Fantasy HTTYD - Unlikely love.

[mob_lmao]

Berk.

The home of the most famous dragon riders, perhaps in the world. Hiccup Haddock, and his trusty friend Toothless. Unfortunately for us, we aren't exploring their story, but rather the simple and mundane life of an Innkeeper's son, named Gorm.
He was unmistakable, yet easily dismissed, with his scrawny figure and messy braids, the freckles across his cheeks and the hazelnut hair a few redeeming qualities. Whilst the other teenagers his age rode ferocious beasts, soaring across the archipelago on the backs of life-long friends, making literal legends of themselves, Gorm . .. was stuck in a dying Inn. Stood behind the counter, he rested his head on his elbows, dreaming about the day he could join the others . .. perhaps befriend one of the elusive creatures Berk now called their own.

He had a lot of time these days to think, to ponder, and to resent his father, but. .. it was no use. Looking around the room, illuminated by dying rays of sunshine and the embers of the torches that lined the walls, Gorm watched a depressing scene. For a time where the other taverns were packed to the brim, with the younger riders, and the elders alike with their dragons, Ragnar's Tavern was empty, except for the lost soul or two that had managed to stumble their way inside . ..

---

" Gorm! I'm headin' out for a few more barrels, keep an eye out will ya'? I know that's hard for ya' but . .. at least try. "
A burly figure emerged from the kitchen doors, looking down at the slouched over figure he called son. With a shake of his head he turned back around, leaving Gorm to his own devices, a murmur in response.

" Sure dad . .. Not like there's anything important going on! "

---

The Berkian huffed in boredom, grabbing a glass, cloth, and beginning to polish every mug they had, something he'd grown to do during these long periods of inactivity.
He'd peer out of the window from time to time, watching the other residents trundle past, children and adults side by side with their scalie friends. Gorm couldn't help but feel jealous, as if he was missing out on the best times of his life, and was instead stuck at his father's dead end tavern . ..

 

[HowlingWoods]

Jiro had seen many places in her travels, but the further North she got, the more she heard about the island of Berk. She'd discovered that outside of Hanryou, dragons were not the objects of worship they had been in her homeland. To some, like the Ryuu Hantā, they were beasts - pests to be exterminated. To others, though, they were friends, family, pets, companions. From everything she'd heard, though, Berk was different. Dragons were everything in Berk. She would frequently hear mention that Aki looked rather similar to the legendary night fury named Toothless, ridden by the Berkian chief, Hiccup Haddock, himself. Of course, she had to pay the island a visit and learn more about this Toothless and his rider. The people here had the strangest names - learning their language had taken some time, but she considered herself to finally be mostly fluent in it, but the names still threw her for a loop every time.

She had touched down on the island of Berk just as the sun began to set over the ocean - immediately, she could feel eyes on her, curious and probing. She was rather used to the stares, given the Tengan mask that obscured her face from view, but she got the sense that wasn't all they were staring at. A low warble from Aki beneath her told her she wasn't the only one who felt it, and she reached down to pat the side of her neck reassuringly before dismounting the saddle, walking alongside Aki. The roads were quieter in the evening than she imagined they'd be earlier in the day, but there were still people and dragons milling about, heading home for the evening or finishing up their last-minute shopping before stores closed for the night.

She could hear a particularly large crowd of people gathering slightly up the hill from her, mostly inside a building - drunken footsteps against creaky wooden floorboards as sure a sign of any that it was a tavern. The crowd was a bit large for her tastes, though - she just needed someplace quiet to sit and have a couple drinks before crashing for the night after the long journey. Petting Aki's head and receiving a pleased warble in response, she muttered in Hanryoun, "Motto shizukana pabu o mitsuke rareru ka mite mimashou." (1)

Taking that as her cue, Aki began leading the way, her tail swishing behind her as they walked side-by-side. Eventually, she stopped before a lifeless building on the far side of the village. At first, she wasn't even sure it was open, but Aki nudged her forward with her head, and she huffed, walking up the short rise of the steps, before hearing Aki step up behind her and she paused, turning around with a sigh. "Aki, rūru o shitte iru..." (2) She chided, "Hairu koto ga dekiru ka dō ka watashi ga shiru made,-chū ni hairu na." (3)

She received a sad whine from the dragon, but she relented, stepping off the short platform of the tavern porch and back onto solid ground. She gave Aki a goodbye pat before opening the door and slipping inside, her keen ears picking up on only one source one sound of life - coming from the direction of what she could only assume was the innkeeper.

She stepped forward with more confidence than belied a blind woman, her long red hair swaying behind her in a neat ponytail as she approached the counter. Her clothes must have seemed quite foreign here, if the mask fastened to her face didn't make her stand out enough as it was. She took a seat at the barstool, clearing her throat a bit and speaking in an eloquent, if heavily accented, voice. "I take it you're the innkeeper?"

---

(1) "Let's see if we can find a quieter tavern, yeah?"
(2) "Aki, you know the rules..."
(3) "No coming inside until I know if you're allowed in."

 

[PogNorman]

1.

 

[mob_lmao]

Gorm considered leaving the tavern, even for a moment to enjoy the festivities and crowds not too far away, but weighing the consequences of his father returning . .. and with a sigh he continued with his idle chores, polishing, cleaning, whatever. As he stared at the shiny surface of a glass, the glint of the door opening would catch his eye, quickly looking up to see the newcomer.
The door to the tavern jingled a little tune, a friendly invitation, and a cheery smile began to spread across Gorm's face as he stood up properly.
For someone who'd contemplated leaving just moments ago, Jiro would see someone who looked willing to talk, and serve, rather than the drunken bastard or two that looked one moment, turning away the other.

---

" Evening, welcome to Ragnar Tavern! And you'd certainly be correct, I'm the Innkeeper for tonight. What can I can for you, lovely la-"

---

Gorm wasn't quite sure who he was talking to . ..
The few words the stranger spoke did little to reveal, and the mask covered most, if not all their features. They looked . .. feminine, but he decided to hold back on the assumptions, and instead brought out a few bottle of aged beer and other liquors, setting them down on the table with a gleaming smile.

---

" Perhaps you'll be interested in our signature Berkian special? 100% natural, made from the rough salts and flours made right on the archipelago! Or something a bit more stronger? "

---

The Innkeeper waited for a reaction, he was trying his best! A bit much possibly, yet his demeanour was certainly better than the other citizens of Berk, of which ranged from curious, to downright fearful of Jiro. Outsiders were no stranger to the dragon-oriented people, but after a series of attacks reported from beyond the islands, you couldn't blame anyone for being on edge.
Gorm seemed friendly enough though.

 

[HowlingWoods]

The tavern was dead as a doornail - empty of the life and rambunctiousness that typically filled such places. Jiro found she didn't mind, though - in fact, she could almost say she preferred it. The over-eager welcome of the innkeeper, however, reminded her that businesses needed customers to function. Whatever had happened to cause the place to be so empty, it was likely to the detriment of it's owner.

She gave a soft sigh at the innkeeper's suggestion, humming thoughtfully to herself for a moment before giving a small nod. It couldn't hurt to sample the local drinks, certainly. She rested her elbow on the counter, propping her head up on one hand as she listened to him scuffle about, preparing her drink. After a moment of silence, she spoke up again, her voice tired and weary from her travels, although it still possessed a strangely polite air to it. "My dragon is waiting outside - we were looking for someplace to spend the night. Do you have rooms that would allow us both?" She tilted her head slightly, admitting, "She is not fond of dragon stables, I'm afraid." Aki rarely liked to be separated from Jiro at all, but especially not for an entire night. She was somewhat over-protective of her, and while Jiro could understand why, it did not make finding sleeping arrangements for them both any easier.

 

[mob_lmao]

Gorm was pleasantly surprised to see Jiro accepting his offer, as the last few customers had waved him away in favour of lesser beverages, the ones that were cheap and filled you up . .. even if they tasted like dirt. The innkeeper didn't like selling those . ..
He brought out a few glasses, its surface shimmering across the room's soapstone lamps and fatty deposits. Whilst pouring out the contents of each bottle into the glasses, creating a shallow pool of alcohol or Jiro to sip upon, Gorm's face lit up at the idea of a dragon staying at their tavern, until he recalled his father, falling once more as he replied.

---

" I'm real sorry, I'd love to do but erm . .. "
He pointed at the sign beside him, a crude drawing of a dragon, a big fat cross covering its silhouette.

" Dragons aren't allowed in here, it's my father's rule. He's quite . .. adamant about it as well, wouldn't want either of us getting in trouble, right?"
Gorm lightly laughed, trying to alleviate the mood a little.

---

The young Berkian sought to see what dragon the newcomer had brought. Perhaps it was something small, like a Terrible Terror, or at the very most something that wouldn't belch a great big fireball that would devour the inn as a whole.
He tried peering behind Jiro, to see the silhouette of her dragon, but without any avail he turned his attention back to the patron.

---

" Say, if you wouldn't mind me asking . .. what dragon do you have? If they were small enough, perhaps I could set you two up in our attic room? I doubt my father would check anyways, as long as you didn't make much noise. "
Gorm had a little grin on his face, although he words did little to quell the worry the idea brought about.

 

[HowlingWoods]

Jiro listened for the tell-tale clink of a glass settling on the counter before reaching out to take the glass, lifting her mask partway up her face so as to only reveal as much as her lips before taking a sip - immediately making a face, coughing a bit. Oh, dear. This was one of those places, where people substituted strong drink for sense. She winced, fitting the mask back on her face. She'd always been more of a wine person, or perhaps sake when she was feeling nostalgic, but she learned that you could discover a lot about a culture by what kind of drinks they put on the menu, so she made a point of always at least trying the local drinks when she had the chance.

Recovering a bit from her coughing fit, she caught the innkeeper begin to apologize, and although she couldn't see the sign he pointed at, she was already prepared to wave him off. She was used to not being welcome everyplace she went, although it was a bit of a surprise, given how dragon-friendly this place had initially seemed. She tilted her head slightly, considering how exactly to word her question - the language here was still not her native tongue, and it sometimes took her some time to word things in nuanced situations. In the end, however, the innkeeper spoke up before her - asking what type of dragon she had.

Although the other would not see it, she offered a fond smile from behind her mask. "I'm not sure how it is said in your language, I'm afraid." She admitted, "Aki is likely too large to hide in your attic, though." Her tone tilted a bit towards amusement, before she offered a soft sigh, waving a hand dismissively. "It is quite alright, though. I can sleep in the stables with her." She was no stranger to having to sleep outside with Aki, sometimes in the branches of a sturdy tree or inside a cliffside cave. A dragon stable would surely be far more comfortable. She'd had worse. Even if she was rather weary from the long flight, and had been looking forward to a nice, warm bed...Ah, well. It was what it was.

She blinked behind her mask, remembering her previous question suddenly. "Ah...I was meaning to ask," She started, "I've travelled to many places, met many peoples...All with varying views on dragons. Berk, was it? It strikes me as a place with a celebrated relationship with dragons, but as I understand that relationship is rather recent. The current chief...Hiccup?" She paused a bit at the name, as if unsure she'd gotten it right. The names here were downright weird, "Ah... was he not the first of your peoples to tame a dragon? I am...rather curious, admittedly, to hear more of his tale." She had been told before that Aki closely resembled the chief's own dragon, Toothless. While she doubted she'd be granted an audience, she could certainly be allowed a due amount of curiosity.

 

[mob_lmao]

Gorm watched as the other took a swig of her drink, hoping that she enjoyed it, and although his expression seemed to falter at her coughing fit he'd still remained positive.
She was certainly not from around here, something he should've realised the moment Jiro stepped through the door, but it was just more alcohol for him! He poured himself a glass and watched as the patron tried formulating their words, and boy did he have a story to tell.
He sat himself down on a stool behind the counter, swirling the glass around as a giddy expression emerged across his face.

---

" Berk is certainly right! I believe you are referring to Hiccup Haddock? He's the son of our old Chief, Stoick The Vast. Stoick had a very . .. different opinion on dragons. They treated them like vermin, creatures that terrorized our towns and stole our livestock, and for many years we simply killed them whenever they attacked. "
The innkeeper took another sip of his drink, dealing with its potency much better than Jiro.
" There was even a school, where teenagers would go to learn how to kill dragons, to learn their weaknesses, and become the next generation of Vikings. Now Hiccup wasn't the most . .. future chief material, per say. He was scrawny and all that, and yet somehow he'd managed to capture a Night Fury. "

---

The words, Night Fury, were said in a bit of a hush, as if they still a legend to this day. By this point the other patrons of the Inn had either resigned to their rooms upstairs, or left for their homes, allowing Gorm to continue his story.

---

" Hiccup said that the dragon he had captured eventually befriended him, but when his father found out he used the Night Fury for his own gain, to lead them to its . .. nest, where a dragon known as the Red Death resided. Stoick and Hiccup found the Red Death had been feasting on what the dragons bought back, they never ate the livestock they took!
After a battle between Hiccup, the Vikings, and the Red Death, we came out victorious, and eventually the Chief found that the son's dragon was the one who'd saved them from the Red Death, and the rest is history!
Gorm seemed pleased with his recollection of the story, as if he didn't blabber on about it practically every day. The tale he so sorely wished he could've been in, was one he could only read in jealousy.

---

" Some of us are still sceptical about the whole thing though, like my father. After so many years of hating the things, turning around and seeing them as companions, friends even was a bit . .. different. But alas-!
The Innkeeper reached under the table, jingling through a pile of keys before grabbing one, holding it out to Jiro with a great big smile.
" I insist that you stay tonight, I cannot possibly let you sleep in a dragon's stable! Consider it on the house."

 

[mob_lmao]

( Hiya! Were they ever interested in continuing this? c: )