Danger in New Lands

"Danger in New Lands" is a Extended Universe thread written on January 23, 2016. 
== Summary ==
== Full Text ==
Havelock: [March 1073, Peaceable Country]
It was still a few weeks away, but slowly spring was coming to Peaceable Country. The air was still chilly and the ground was still frozen, however Havelock was glad that it was slightly warmer out.
Today was the day Dagny was returning home to Haligan Island, and Havelock decided to travel with her. However he also had a fun little idea that he hoped she would like. Instead of heading straight home, Havelock thought that the two of them could go exploring on neighboring islands for dragons.
Dagny Felman: Dagny finished tying some of her luggage to SkySinger’s saddle before climbing onto the Deadly Nadder’s back. After five months, she was returning home to Haligan Island. Not that she didn’t enjoy her stay with her boyfriend, Havelock and his family, but she’s been away for a long time. Plus, she promised she would be home in time for Sven’s birthday as she already missed her mother’s.
Her mother thankfully understood and didn’t want her daughter risking her life in winter weather just to come home for a birthday, but that didn’t stop the daughter of Chief Grey from wanting to make it up to her family, especially since this was the first time they were celebrating birthdays without her grandmother. 
“Alrighty,” she said. “Ready, Havie?”
Havelock: “Almost!” Havelock answered.
He was just finishing some last minute preparations, and securing his things to Sky Dancer. One of his items was a sword that was to be a gift for Sven. Havelock had nearly torn his hair out thinking of a good enough gift for Sven’s 20th birthday, when he decided on a sword. This sword was forged in the local village and it came with a pretty price, which Havelock had paid for. Regardless, it was beautifully crafted, and Havelock hoped that Sven would like it.
“Okay! I’m ready.” Havelock said as he mounted Sky Dancer. “Homeward bound, huh Dags?”
Dagny Felman: “Looks like it,” Dagny replied as she waited for her boyfriend to mount his own dragon. “Are you sure your dad’s okay with you traveling with me? Not that I don’t want you coming with me. I do, but if they need you, Havie…”
Havelock: “Nah, that’s what Hafdis is for!” Havelock laughed. “She and Saeros can look after everyone, and Eydis isn’t gonna be any trouble for the next few months anyways…”
Dagny Felman: Dagny couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, that’s true,” she said. “Hopefully, the kids will keep her busy that whole time. Well, shall we?”
Havelock: “We shall!” Havelock replied, suddenly taking to the cold skies. Up in the air, it was even colder than Havelock anticipated. Perhaps that little detour could wait until summer… 
“So Dags,” He called over to her. “Are you in… any real rush to get home?”
Dagny Felman: Dagny thought for a brief moment. Sven’s birthday wasn’t for a few days, and her mother did tell her not to rush home because of the cold weather. But that couldn’t be why Havie asked if she was in a rush to get home. “No, not really, I suppose,” she said. “Why do you ask?”
Havelock: “Well, I was thinkin’…” Havelock said slowly, thinking about what to tell Dagny. “Remember how a little while ago Eydis told the younger kids that story about runnin’ into wild dragons on foreign islands?”
Dagny Felman: Dagny thought back to seeing Havelock’s eldest sister telling another one of her travel stories before they left. “Oh yeah, I remember that!” she said. “What island did she say that was?”
Havelock: A wild smile spread acros Havelock’s freckled face. “She said it was a small desolate island called “The Decaying Islands.” I brought one of my maps with me, and accordin’ to it, the island is on the way to Haligan. It’s a little south of Starfish Reef.”
Dagny Felman: “Great!” Dagny said excitedly. “We can spend the day exploring there and get back in the air by nightfall! Let’s go!” 
Havelock: After flying for several hours and stopping for lunch, the duo were much closer to the Decaying Islands. As the island appeared on the horizon, Havelock couldn’t help but feel anxious about going to the island yet he couldn’t figure why. Did he forget something that Eydis had told him about the island? Looking over at Dagny, Havelock saw that the girl was happy, or at least appeared so, given the giant smile across her face. Perhaps this feeling was nothing.
“The island isn’t that far off now!” Havelock call out to her. “You still up for this?” 
Dagny Felman: “Of course, I am!” Dagny said beaming from ear to ear. “Let’s go, Sky Singer!” She gently tapped her Deadly Nadder on the side urging her to fly further ahead. “Try and keep up, slow pokes!”  
Havelock: “Hey wait up!!” Havelock yelled, urging Sky Dancer forward. “If there are wild dragons on this island, I hope you know to be careful! There’s only so much dragonese can do to prevent a wild dragon from attacking!” 
Dagny Felman: “Havie, we’ve been doing this for how long now?” Dagny yelled back over her shoulder. “Don’t worry! Everything will be just fine!” She turned back to the island in front of her. It was getting closer and closer every minute, and her excitement was growing more and more! She looked down over the ocean right below them and soon enough saw a dark spot in the crystal blue water. She then turned back to her boyfriend. “We just passed the Starfish Reef! We’re getting closer!” 
Havelock: “Okay, just try to be careful when we get there!” Havelock said. “If I recall correctly, Eydis did say that this island was one of the more dangerous ones she went to.” 
Dagny Felman: “Why’s that?” Dagny said over her shoulder.  
Havelock: “I’m not sure,” Havelock said. “I mean, usually she would say stuff like that to scare the younger kids, but I’m pretty sure she was serious… but she didn’t say why…” 
Dagny Felman: Dagny turned back to the island ahead of them and leaned forward on Sky Singer hoping to get a good look at the land mass. When it seemed like she couldn’t get a good enough look, she dug out her spyglass and held it up to her eye. Even up close, there didn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary. 
“I can’t see much,” she said to her boyfriend, “but it looks like it’s deserted.”
Havelock: “Hm, well I suppose that is a good thing.” Havelock replied. “Lets land near the coast, maybe in some tree to avoid detection in the event there are dragons roaming around.”
Dagny Felman: “Got it!” Dagny said excitedly. Her Deadly Nadder once again surged forward and swooped down toward the island’s coast. “This is so exciting!” she added as they flew down. “Who knows what kind of dragons live on this island? Maybe we’ll see some Whispering Deaths or…or Changewings or…maybe…” she gasped, “maybe a Smothering Smokebreath or two! There’s just so many!”
Havelock: “Just be on your guard…” Havelock said tensely as he landing beside Dagny. Usually Havelock was excited for exploring, yet this bad feeling just wouldn’t leave him, and he couldn’t understand why. “How about we don’t stay long… I don’t want you to get home late…”
Dagny Felman: Dagny studied the land in front of her and started to realize what Havelock was possibly getting at. The land was nothing but a dense forest, where the trees had definitely seen better days. Everything seemed so barren and lifeless. There was certainly a reason why it was called the Decaying Islands. However, that certainly wasn’t the reason why Havelock was in a rush to leave. Something seemed off…really off.
“Uhh…yeah, good idea,” she said as she dismounted. “We don’t want Mom to worry.”
Havelock: “I may have made a wrong decision here…” Havelock said slowly, looking around at the trees. “I thought this would be a fun little detour… but I’m really not liking this place…”
Dagny Felman: “Oh come on, Havie,” Dagny said rolling her eyes and walking forward with Sky Singer strolling ahead of her toward the trees. “I’m sure we can handle what comes our way. Look, let’s just wander around for a couple hours, and if something doesn’t look right, we’ll hop on our dragons and leave, okay?”
Havelock: “Fine fine.” Havelock replied. “I just don’t want to go lookin’ for trouble…”
Dagny Felman: “We’re just looking for some wild dragons,” Dagny said following her dragon closer to the forest. “How much trouble could we possibly get into?”
“SCREECH!!”
Dagny jumped out of her own skin when she turned around only to see her Deadly Nadder looking extremely agitated almost as if she was ready to attack something. “Sky Singer?” Dagny asked before she ran over to her beloved dragon. “What’s wrong, girl? Are you okay?”
Havelock: Sky Dancer began to growl as Havelock tried to calm her down as well. “Something’s in the forest with us…” Havelock said, looking through the trees. “It might be dragons… maybe we wandered into their nest…”
Dagny Felman: “Maybe,” Dagny said eyeing the forest, “I don’t know. Something…doesn’t look right, Havie. If we’ve wandered into the dragons’ territory…why haven’t they jumped out to attack us…?”
Havelock: “I’m beginning to have second thoughts about this, Dags…” Havelock said, trying to figure out what could be in the forest. “We should leave now and just continue towards Haligan Island.”
Dagny Felman: Dagny hesitated as she looked at her boyfriend, his dragon, and her own dragon wondering if they really should just turn back. She had to admit though that this wasn’t a warm, welcoming island like Haligan Island and Peacable Country, but she hated the idea of turning down the opportunity to find new dragons. She loved the idea of going on an adventure with her boyfriend. Then again…if they were not getting friendly vibes from this island…
“Maybe you’re right…” Dagny said. “M-Maybe we should just…”
“SCREECH!!!”
Dagny jumped out of her skin yet again, and when she turned around, she came to a horrifying sight. SkySinger was trapped in a net hanging from a tree!
“SkySinger!” Dagny shouted as she ran to her dragon. 
Havelock: “Dagny, no wait!” Havelock shouted at her, quickly reaching for Sven’s gift sword and unsheathing it. “Okay! Come out who ever you are! Let our dragon go!”  
Dagny Felman: Suddenly, shouts were heard from the foliage, and after that, about ten big, burly, muscular men emerged from the trees. They were armed with crossbows and swords, all of them pointing at Dagny and Havelock. Dagny wanted nothing more than to run back to Havelock, but she couldn’t bring herself to leave SkySinger alone with these monsters. 
“Hate to break it to you, kid,” one of them said, “but your dragon is OUR dragon now…”
“Dragon hunters…” Dagny said in fear.
Havelock: Havelock finally realized why Eydis had mentioned this place being so dangerous. Like Sky Dancer, Havelock took a defensive stance at the nearest thug how looked like the leader.
“Look, we don’t want any trouble.” Havelock said sternly. “We just landed here for a short rest. Just let our dragon go, and we’ll be off.”
Dagny Felman: “Sorry, kid,” a hunter, clearly the leader, said, “but I’m afraid you and your girlfriend aren’t going anywhere with our dragons. Deadly Nadders are quite valuable on the market. Can’t afford to lose our trophies…especially when we almost lost our last catch thanks to another dragon rider.”
Dagny furrowed her eyebrows together and looked at Havelock before looking back at the Dragon Hunters gripping onto the net holding Sky Singer. “What are you talking about?” she asked.
Havelock: “Oi, that little bitch set us back quite a bit!” A scruffy looking man answered. “Didn’t look like much at first, but then she spoke the beast’s tongue and got away wit a few of ‘em.”
Havelock froze at the man’s response. “This dragon rider… did she wear a large helmet with red feathers by any chance?”
Dagny Felman: The Hunters’ leader lowered his crossbow as he furrowed his eyebrows together in confusion and looked at his men. How did this boy know about that dragon rider girl? She was the only one who came and freed their catch of the day.
“Yeah…how do you know this girl…?” he replied. 
Dagny looked nervously at her boyfriend clearly unsure as to how to answer the question.
Suddenly, the leader pulled Dagny by the arm and held his weapon to her neck. “Answer the question…” he said through clenched teeth. “How do you know this girl?”
Havelock: “Okay! Okay” Havelock shouted back, realizing just how dangerous this situation was. “The dragon rider is my oldest sister.But I swear I didn’t know that this is what she was up to!”
“That’s a lousy excuse, boy!” The scruffy man sneered. “Tell us the truth or your little girl friend here is gonna pay with her life!”
Dagny Felman: “NO! NO!” Dagny said with her eyes widened with fear as she continued to stare at the leader as the crossbow was held dangerously close to her throat. “He’s telling the truth! He really is! We don’t know why she was here…or what she was doing! Please! Just let us go!”
Havelock: “My sister is crazy!” Havelock yelled, desperately thinking of a way out of this mess. “She goes off and gets into all sorts of trouble and she doesn’t tell us anything! We’re not to blame for this, so please just let us go!”
“Not without your dragons!” Another one of the men yelled, stepping dangerously close to Sky Dancer, who hissed in return.
Dagny Felman: Dagny glared at the men in front of them despite the sharp weapon up against her neck. “Sorry, but that’s not happening, buster!” she shouted as loud as she could.
Another dragon hunter came up from behind the leader and smirked at the young woman. “Oh?” he said. “And why is that, sweetheart?”
“Because…” she squinted her brown eyes, “you happen to be in the presence of the daughter of a Chief!”
“Oh really?” the leader asked…clearly interested.
Havelock: Havelock’s eyes widened with horror. “Dagny no!” He yelled at her.
“And what Chief would that be, exactly?” The scruffy man asked with a wicked smile spreading across his face.
Dagny Felman: Dagny’s eyes quickly darted to her boyfriend. Something was nagging at her that she should stop talking at this moment, but she was on a roll…at least she thought she was. If she could intimidate these men with the possibility of her mother…the Chief of Haligan Island coming to the rescue on her Night Fury…maybe she and Havelock could get away.
“That Chief…is my mother, Chief Grey Bergman-Felman of Haligan Island!” she shouted. 
“Chief Grey…?” the leader repeated curiously. “Chief Grey…Chief Grey…why do I know who that is?”
Havelock: Havelock didn’t know how to response, and instead glanced at Sky Dancer and nodded ever so slightly. The plan was shaky, but it might just work…
“Ain’t that the tiny island east of here?” The scruffy man asked. “Didn’t it get destroyed by the Barbaric Burglars a few years ago? Not much of a boast, girly.”
Dagny Felman: “HAH!” Dagny said confidently smirking at the scruffy man. “You wish! My mother defeated those barbarians with the Haligans! She’s the greatest Chief there ever was! And she is SO not afraid to come after a few barbarians like you guys when she finds out what you are doing to her daughter, her daughter’s boyfriend, and their dragons!”
Havelock: Darting between all the men, it looked like their attention was on Dagny. Now was the chance.
“NOW!” Havelock screeched in Dragonese. Within seconds Sky Dancer sent spines flying in all directions, hitting several of the men, as well as the leader holding Dagny. Havelock quickly ran to Sky Singer and cut the net off of her. 
“GO GO GO COME ON DAGS!” Havelock screamed as he pulled her away from the leader and the four of them ran towards the shore.
Dagny Felman: Dagny wasted no time and ran after her boyfriend and their dragons thankful to finally get away from those horrible Dragon Hunters. She didn’t say anything as she ran for her life getting closer and closer to the shore. As soon as they would make it to the shore, they could hop on their dragons and head for home. It seemed easy…but actually doing it was a different story.
The leader of the Dragon Hunters managed to overcome the pain from the spine’s hit and managed to catch sight of the Deadly Nadders and their riders…one of them-Chief Grey’s daughter running away to the shore. He gritted his teeth and grabbed his bolas from his belt. He spun them for a few seconds before throwing them…at Dagny. 
The bolas wrapped around Dagny forcing her to trip and fall to the ground. She struggled a bit and saw that she was completely restrained. “HAVELOCK! SKY SINGER!” she shouted.
Havelock: “Shit!” Havelock hissed under his breath. “Cover for me!” He said to Sky Dancer, who was ready to attack any of the oncoming hunters.
Quickly Havelock ran back to Dagny and sliced through the bolas, freeing her, before yanking her to her feet. “Come on!”
Dagny Felman: Before they could go anywhere, an arrow suddenly whizzed past them landing in the sand behind them. Dagny looked behind her only to see the leader and a few of his men approaching.
He chuckled as he slowly approached the young couple. “You know, boys, I think I know this Chief Grey after all…” he said smirking at Dagny as she gripped onto Havelock. “She isn’t just the Chief of Haligan Island…she was one of the kids who joined that dungeon rebellion thing way back when.”
Havelock: “Yeah she was, so?” Havelock said, glaring at the man. Behind the couple Sky Singer and Sky Dancer growled and hissed, ready to strike at any moment.
Dagny Felman: “Oh yeah,” another man said, “I’ve heard about that rebellion. They broke out of those dungeons High Central put on Aidorin for those half-breeds. To be honest, I’m not sure what the big deal was with those critters. Dragons are more valuable than some half-human, half-beast.”
“That’s not the point, you idiot,” the leader said turning to the man. “The point is…this Chief Grey…was the very same kid…who fought in the rebellion with…” she turned to Dagny and Havelock, “her Night Fury.”
All the men finally caught onto what their leader was saying and chuckled. One of the kids from that rebellion had a Night Fury in her possession, and she was now Chief. Not to mention that they now had her daughter in her possession. This was getting very…very interesting.
Havelock: A horrible thought crossed Havelock’s mind. He had to be quick about his plan. He had to make sure his little lie would be convincing.
“That rebellion was almost 30 years ago.” Havelock said simply. “The Chief’s Night Fury is old and has suffered in her old age. I reckon you wouldn’t get much money out of it. If you really want to find Night Furies… well, I’m surprised you haven’t already heard the rumors…”
Dragon Hunter: The leader raised an eyebrow at the young man. It was easy to see that he was lying, but he figured he would give Havelock a chance to explain.
“What rumors?” He asked.
Havelock: “The rumors of a Night Fury clan living in The Frozen Isle.” Havelock said. “My sister, the one you ran into, has traveled far and wide, and she’s also heard the same thing from other people. There’s some pretty good evidence suggesting that it is true.”
Dagny Felman: “Uhh…y-yeah…yeah!” Dagny said nervously. “There’s so much evidence!”
The leader looked at the young couple with great suspicion. Surely, they would’ve heard these rumors regarding Night Furies. The boy had to be lying so that they could get away.
“Men, tell me something,” he finally said, “you believe anything this boy says?”
Havelock: “I don’t know, sir,” The scruffy man answered. “I did hear some mumbling about The Frozen Isle a couple of months ago… perhaps it’s true?”
Havelock glanced around at the men surrounding them. There was less of them now, they had a better chance to escape. “The islands to the south of The Frozen Isle would know more, and would be more willing to share if you asked nicely.” He said. “I’m shocked you haven’t trained a tracker dragon to find you a Night Fury….”
Dagny Felman: “What good are tracker dragons if we have nothing of a Night Fury that could lead a tracker dragon?” the leader said smirking at the teens. “But, men, just think how much easier it will be to get a Night Fury that is under a Chief’s possession. We could probably use that beast to track the other Night Furies.”
“Hah, yeah, like my mom would actually give up her Night Fury to help you losers track more dragons to kill,” Dagny said smirking at the men. “That Night Fury is my mom’s best friend. She would never give that dragon up.”
The leader couldn’t help but chuckle at the girl. She thought she was being clever in trying to draw them away from her mother and the Night Fury, but really she just made the new hunt more and more enticing. This was just too good of an opportunity to pass up.
“Oh, really?” he said. “But…” He grabbed Dagny by the arm again staring into her big fearful brown eyes, “I’m just dying to see how far a mommy is willing to go to save her daughter’s life from Dragon Hunters. How about you, men?”
Havelock: “Oh for the love of Thor, Dagny!” Havelock yelled as he lunged forward at the leader, causing the man to release Dagny. Behind them, Sky Dancer and Sky Singer screeched and unleashed a flurry of spikes at the remaining men. 
Grey Bergman: Before the men could answer their leader, they suddenly found themselves running away from flying Deadly Nadder spikes leaving their leader behind to deal with Dagny, Havelock, and their dragons.
“Havelock!” Dagny shouted as she watched her boyfriend lunge at the leader.
Havelock: “Get on your dragon, NOW!!” Havelock screamed at her, while holding off the leader. As he pushed the leader away, Sky Dancer leapt in between both men, and Havelock quickly got on her and took to the sky.
Dagny Felman: Without much hesitation, the daughter of the Chief of Haligan Island quickly ran to Sky Singer and jumped on her, and thankfully, the Deadly Nadder knew to follow Sky Dancer’s lead and leapt up to into the sky along with Sky Dancer and Havelock.
The leader of the Dragon Hunters quickly overcame the pain from Havelock’s sudden attack and looked up at the sky watching helplessly as the Chief’s daughter and her boyfriend managed to escape…with their dragons. The man growled under his breath. He couldn’t let his bargaining chip for the Chief of Haligan Island escape. His men were down, but he wasn’t. There was still a chance. He picked up his bola, spun it, and threw it up toward the Deadly Nadders. 
Havelock: Havelock was extremely relieved to see the bola fly past him and miss both of them. Both he and Dagny knew that they couldn’t hesitate, and flew on away from the island. 
After flying for 10 minutes in silence, Havelock, now slightly calmed down, finally spoke.
“Do you know how much trouble we just created?” He said angrily to Dagny.
Dagny Felman: Dagny looked at her boyfriend in complete shock. It was very rare that he would get angry. She was so used to seeing him be so laid back that she was actually scared seeing him glare at her and yell at her. “W-Well…I-I…” she tried to say. 
Havelock: “I just can’t believe you didn’t trust me enough to handle the situation.” Havelock said, trying to restrain himself. “And gods, you just made everything worse when you mentioned that your mother was chief! I know you were trying to help, but you just…ugh.”
Dagny Felman: “Havelock, I…I…it’s not that I didn’t trust you…” Dagny said still trying to digest the fact that her boyfriend was actually angry with her. Not to mention that he thought that she didn’t trust him, which was far from the truth, and she really was trying to help. “How was I…I mean…?”
Havelock: “You flat out told them you were the daughter of a chief, therefore making yourself a target and valuable hostage to them.” Havelock explained. “Then, when the leader connected the dots that Grey was the one person to have a Night Fury, you didn’t deny it. I at least tried to lie and said that Shadow was dying.”
Havelock sighed. He was frustrated at Dagny but he didn’t want to harm his relationship with her.
“I guess, what I’m trying to say is, just know that what we did will have severe consequences for Haligan Island if those men are serious about hunting dragons and Night Furies.”
Dagny Felman: Dagny looked down at her hands as she flew on Sky Singer. As much as she hated to admit it, Havelock was right. She could’ve…should’vekept her mouth shut. She shouldn’t have told them she was the daughter of a Chief, let alone the one who had a Night Fury…clearly the most prized possession of the Dragon Hunters. She could’ve easily denied her mother having a Night Fury. She finally sighed.
“Y-You’re right…” she said. “I just put my mom’s best friend in grave danger…” She sighed again. “Mom will never forgive me. I–” Finally she realized something and glared at Havelock. “Hey, wait a minute! Don’t you dare try to put this all on me, mister! YOU were the one who wanted to take the detour in the first place! We could’ve easily kept flying if YOU had just kept YOUR mouth shut!” 
Havelock: “Okay, yeah that was my bad.” Havelock replied. “Just add this incident onto the list of reasons why I shouldn’t ever listen to Eydis. I didn’t know dragon hunters were on the island! I didn’t even know they existed. Fine we’re both to blame, still doesn’t help solve the mess we just made.” 
Dagny Felman: “Well, what do you want to do about it?” Dagny asked with frustration ringing clear in her voice. “Go back and tell them that we were just kidding and that my mom doesn’t have a Night Fury?!”  
Havelock: “They clearly weren’t bothered by my lie about Shadow dying. To them, even if it was the truth, they were interested in Shadow regardless of her state.” Havelock said. “No what we have to do is head to Haligan Island and tell your mother about this. Prepare for the worst I guess.”
Dagny Felman: Dagny looked at her boyfriend for what felt like an eternity before sighing again and looking away as SkySinger crooned in concern at her rider and best friend. She couldn’t believe what she had just done. She put her mother’s best friend and her whole village in grave danger. There was no telling what the hunters would do now, but maybe there was hope. Maybe her mother will know just what to do. Maybe they could figure what to do before more damage was done.
“Okay, you’re right,” she said. “Let’s go.”
Havelock: The rest of the flight was in silence. Both Havelock and Dagny were rather upset at each other and themselves. It was a slight relief when Haligan Island appeared on the island. However, Havelock had suddenly remembered that he would have to face both Chief Grey and his own mother, Seasick, who was still visiting.
When they landed, Chief Grey and Seasick were nearby and came to greet them.
“Hey mom.” Havelock said to Seasick as she greeted her son. “Aunt– Chief Grey, may we have a word? It’s… it’s rather serious.”
Grey Bergman: The Chief of Haligan Island furrowed her eyebrows together in concern, especially when her daughter’s boyfriend addressed her formally instead of calling her “Aunt Grey.” One look at her daughter, who was behind Havelock looking extremely upset and guilty over something, made her heart pound. One minute ago, she couldn’t wait to show Dagny and Havelock that she and Seasick made up, but now…that was the last thing on her mind. She looked at Seasick and then back at the teens.
“W-What is it, Havelock?” she asked. 
“Mom…we…I…I did something…very awful,” Dagny finally said.
Havelock: “Can we talk in private?” Havelock asked. “We’re both at fault here. But we’re determined to fix it.”
“Oh dear gods, Havelock, don’t tell me you got Dagny pregnant!” Seasick said seriously. “I can’t go through that drama again!”
“What? No, no this involves Haligan Island and its dragons… specifically Shadow.” Havelock replied.
Grey Bergman: Shadow, who was resting happily in the grass next to Grey and Brandt’s house with Furious, suddenly perked up at the mention of her name crooning curiously at Grey. The Chief turned to look at her Night Fury with a small smile.
“It’s okay, girl,” Grey said gently holding her hands up to calm Shadow. “We’re just going inside to talk for a bit, okay? Stay out here with Furious.”
Shadow crooned and smiled at Grey before returning to her nap. As soon as Shadow wasn’t looking, Grey immediately turned back to Seasick, Dagny, and Havelock with a stern look on her face. “Inside. Now,” she said.
Havelock: Stepping inside the house, Havelock took a deep breath, preparing himself for the wrath of both his mother and his aunt.
“Well, on the way here, Dagny and I took a little detour.” Havelock explained. “I thought we could take an hour or two out of flying to go exploring for wild dragons. Eydis once said she traveled to The Decaying Islands where there were supposedly wild dragons…”
“You actually listened to Eydis?” Seasick interrupted. “Well there’s where you went wrong.”
Grey Bergman: Grey rolled her eyes at Seasick’s comment and gestured for Dagny and Havelock to continue with their story of their little detour. It was then that Dagny decided to take her turn in telling the story to save her boyfriend the trouble.
“We landed on the island,” Dagny began, “but when we did, Havelock kept having this really bad feeling that something was up. Then our dragons started acting up, so we thought maybe some unfriendly dragons lived there.”
“So…did these dragons attack you guys?” Grey asked.
Havelock: “It… it wasn’t dragons…” Havelock said slowly. “It was actually a group of dragon hunters.”
“Dragon hunters?” Seasick said, suddenly turning very serious. “I don’t like where this is going.”
“Yeah well we tried to fight them off but…” Havelock said, then glanced at Dagny.
Grey Bergman: Grey looked from Havelock to Dagny as her nephew looked at her. Dagny didn’t say anything at first as she stared at her feet on the floor, and that made her mother more worried. Whenever Dagny acted like this, it either meant that she was extremely upset or guilty over something, and the Chief just knew it was either one of those, which only worried her more, especially when Havelock just explained that dragon hunters were involved.
“Dagny…?” she began carefully. “What happened with these dragon hunters?” That was only one of the millions of questions the Chief had in her head, but for now, she needed to take it easy on her elder daughter. 
Dagny looked up at her mother peeking through her brunette bangs. “W-Well, Sky Singer was lured into one of their traps,” she began, “and we tried to get her out when the hunters showed up. We tried to get them to let our dragons go, but they wouldn’t hear of it. They thought that we were aligned with the last dragon rider who attacked them.”
“Well, who was this dragon rider?” Grey asked curiously.
Havelock: “It was Eydis.” Havelock said quietly.
“Oh gods, of course it was.” Seasick said. “What happened next?”
“Well, one of the men caught Dagny, and Dagny mentioned that….” Havelock hesitated for a moment. “Dagny said that she was the daughter of the Chief of Haligan Island.”
Grey Bergman: Grey immediately turned to her daughter with a surprised and shocked…yet angry look on her face making Dagny even more afraid. “You said what?!” Grey yelled. She didn’t give Dagny much time to answer as she shouted, “Dagny, you know better than to tell complete strangers who you are!”
“I’m sorry, Mom!” Dagny pleaded. “I know I shouldn’t have, but I thought that if these guys knew that I was a Chief’s daughter…then I could scare them off.”
Grey sighed in exasperation and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Dagny, you have to know that your title will hardly ever work to save you,” she said. “There are people, who do not care who you are.”
Havelock: “To make matters worse…” Havelock continued, “the leader knew who you were Grey. He knew of you from your rebellion days. And he knew… that you had a Night Fury.”
Grey Bergman: “Wait…what?” she asked. “H-How did they know? Did they say, Havelock?”
Havelock: “The leader somehow knew about your involvement in the rebellion and I guess whatever they heard, they knew you had a Night Fury.” Havelock said. “ tried to lie and say that Shadow was old and dying, and that there were rumors of a Night Fury clan on th Frozen Isle, but they didn’t buy it…”
“These men… how could they know about Shadow?” Seasick asked. “Unless they themselves were also in the rebellion? Back then, no was was interested in Night Furies… they weren’t thought to exist.”
Grey Bergman: “Rumors must have spread, Seasick,” Grey said. “Remember how we found out about the Grounded Dungeon?”
“The leader said that Night Furies are so rare that they are worth more on the market, Aunt Seasick,” Dagny added, “and I guess…the fact that a Night Fury was owned by a Chief, who was also a second-in-command to a King would help them a little. Plus, they said they could use Shadow to track the other Night Furies.”
Havelock: “We managed to get away, obviously,” Havelock said. “But… we really, really messed up. Now these dragon trackers are probably planning to attack Haligan Island in order to get Shadow. We are so sorry, Grey. We didn’t mean for this to happen.”
Grey Bergman: For once, the Chief found herself to be absolutely speechless. She wasn’t sure whether she wanted to sit down or stay standing, but she could not get a word out. Not only were her daughter and nephew almost kidnapped or worse, but now, it seemed that her dragon, Shadow and maybe even her own village were in grave danger of being attacked by these dragon hunters. She couldn’t blame Dagny and Havelock. These people clearly knew that she had a Night Fury long before her daughter and nephew showed up with their dragons.
However, the Chief’s silence was only making her daughter more nervous. “M-Mom?” she asked nervously as tears came to her eyes. When there was no answer, she tried again, “Mom, please say something.”
Grey still failed to respond. 
Seasick: “Grey.” Seasick said quietly, lightly placing her hand on Grey’s shoulder. “We can fix this together. You won’t be alone in this fight.” 
“Please, Aunt Grey, just don’t take this out on Dagny.” Havelock said. “It really was all my fault. I should’ve known better.” 
Grey Bergman: Havelock calling her “Aunt Grey” and Seasick touching her shoulder were enough to snap her out of this trance. When she did, she noticed her daughter staring at her looking like she was about to cry, and it did not take long for her to realize why she was upset. It was just as Havelock said. They thought she was going to blame Dagny, but she could never do that…not to her own flesh and blood. She didn’t say anything as she gathered her second child into her arms. 
“It’s alright, honey,” she said running her hand through her brown hair. “This isn’t your fault.” She then looked at Havelock and Seasick. “This is no one’s fault.” She then pulled away from Dagny smiling at her and wiping away her tears. “Right now, we need to focus on doing everything we can to protect Shadow and Haligan Island from these Dragon Hunters.”
“What if we went back and arrested them?” Dagny asked hopefully. “We can nip this whole thing in the bud.”
Seasick: “Grey has no authority over them, dear.” Seasick said to Dagny. “And even if Grey were to stop them, there will just be many more like them rise back up. Unfortunately there will always be people like that in the world.”
“Well, you could get help from the wilderwest kingdom right?” Havelock asked. “And other nearby islands that you’ve made friendly with. They will surely help protect this island and Shadow. And any other dragons.”
Grey Bergman: “That’s a good idea, Havelock,” the Chief said smiling at her nephew. “I have no authority over them, but I can still protect my island from them. I can fly to the palace and speak to Egil about it personally. We can get help from the other Wilderwest chiefs.”
“But will they be willing to help, Mom?” Dagny asked nervously. 
“King Haddock, may he rest in peace, would’ve been willing to help in a heartbeat, Dags,” Grey replied. “The same goes for King Egil.”
Seasick: “I think it would be rather dangerous if you flew to the Wilderwest Kingdom.” Seasick said. “What if a group of those hunters were to ambush you on the way there or on the way home? Or they could attack the island when your away. It would be best to send a messenger.”
Dagny Felman: Dagny widened her eyes when she realized that her aunt was right. Those dragon hunters were probably on their way right now to Haligan Island, and there was no doubt that they would do everything in their power to kidnap Shadow. They could easily spot a black dragon and her rider in broad daylight. Even on a clear night, they probably still wait for them to leave an attack Haligan Island.
“She’s right, Mom,” Dagny finally said. “We need to stay here.”
“I agree, honey,” the Chief quickly replied. “I can send a messenger dragon to the palace. That’s how Haddock and I usually communicated whenever we needed to have a meeting. Egil and I had been using it as well. Hopefully, the dragon hunters can’t spot a small dragon, like a Terrible Terror.”
Seasick: “I don’t know what good Peaceable can do, since we’re so far away,” Seasick said. “However, I can speak with my chief and perhaps get him to work with neighboring islands to be on the look out for these hunters…”
Grey Bergman: “That would be great, Seasick,” Grey quickly said. “We can work out a messenger dragon system so that he send me word if the hunters are spotted.” Finally a thought came to her. “You know maybe the Chief and I should discuss the possibilities of an alliance once this is dealt with.”
Seasick: “I suppose that sounds like a good idea.” Seasick replied, thinking about the plan. “Most islands in the Barbaric Archipelago just deal with themselves, and don’t bother with islands around these parts of the world. But an alliance could prove to be valuable.”
Grey Bergman: Grey nodded. “As soon as these dragon hunters are dealt with, we’ll have to talk,” she finally said.
“Well, until then, what happens next, Mom?” Dagny asked. 
The Chief took a moment to let the wheels turn in her head. What happened next? She planned to send word out to Egil and the other chiefs of the Wilderwest region to help in protecting Haligan Island and word to the Chief of Peaceable Country to set up a messaging system in case the Dragon Hunters do head toward Haligan Island like Havelock predicted. Then she had an idea.
“We need to work out a plan to protect Haligan Island in the meantime,” Grey said. 
Seasick: “Well, whatever you come up with, I’ll be there to support you.” Seasick replied. “Havelock has no choice but to help out, since he is partly responsible for this mess." 
“Hey, I’m all for helping clean up a mess I’ve made, but you should also blame Eydis for this too.” Havelock said. 
Grey Bergman: Chief Grey tried her hardest not to laugh as Havelock’s plea to blame his oldest sister, but she had to admit that he did have a valid point. Eydis went to this island and sparked the idea in Havelock and Dagny’s head to go exploring on this island. If they hadn’t taken that detour, they wouldn’t have run into the dragon hunters. However, the last time she attempted to blame Seasick’s children for something…it almost ruined their friendship. She needed to be careful with this one. 
“Well, Havelock, that’s something your mother and father need to discuss,” Grey said looking at Seasick. 
Seasick: “I don’t see how this is her fault?” Seasick said to Havelock. “sure, she travels and gets into trouble, but did she tell you to go to the island? Or that there were hunters there?” 
“Well, uh no, not exactly…” Havelock said quietly, slightly turning red. 
“Then she isn’t to blame.” Seasick said sternly. “Besides, with another child on the way, Eydis won’t be in any trouble for a while.” 
Dagny Felman: “Okay, fine, she has another kid on the way, but, Mom–” Dagny tried to protest.  
“Dags, your aunt is right,” Grey said sternly. “Eydis didn’t tell you to go to the island or that the dragon hunters were even there. From what I’m hearing from you two, it sounds like it was just something she told to entertain the little ones.” 
Havelock: “Well, she shouldn’t have made it sound so cool!” Havelock said in annoyance. “She made it out to be some abandoned yet dangerous island full of dragons… not deadly dragon hunters..” 
“You shouldn’t have gone there in the first place!” Seasick said. “You were to escort Dagny back home, not make a pit stop on some random island. ” 
Dagny Felman: “Aw, come on, we were only planning of staying there for maybe an hour or two,” Dagny protested. “It’s not like we were going to stay there for a whole day.” 
“That’s still no excuse, Dagny,” Grey finally said. “You two deliberately disobeyed us, and you need to face the consequences of your actions…no matter how harmless they seemed at first.” 
Seasick: “I agree.” Seasick said. “This whole thing started because you two traveled to a dangerous island, and made everything worse by speaking. So, no you won’t get let off the hook that easily.” 
“Fine. Fine.” Havelock said. “So, you’re going to send letters to the Wilderwest? Should mom and I send some to Peaceable and Quiet Life?” 
Grey Bergman: “That would be great,” Grey said nodding. “Until then, I think it may be best if no one leaves the island…including you and Havelock, Seasick.” 
“Wait…you’re grounding the dragons?” Dagny asked.  
“I have no choice, Dagny,” Grey said. “If these dragon hunters spot any dragon leaving the island, it will only end badly. I can’t afford to have any lives lost…especially when I almost lost you and wouldn’t have know it until it was too late.” 
Seasick: Seasick let out a laugh. “Oh Grey, haven’t you forgotten? Furious and I left in the middle of Ragnarok and survived. I think we can handle a few dragon hunters.” 
“Mom…” Havelock said slowly.
Grey Bergman: Grey couldn’t help but laugh and shook her head at her friend’s casual mentioning of her leaving the Grounded Dungeon almost 30 years ago. “That’s true,” she said, “and let’s not forget that I managed to defeat death when I–” she stopped realizing what she was about to say, “when…that crazy madwoman tried to kill me…so…many times.”
Seasick: “Grey, look,” Seasick sighed and took Grey’s hands into her own. “You have an entire island to look after. Havelock and I aren’t your responsibility. When we leave this island, whatever happens to us is not your fault. It will be up to Peaceable Country to deal with the aftermath, if there is one.”
Grey Bergman: The Chief’s face turned serious again and sighed as she squeezed her best friend’s hands tighter. “I know, but…Seasick, you’re my best friend. And Havelock is my nephew,” she said, “but…I couldn’t live with myself if anything happened to you two. Let me try to protect you, please.”
Seasick: “As much as I love staying with you, I have a family.” Seasick replied softly. “We can’t live in fear. We’ll have to go out and face the dangerous world eventually.”
Grey Bergman: “Okay, but you better promise me that you’ll write to us as soon as you’re home,” Grey said firmly. “And that’s an order.”
“You better listen to her, Aunt Seasick,” Dagny said. “Once Mom goes into Chief Mode when protecting the ones she cares about…the claws come out!”
Seasick: “Yes, I know all about Grey’s chief mode.” Seasick laughed. “You really don’t have anything to worry about Grey, do you honestly think those hunters can take down Furious? He’s huge!”
Grey Bergman: Grey raised an eyebrow and thought for a moment realizing that Seasick had a point. Furious was a huge dragon. No dragon hunter would ever dare to come after him. “Okay, you got a point there,” she said. “Not even Emily the Alpha could take control of him.”
Seasick: “Exactly!” Seasick smirked. “We will be fine! If in the event we do run into trouble, Furious can fly high into the clouds, and the hunters will never find us!”
Dagny Felman: “See, Mom?” Dagny said happily. “Problem solved! Guess this means…Havelock and I can be…off the hook?”
Grey said nothing and raised her eyebrow. “What do you think, Seasick?” she asked her best friend.
Seasick: “Not a chance.” Seasick replied. “I think if you two are to visit each other, you should be escorted. At least until this all blows over.”
“Ugh, just like a few years ago…” Havelock groaned.
Dagny Felman: “Are you kidding me?” Dagny asked angrily. “Mom, we’re not little kids anymore! We don’t need to be escorted!”
“Dagny, the Dragon hunters are out there somewhere planning to attack Haligan Island right now,” Grey said sternly. “Aunt Seasick is right. You need some adult supervision…at least until you both can prove to us that you’re not irresponsible like you were today.”
Seasick: “This is part of your punishment, kids.” Seasick said. “Your actions have consequences, and you need to accept that.”
“Alright fine.” Havelock sighed. “We’ll put up with these rules, but once this whole thing is solved and over and done, no more supervision!”
Dagny Felman: “Yeah!” Dagny said glaring at her mother. 
“We’ll see when that happens,” Grey said as she crossed her arms.
Havelock: “It can’t be forever! We’re not children anymore, you can’t control us!” Havelock said, trying not to raise is voice.
“Well, you still live under your parents’ roof, so until the day comes when you live on your own, you will follow our rules.” Seasick said. “Look, hopefully this will all blow over in a few months. Let’s hope for the best.”
Grey Bergman: “Yes, let’s hope for the best,” Grey repeated. “Seasick, how long will it take for them to get here by ship?”
Seasick: “Hmm, well, the Decaying Islands are about halfway between here and Peaceable… so I’d guess at least a week or two if they immediately left today and made little to no stops.” Seasick said.
Grey Bergman: “Okay, then we’ll need to act fast,” Grey said going back into Chief Mode. “We’ll ground the dragons. No one will be allowed to leave or come onto the island without my or Greg’s knowing. I’ll write messages to the Wilderwest. Seasick, Havelock, you’ll write to Peaceable and Quiet Life. We’ll also need to double the island’s security.”
Seasick: “Okay, that sounds like a good plan but…” Seasick hesitated for a moment. “This all in the idea that these hunters ARE coming. They might not call at all. Do you really want to live a life where you’re constantly looking over your shoulder?”
Grey Bergman: “I understand that, Seasick,” the Chief said, “but I can’t just dismiss it either. What if they do come when we’re unprepared? What if something happens to Shadow because we didn’t increase island security? I can’t afford that.”
Seasick: “Alright, it’s your call. No point in arguing.” Seasick replied. “Alright, well I guess I should go write that letter to Peaceable.”
Grey Bergman: The Chief stopped for a moment as she gave her friend’s question a second thought. Seasick did have a valid point. They didn’t know for sure if the dragon hunters were going to come after Shadow. Would they dare to come after the Chief and her Night Fury? Who knew? No one knew for sure, and as Seasick said, all the fear and extra measures would be unnecessary if it was all for nothing. She finally sighed.
“Wait…maybe…maybe just ask him to be on the lookout for the hunters and notify me if he sees anything suspicious,” Grey finally said. “We’ll figure out what to do should you guys spot the hunters, but I still believe Dagny and Havelock need to be supervised.”
“Of course you do,” Dagny said under her breath.
Seasick: “No, it’s fine.” Seasick answered. “Our chief is pretty serious about Peaceable’s security and its dragons. If there were hunters on the prowl, he’d want to know. And I plan on keeping my eye on Havelock for quite a while.”
Grey Bergman: “Good,” Grey said smiling at her friend for finally understanding. Still she realized that Seasick was right in living in fear, but there was no harm in taking the necessary measures to protect the island. “Okay, I won’t ground the dragons, but I will increase security and require a notice for anyone who leaves or comes to island.”
“That seems fair, Mom,” Dagny said.
Seasick: “That sounds like a solid plan.” seasick replied. “Perhaps you should hold an emergency meeting, to let everyone know what has happened. Maybe some of the islanders have hear of these dragon hunters and can help out.”
“You think someone would know about them, mom?” Havelock asked.
“Well, the sailors might, since they’re constantly traveling out at sea.” She replied. “if Eydis ran into them while on one of her explorations, it’s entirely possible that innocent sailors did too.”
Grey Bergman: “My uncle might even have seen them in his travels,” Grey said stroking her chin thoughtfully. “He won’t be here to trade for another month, so I’ll have to write to him as well. These guys don’t seem like the type to keep themselves a secret. They would have to get their business, supplies, and those sort of things from somewhere.”
Seasick: “That’s very true.” Seasick replied. “And if they were constantly pillaging, surely neighboring islands would have heard about it.”
Grey Bergman: “Exactly!” Grey replied ecstatically. “Word had to have spread around somehow. Someone has to know something. Seasick, you should talk to Eydis too. Maybe, she’s figured out some information about them…their routes, the dragons they’ve hunted…anything that could be important.”
“If we know any of that,” Dagny said, “we can find them and stop them from attacking Haligan Island maybe!”
Seasick: “Okay then, why don’t we all hop to it!” Seasick said, feeling a lot more reassured after the long discussion. “The faster we get all this planning done, the faster we can defeat and stop these hunters from hurting anyone!”
Grey Bergman: “I agree,” Grey said smiling. “Dagny, stay here with Aunt Seasick and Havelock. Help them to write to the Chief of Peaceable, Uncle Einar, and King Egil. I will get Uncle Greg and the rest of the council together. Hopefully we can come up with a plan to do something to protect the island in the meantime.”
“Okay, Mom!” Dagny said excitedly.
Seasick: “Alright.” Seasick replied. “If you need any help, you know where to find us.”
Grey Bergman: “Thank you, Seasick,” Grey said opening the front door and walking out into the village. “I’ll be in the Great Hall with Greg if you guys need me, okay?”
“Okay, Mom, see ya later,” Dagny said. It felt good to see her mom being excited again…despite what might be coming on the horizon.
Havelock: “Don’t worry, Aunt Grey, we will solve this problem in no time!” Havelock called out to Grey.
Grey Bergman: Grey smiled at her nephew. “I have no doubt we will, Havelock,” she said. “I’ll be back soon. Hopefully, with some good news.”
Seasick: “You’re a great leader, Grey.” Seasick said, as she stood in the doorway. “You helped out tremendously in the rebellion, and I have no doubt that you’ll come up with a solid plan this time too. Don’t stress yourself too much.”
Grey Bergman: Grey smiled wider at her best friend remembering how well they worked together to fight against Stonegit when he had gone mad and to save their dragons from Midgardsormr’s thrall. If they worked together now with Warren, Greg, Brandt, and the village, those dragon hunters definitely would never know what hit them.
“That’s going to be hard,” she said, “but I’ll do my best. Thank you for helping, Seasick. It’s great to know that I can always count on you as well.”
Seasick: “You know I’d do anything for you, Grey.” Seasick replied with a smile. “Okay enough talking! Let’s get to work!!”
Grey Bergman: “Yes, I need to get Greg and our council,” Grey said as she began to walk toward Greg and Warren’s house. “You three need to get writing on those letters now!”
Havelock: “That won’t take long. when we’re done we’ll come find you!” Havelock called out.
Grey Bergman: “Sounds like a plan,” the Chief said as she walked toward Greg’s house. “See you all later at the Great Hall!”
“Bye, Mom!” Dagny said waving as her mother ran to find her uncle. She then turned to her aunt and boyfriend. “Let’s get to work, guys!”
Category:Events
Category:Grey Bergman
Category:Seasick
Category:Dagny Felman
Category:Havelock
Category:EU