Chapter 3
Marta moaned a bit as she felt her body rocking even though she was completely still.
She then woke up a little more and remembered what was going on.
She had spoken with her father and found out he had a brother that was a Viking and that he lived in peace with dragons on an island far out in the ocean.
She then had snuck out of the house with her packed bag and the egg and snuck down to the docks.
The girl was almost caught by the patrolling guards once but managed to hide from them before she could be caught.
She then ran to the only small merchant boat at the docks and found Trader Johann was still awake and waiting for her.
He gladly helped her onto his boat and had her hide below deck.
After that? She had fallen asleep in the spare cot Johann had made for her.
After recalling all of this, she then smiled and cuddled the egg in her arms.
The egg would be safe now. It would be killed instantly or raised in the arena to be killed off later.
Opening her eyes, she saw the lower deck was being lit up from sunlight shining through the floor boards of the ceiling.
Yawning, Marta decided to get on bed and take the egg above deck.
Slipping her boots back on, she held the egg close to her and went over to the stairs.
“Ah. Good morning little one.” Johann said upon seeing her up and awake. “Taking the egg out for some warmth I see?”
“Yes sir.” She nodded as she dropped the cover to the lower deck. “I don’t know how else to warm up the egg other then my body heat and sunlight.”
“Well get as much as you can today lass.” Johann said as he tightened a few ropes holding down his many items for trading. “There’s a storm coming. I can feel it in the wind and how the ship has been rocking. There’s a big one coming soon.”
Marta nodded as she found a perfect place for the egg to get full sunshine and sat down. “Just tell me when it’s about to hit and I’ll go hide down below.”
“I will Marta. But you just get as much sun for the little one as you can.” Johann nodded as he went about the ship making sure everything was secure. “Thankfully Berk is only a day or two of good sailing away from your old home. Providing how massive of a storm this is going to be, we should be there in two days and arrive in the early morning.”
Marta nodded as she was soon handed a bowl of soup and bread.
“It’s not much but it’ll keep you from starving.” The trader said as he smiled at her warmly.
“Thank you.” Marta settled the egg on her lap and took the food, eating it happily.
Johann and Marta then talked for hours about life on Berk.
How the Vikings that lived there used to be at war with the dragons until the chief’s son befriended a dragon and showed everyone that all was not what it seemed and defeated an enormous dragon called the Red Death.
“Whoa wait a second.” Marta stopped him as she looked him in shock. “The chief’s son tamed a what?”
“Why a Nightfury.”Johann smiled as he chuckled. “Nice fellow he is too. So long as you don’t threaten the Terrible Terrors or Hiccup. Goes by the name of Toothless.”
“Another Nightfury.” Marta breathed out as she looked down at the egg. “Think he could somehow help in raising this little one? Like learning how to fly and such.”
Johann shrugged when she looked back up. “It’s possible. Wouldn’t hurt to at least try to see if Toothless and Hiccup can help ya in raising the egg. But ya might have a bit of a problem asking Toothless.”
“Why is that Johann?” She asked as she gently touched the shell of the egg and stroked it softly.
“Now see Toothless can’t fly without Hiccup.” Johann explained. “Seems half of his tail fin was ripped off the morning Hiccup shot him down. He needs a special contraption made by the boy in order to fly. And he needs the boy in order to work the contraption to stay airborne.”
Marta frowned a bit at hearing this. “So……he won’t be able to help?”
“Now I didn’t say that at all Marta.” Johann said as he shook his head. “But it wouldn’t hurt to at least ask young Hiccup if he and Toothless could once the little one feels the need to spread his wings and fly.”
“Or her wings.” She added as she looked down at the egg.
Johann chuckled. “Of course. Won’t know what gender it is until the little breaks free of the shell now won’t you.”
Marta nodded as she smiled down at the egg.
“Think of a name for it yet?” Johann asked after a while.
“Uh huh.” She nodded. “I’m thinking Shadow. It’ll work for either gender.”
Johann nodded before suddenly looking up at the sky.
Marta looked too and her jaw dropped a bit.
Quicker than they expected, the once cloudless sky was cover covered in dark storm clouds.
“Well that came sooner than expected.” Johann said as he stood from the barrel he was sitting on.
He then went over to Marta. “You best get down below child. This storm is no place for a young one such as yourself.”
Marta nodded and got up with Johann’s help.
Struggling to stay standing as the first waves of the storm hit the ship, Marta stumbled her way over to the panel in the floor.
She then lifted it and went below where it was safe.
Grabbing the blanket off her cot, Marta went over to a corner and sat down in it. She then wrapped the blanket around her to keep her and the egg warm and safe.
In no time at all, Marta was holding onto the egg for dear life.
The storm had come quickly as she rocking the boat hard this way and that with its violent waves crashing into them.
Marta wrapped the blanket tightly around her as she stayed in the corner.
At some point, Marta laid her head down on the smooth shell and tried to focus on something other than the raging storm.
It was faint but what she heard from within the shell seemed to make the world around her go quiet.
Just inside the egg, Marta heard the faint sound of the baby dragon shifting. She then heard the faint sound of its tiny claws scratching against the shell as it tried to get comfortable in its probably tight confines.
Marta could help but smile happily at hearing that the baby was moving.
“Hey little one.” She spoke softly to the dragon within the shell. “It’s okay. Don’t be scared. I’m right here holding you in my arms. You’re perfectly safe.”
She then jumped and looked up at the ceiling when she heard something loud fall onto the deck.
The ship was then hit hard on the port side of the ship before a larger wave hit from the starboard, causing Marta to scream out from the sudden hits and brace herself.
She thought for a moment that the ship was going to tip over but the gods seemed to be mercifully in their own twisted way by hitting the boat on the side that it was tipping toward.
Either way, Marta kept a firm grip on the egg as she was shaken all over.
It was hours until the storm started to settle down and Marta was starting to feel tired from holding on so tightly to the egg and struggling to stay up.
“Marta? You alright down there?” Johann called out the.
The girl looked up and saw Johann coming down below deck.
“Over here.” She said as she slowly and shakily stood.
“Oh thank the gods you’re fine lass.” He said as he came over to her and helped her up. “That storm was a rough one that was. I’ve faced worse but that was by far a bad one.”
Marta nodded as she went over to her cot, setting down the egg for a moment as she stretched out her aching limps. “I’ve never been out at sea before and that was really bad. I thought we were going to tip over at some point.”
“Aye we almost did but the gods were merciful on us this time.” Johann said as he smiled as he then took out a small bag and handed it to her. “Here. Food to calm your nerves. Always makes me feel better after such a storm.”
Marta nodded and accepted the bag. She then opened it and found there were a few apples inside.
“Thank you Johann.” She said as she pulled out an apple and started eating it.
“Your father wants to ensure you a safe voyage and I’m going to see it through.” Johann nodded. “Now you get some rest. I’m going to check on a few things that came lose during the storm and then be back down to make us some supper.”
Marta nodded and Johann soon went back up on deck.
Once she ate a few apples, Marta laid down and curled up with the egg.
She smiled softly as she stared at the egg, hearing the very faint sounds of the little dragon squirming around inside.
“You’re about ready to hatch huh?” She allowed as she held onto the egg so it wouldn’t roll off the bed. “Well when you come out, you’ll be some place safe that doesn’t harm dragons. You might even have a big brother to help you figure things out. Just don’t pester him too much okay?”
She then smiled as she felt the egg wiggle slightly against her hand.
As she relaxed on her cot, the smooth rocking motion of the ship started to make her feel sleepy.
In no time at all, Marta was soon fast asleep, cuddling the egg close to her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~back home~
“Where did she go Jonathan?” the guard captain asked as he glared at Marta’s father.
The soldiers had come to the house around noon at the mother’s request to remove a Nightfury dragon egg from her daughter.
But upon finding the household missing one 12 year old girl and a black colored dragon egg, the captain wasn’t amused.
Jonathan just stood his ground as he looked upon the captain. “I have no idea where she could have gone Captain Isaac. She must have run off in the middle of the night and caught a boat somewhere away from here.”
Isaac narrowed his eyes as he looked upon the man.
“She and the egg must found and brought in for treason Jonathan Jorgenson.” Isaac said firmly. “Marta disobeyed the rule of venturing out into the Forbidden Forest. And she brought a dragon egg within the village. Such thing is also against the law.”
The captain then straightened himself up to look regal. “And at hearing that this egg carries a Nightfury, one of the most rare breeds of dragon, the chief has declared that it will be his son’s rite of passage to slay once he comes of age. Slaying a Nightfury will bring great honor to the family line. More than slaying a Monstrous Nightmare would ever bring.”
Jonathan resisted all attempts to twitch at hearing this news.
That little baby dragon was going to be kept in a cage until the chief’s newborn son was of age to slay it? That was just horrible!
Isaac then got his attention again by coming up very close to him.
“She will be found Jorgenson.” He stated lowly. “Your daughter will be punished for her crimes and the hatching will be thrown to the pits for dragon training and then to be slain. Such things will not go unheeded.”
Isaac then turned and headed for the door, two soldiers following behind him.
Jonathan stayed standing where he was until one of the soldiers closed the door behind him.
After waiting a couple minutes, Jonathan released the breath he had been holding. “That could have gone worse.”
“Why didn’t you tell them where Marta went?!” his wife then chose to yell. “She needs to be brought back and be punished! She needs to understand that she needs to stop wondering out into the forest!”
“I did what was right Ann!” Jonathan said as he turned on his wife. “I protected our daughter! Do you have any idea what they would have done to her? The punishment for going out to the forest is being whipped relentlessly until beaten raw! And that egg is just an innocent little baby dragon! It shouldn’t have to suffer a short life in the kill ring only to be killed by our leader’s son! It would break Marta’s heart!”
“It was a Nightfury Jonathan!” Ann argued back. “A Nightfury! The unholy offspring….”
“….Of lightning and death itself I know Ann.” The father groaned as he rubbed his eyes. “But dragons aren’t what they seem! We have it all wrong! Dragons only attack because we threaten them.”
Ann rolled her eyes at her husband. “Since when did you become all knowledgeable about those beasts?”
“When my long lost, disowned, Viking brother started contacting me again threw letters.” He said firmly.
“Your disowned……brother?” Ann stuttered a bit. “But I thought…..”
“No. I’ve always had a brother.” Jonathan shook his head. “We just never spoke of him because of his choices. He left with them when I was little after seeing them in action while attacking our home. And up until two years ago, I haven’t heard from him since. But then he started writing and I find out he’s alive, was married, has a son and now the whole island he and the other Vikings live on have befriended dragons and made peace with them.”
“And…..you sent Marta to those hooligans?!” Ann yelled in outrage. “They’ll kill her!”
“No. they won’t.” Jonathan said as he shook his head. “For the past two years, my brother and I have been talking and he’s been wanting to see our daughter for so long now. And after seeing Marta with that egg, I thought now would be the perfect chance for him to see her. And hopefully protect her and the egg while she’s there.”
Ann frowned at her husband. “And how can you be so sure she will be safe with a Viking?”
“He’s my brother.” Jonathan said as he smiled softly. “And before he left, he was always defensive of his family. Even me. He’ll keep Marta safe. I know that he will.”
Sighing, Ann shook her head. “I’m not so sure about this Jonathan.”
“You’ll see dear. Marta and the egg will be safe.” Jonathan said as he smiled. “We’ll get a letter from him soon. You’ll see.”
Still unconvinced, Ann turned and went into the kitchen to start preparing for dinner.
Jonathan sighed softly and then looked up at the floor above him that was once Marta’s room.
I know she’ll be safe with Spitelout. He may have a rough, obnoxious outside, but he’s a cuddly teddy bear on the inside.
Sighing, he then went into their room to change out of his dirty cloths, silently praying that Spitelout would indeed take care of his daughter.