "if it's a one-legged dragon rider they want for a chief, it's a one legged dragon rider they'll get." Toothless's eyes sparkled and he let out an excited bark. His best friend Hiccup, chief of a human tribe; who would have thought? He spread his wings wide and they took off again, making their way back to the village on Selardalr.

As Hiccup and Toothless were flying across the ocean to get back home, he briefly wondered how Berk was doing. He tried not to think about it much, mostly because remembering such bitter times there just gave him a headache. They all figured he would have reached the pinnacle of his potential once his title changed to 'Useful.' Sure he got recognition there for a little while, but that was only when they figured he was finally starting to be like them; it sickened him to know how they frowned on individualism. If someone wasn't a bloodthirsty killer like them, they might as well have been an insect.

"They probably threw a party when I left," Hiccup said out-loud, bitterly, tightening his grip on the saddle bar. "I bet they were all so glad to have me out of the picture. Especially Dad."

Toothless nodded his head in agitation, snarling as he could just picture all the ways they'd hurt his Hiccup. 'I can't believe how they'd treated you. From everything you told me, I'm surprised you didn't ditch those jerks a long time ago.'

Hiccup scoffed in agreement. "If they could only see me now, a dragon rider, married to a great woman, with a son, a new baby on the way, and soon-to-be chief of a major tribe. Heh, I'd love to show them." He shook his head and chuckled softly. "I'd love to show them how a hiccup ended up becoming the greatest Viking alive."

He looked from their general direction down to his companion and gave him a pet on the head. "And you too, Toothless. If only they could see you, the only known living Night Fury. Oh, the looks on their faces, I can just picture them."

'Hey, come on, you've got more important things to think about.' Toothless said as they reached the shores of Selardalr, flying all the way to the village. To a newcomer, they would not believe what they'd be seeing.

Though raids never hit Selardalr as often as they did on Berk, they still hit hard, and that meant Vikings had to rebuild their homes here like they did anywhere else. Of course, that also meant that Vikings were good at rebuilding their homes fast, really, it was like second nature to them. It was a good thing, too, otherwise all the upgrades around the village would not have been possible to make in such a short time, and with Vikings and dragons now working together, and things got done at record-breaking speed, near triple the work done in half the time.

And now, with the wars a thing of the past, many homes had undergone major remodels, some being two or three stories high, and with greater attention to detail and sturdiness. There were new systems of pumping warm water into the homes to keep them warm during cold winter nights. Houses were lined with perches that had been updated from the ones that were originally built eight years ago: some were attached to the sides while others lined up along pairs of houses. Perches could also be found on the sides of the Viking totem poles that lied near the edge of the island. The perches on the houses all had buckets of water attached to them, ready to turn down in case of errant fire blasts, part of a system of aqueducts designed specifically for fire prevention.

The buckets all over the island were connected to several reservoirs to constantly refill them with water, not the least providing of which was the large massive one that stood near the village plaza. The rainwater that the foreign dragons provided for watering crops always helped in keeping these reservoirs full at all times, and they also served as a good source of drinking water. The house built on the side of the rock where the main reservoir was built was where some of this water was channeled to serve drinking needs thanks to an indoor water wheel with buckets that could produce gallons of drinking water in half a day.

Also standing in the plaza and in other places were massive feeding stations for the dragons; while some were simply large barrels with open bottoms for the fish to pile out on and others had dispensers shaped like Viking mouths. The main one in the main square was the most impressive: a massive dragon-operated bowl of fish connected with three smaller bowls of water with a main gear in the center and connecting bars. By pressing their feet against a lever, the water poured out via dragon shaped tubes into small bowls near the bottom that they could drink from, and cranking the lever on the gear produced fish in the bottommost bowl to eat.

A personal favorite was the grooming stations, though: near the edge of the plaza were several stations filled with small perches, rotating bars with numerous brushes, spiked rollers, and canopy-styled holes filled with coals that were constantly heated with fire and billows built inside. Dragons could use the brushes or have their riders scratch them at the Viking operated stations to wash and groom them, they could use the rollers to shed off itchy dead scales, and finally relax in the hot coals while being gently shaded.

The coals were an excellent way to relax and ease muscle tension, which was all but given considering how heavy their riders were; there were even tracks along one particular dual coal pit which could be refilled with new coals again and again. Hiccup remembered how positive the reaction to the grooming stations were; he had gotten nuzzled and licked so much from so many dragons it's a wonder he wasn't crushed and drowned in a pool of slobber.

Some of the more notable changes could be found in the numerous farmhouses around the village, some large enough to house ten dragons at one time. There were numerous levels and openings on each side, and pulleys were there to bring in new hay for the nests inside. The children loved the farmhouses too: their construction was so expansive, with their numerous levels and passages they were always lots of fun to play in.

The numerous tunnels that had been constructed by the Whispering Deaths and other Boulder class dragons for shelter had been converted into underground stables and enclosures sprawled out all over the caverns with plenty of openings made just so they could get out and spread their wings. There were all kinds of pocketed spaces for dragons of every type and temperament, and there were also saddle racks for Vikings to place saddles on. This space was meant for new dragon arrivals or dragons that had yet to find riders: they could rest in cozy spaces until a suitable rider was found for them, and the saddle racks all over made sure that new pairs were always ready to go.

Built along the sides of the island along the cliffs were the large dragon hangars for the majority of the Selardalr dragons – the main one was built similarly to a large-scale version of a normal triangle-shaped Viking home. It had a large runway for taking off, side exits for Vikings coming and going, automated storm doors, and a water delivery system for cleaning purposes. Other types of hangars looked more like birdhouses with numerous levels and doors, built to pacify the more fussy dragons.

A lot of things around the new Selardalr were automated now powered by the many windmills and waterwheels built around the island, atop and alongside the rocks surrounding them to the sides of houses and even the docks. One windmill was even built over a small house filled with all kinds of crazy machines, operating pulleys that sent sacks of supplies down to the village.

The windmills themselves had a unique design, shaped like the wings of dragons, and they were powered by the very same source. It was truly ingenious of Hiccup to take the natural occurrence of dragons flying around daily and the waves hitting the island and turn that into a new power source. Not the least of which that was powered by these windmills and waterwheels was the blacksmith's shop turned Dragon Armory.

This was pretty much the nerve center of the place, designing everything from custom made saddles to fit each rider and dragons' needs and preferences to making fire-proof riding gear to counteract some of the more hazardous abilities. Thanks to the shop's large size, there was all sorts of room for the mechanisms and operating systems built in to move tools and supplies automatically. This made the ever-increasing demand of dragon-riding gear all the easier to fulfill.

The shop was actually split into two halves: where the front served as the armory, the back served as a sort of dragon hospital. Using the same systems, this side was dedicated to curing every kind of dragon malady from sprained wings to even missing limbs, designing prosthetics and wing slings for them and even their riders, of course. They also helped to fix dragon teeth, which was more of an everyday thing due to all the stuff that accidentally ended up in a dragon's mouth.

Constructed on the side of the island near the Academy were the bleachers, large rows of wooden seats with colorful banners of dragons supported by pillars that extended down to the shallow ocean waters below. There were seats on two sides, while in the center was a large fence with a seat in the center reserved for the chief. Bleachers, to some, might seem like an odd addition, but it was perfectly necessary for villagers to watch the island's new favorite sport: dragon racing.

Because the wars had long since ended, the Vikings and dragons both found themselves with large amounts of excess energy and tension that they didn't know what to do with. And mere construction projects weren't exactly enough to satisfy this need. Somehow, Hiccup had gotten the idea for the game while riding Toothless to chase a sheep that somehow found itself flung around everywhere.

The game was simple: competitors would catch sheep ejected from a catapult and complete a lap around the island before dropping it into their basket near the bleachers. A sheep could be stolen by the rider using a hammer to shoot a leather, wool-stuffed ball at the dragon causing them to drop the sheep, or by snatching them out of the opponent riders' hands outright although this tactic was entirely optional by the players. Each sheep in a pair's basket counted as one point, and the first to ten points would be declared the victor. At some point they would launch out a special black sheep, which served as a major game changer: the black sheep counted as ten points instantly, so whoever managed to bag it received an instant win.

The competitive drive shared by both species usually made for some fierce and amazing games, even if the sentiment wasn't shared by the sheep. It started out as simply a way to blow off steam before eventually evolving into a full-scale sport that raged in full tournament fury every week for a solid two months with qualifying and preliminary races, available in both singles and team games, with a new one starting up just as soon as the last one was done.

There were never any shortage of players willing to sign up and compete: people of every age came, including his friends. Hiccup was only sorry he couldn't be one of them.

Besides becoming the new chief and being the best, most experienced dragon rider on the island, it was unanimously agreed that the supersonic speed the Night Fury was known to possess gave Hiccup and Toothless an unfair advantage. Other dragons, despite their training and their diets of chicken, which was discovered to help a dragon's speed due to the supplements it carried, could never keep up, especially when Toothless was eating just as much chicken as them. It wasn't as though Hiccup really minded all that much: he was never really a big fan of competition, anyway.

However, to satisfy Toothless' need for flight and to give them a chance to participate, Hiccup came up with the idea to perform exhibition flights before each official game. They would always give quite the show, somehow managing to always do better than the last, and sometimes even bringing other dragons into the act.

Of course, keeping in mind some of the more brave and competitive Vikings, Hiccup and Toothless were still open to challenge to a one-on-one dragon race at any time. They managed to get plenty of challengers once this was established, and naturally they had yet to lose a single match.

But there was still much more to do, at least as far as Hiccup was concerned. Every invention, every addition and improvement was his idea, and really played a massive factor into Harold's decision to make him chief. After all, with all these upgrades, his job as chief had never been easier, every problem being solved for him; it only proved how fit and how destined Hiccup truly was to lead a tribe on his own.

Toothless landed at the square to a bunch of hearty cheers for the new chief-to-be; Hiccup tucked his helmet under his arm and, after getting past the throngs of congratulatory words and barks from the dragons, headed through the rows of houses with Toothless by his side. Trained dragons roamed freely, sitting on their perches on the rooftops and some of the smaller dragons were playfully chasing after some of the younger children.

Terrible Terrors were flying everywhere: another brilliant idea of Hiccup's was to employ the Terrors as a sort of carrier service for mail. A message would be attached to their leg and after being provided a smell sample, would fly off to the intended person; a small fish per Terror was a small fee to pay for this. The delivery service helped immensely while construction of the new additions was still going on, and even now when it was still going with repairs and such.

Passing through the streets, he got a lot of 'Hi Hiccup's and shy waves from the younger women; once he turned to look at them, they shied away giggling, their faces blood-red. Girls all over the island had been falling and obsessing over his roguish good looks and even that manner of thinking wasn't very Viking-like. Hiccup couldn't even count the number of marriage proposals he had received before deciding to tie the knot with the chief's daughter. He would always have his eyes set on that one woman, so he just politely waved back. The girls just giggled more and some even fell to their knees at how he had noticed them.

Turning one more curve he came to a new house with a personal stable right next to it, where standing on the porch, waiting for him with a small seven, almost eight, year-old standing and next to him was the beautiful woman in question.

Syn and Alvis.

Syn had grown into quite the young beautiful woman, her long light brown hair was even longer with a little curl in the end and her eyes was the same ocean blue which hiccup loved the most; she wore a long overcoat made from wolf skin wrapped around and secured by a leather belt around her waist like a corset. She stood just a few inches shorter than Hiccup, thanks to his growth spurt finally kicking in. Alvis on the other hand was like a miniature Hiccup, sporting the same freckled face, the same styled green tunic and long brown pants and leather boots he did when he was fifteen.

The only differences were the short sleeves on his tunic and his hair being more of a normal shade of brown, but those green eyes of his, so happy and full of life, were a near perfect reflection of his father's. Syn wrapped her arms around Hiccup's neck and kissed him like she usually did every day, while Alvis quietly gripped his fathers' leg, almost knocking Hiccup over. As he was greeted by his son and wife, Hiccup felt like the luckiest man alive.

"Well, well, if it isn't my favorite hero. I'm surprised to see you hanging around the house these days." Syn said playfully.

"Not my fault there aren't enough hours to go around. At least I got to squeeze some time in." Hiccup's schedule these days was packed, between flights with Toothless, training to keep his fighting skills sharp, getting chiefting lessons from Harold, working in the forge making saddles, and overseeing new projects for the village, it was a wonder he didn't keel over.

"Daddy, daddy!" Alvis hopped on his leg, the little bundle of energy he was.

Hiccup looked down with a smile as wide as a river and picked his little son up by his sides, holding him in the air. "Hey, how's my favorite boy?"

"Great, daddy!" He giggled. "I've been playing with Storm and Torch all day!" At that point, a large dragon similar to a Monstrous Nightmare with a silver head and curved horns and red-orange wings. This was a new breed of dragon known as a Typhoomerang for the way it could create a cyclone of fire and return to its original point. Hiccup had found Torch when he was a baby not long after he returned from his journey and had took it home to live with him, much to Toothless's chagrin.

The two dragons had formed a bitter rivalry with each other for Hiccup's affections, one that did not improve with time. Still, Hiccup had always chosen Toothless as his main riding dragon, and the two could at least respect each other based on how much they cared about him. Most found it impressive that Hiccup had more than one dragon, especially two rare breeds like them. Torch laid his head down along with Storm who had followed the Typhoomerang out and both started nuzzling the little boy, giving him little licks.

"Well, glad to see you two have been making my boy's day." Hiccup said to the two dragons, and Torch began to nuzzle him, keeping an eye open slightly to gauge Toothless's reaction. The Night Fury snarling in jealousy was a welcome sight to him.

"All right, boys, enough of that." Syn split the dragons apart. "It's almost time for dinner."

Hiccup put down Alvis, who walked through the door of the house with Toothless right behind. Torch and Storm, since they were a little big to get through the door, went around and stuck their heads through the windows around the hall. Hiccup watch all the members of his family go in before turning back around to see Syn, grabbing her waist and kissing her on the lips.

"We've got one heck of a family, don't we?" Hiccup said before placing a hand on Syn's belly. "And it's soon to be one greater."

"I'm looking forward to that." Syn said, giving him another peck on the cheek.

Hiccup smiled and wrapped his arm around her shoulder and leading her in. Syn was touched by how her husband was doting on her all the time now since she was expected to deliver any day now. As they went in to enjoy a nice, quiet evening at home, Hiccup couldn't help but feel proud of himself at the feeling of it all.

'What could be better than this?,' he thought.

....

TO BE CONTINUED~~