The Legend of Gobber the Belch
Chapter 1: Welcome Home
A crisp, autumn wind blew across the expanse of the North Sea, creating choppy waves that made white foam as they crashed against one another. A small fleet of longships rode the wind across the sea, their wooden prows cutting through the water as the wind pushed against their full sails. A flag depicting a downward pointing sword over four interlocking circles on a blue field fluttered from each of the masts.
A man stood on the deck of one the longships, leaning against the deck rail as he looked out at the dark blue water with dark blue eyes. He was a large man in both height and girth with thickly muscled arms and a barrel chest. He wore a threadbare, pale yellow tunic under a frayed fur vest along with brown and tan striped trousers. His blonde hair was so short it barely peaked out from under the horned, metal helmet, at odds with the long, braided mustache he possessed. His most noticeable features though were the crude, makeshift prosthetic that replaced his left hand and his right foot, consisting of a wooden pegleg and a crude, stone hammer.
Leaning over the railing, the man looked down at the cold salt water that splashed against the hull of the ship a nervous look on his face.
"Enjoyin' th' view?" a voice said from behind, causing the man to start in surprise and almost slip on the slick deck.
Turning around, the man found a woman roughly his own age standing behind him. She was a short, plump woman, her cheeks rosy as she giggled and grinned at him. She wore a simple, homespun tan and white dress with a matching wimple that covered what the man knew were brown locks.
"Oh, Ah'm sorry, Gobber," the woman giggled, hesitantly reaching her arms out towards him in case he fell, "Did Ah startle ye?"
"Anly a little, Maudie," the man, Gobber, admitted with a chuckle, "Was lost in ma thoughts, is all."
"Ye seem tense," Maudie observed as she stepped up next to Gobber, "Are ye nervous aboot visitin' th' Highlands?"
"Nae," Gobber replied, before pausing as he thought out the answer he had given, "Alright, yes, a bit. 'At wasnae whit Ah was thinkin' aboot jist now though."
"Whit were ye thinkin' aboot then?" Maudie questioned.
"Jist curious aboot how deep it gaes," Gobber answered as he leaned over the railing and looked back at the water below.
"Ah daenae know," Maudie admitted as she glanced down the waters as well, "Why dae ye ask?"
"Ah've ne'er been this far from th' sight o' land afore," Gobber admitted as he glanced back at Maudie.
"Really?" Maudie questioned with a bemused smile, "Here Ah thought all ye Vikin's were supposed tae be these great sailors."
"Nae all o' us are," Gobber countered, "Saeme o' us hae tae stay behind an' tend tae th' villages after all."
"Ah see," Maudie stated, pausing as she looked out at the sea again, "Ye ne'er did answer ma question, ye know."
"Oh?" Gobber chuckled, "An' whit question was 'at?"
"Are ye enjoyin' th' view?" Maudie questioned again.
"Oh yes," Gobber replied with a playful grin, looking right at Maudie as he spoke, "Ah'm enjoyin' th' view very much."
Maudie smiled and blushed as she looked away from Gobber who grinned to himself. Sliding closer to Maudie, Gobber started to say something else, but was interrupted by the sound of someone loudly clearing their voice behind him.
Turning around, Gobber found a young man standing on the deck behind him. The young man's brown eyes were filled with amusement as he looked at Gobber, a smile crossing his handsome features. He ran a hand through his dark and unruly hair that hung down to his long neck, revealing the blue warpaint that spiraled down his right arm. He wore a red tartan robe with green highlights over a dark green tunic. The hilt of a claymore he had strapped to his back peeked out from over his right shoulder.
"Ah hope Ah'm nae interruptin' saemethin'," the young man stated, his bemused smile growing by the moment.
"N-Nae, m'lord," Maudie sputtered as she spun around and took a half-step away from Gobber, who gave her with a small look of disappointment, "Ye're nae interuptin' anythin'."
"Aye," Gobber agreed, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment, "Maudie an' Ah were jist havin' a friendly chat, Will...Ah mean, m'lord."
"Oh, Sun above, stop 'at," Will said with a chuckle and a roll of his eyes, "Ye daenae hae tae gae callin' me 'm'lord' jist because ye're a clansman now, Gobber. Ah'm still jist a wee lordling. Will will dae jist fine."
"Alright, Will," Gobber replied with a smirk and nod of his head, "Anythin' Ah can dae fer ye?"
"Ma da wanted tae talk tae ye," Will explained, pointing towards the front of the ship with his thumb.
"Sure," Gobber answered with a nod before turning his attention towards Maudie, "Ah'll talk tae ye later?"
"Ye had better," Maudie replied playfully causing Gobber to chuckle as he walked away, following Will as they headed towards the front of the ship.
"Sae, ye an' Maudie, eh?" Will questioned with a grin as they walked.
"Um yes,...Ah mean, Ah suppose," Gobber muttered, "'At is tae say...we like tae talk an' Ah think...Ah mean she's a very good woman an' Ah…"
"Relax, Gobber," Will said with a laugh, holding his hands up to the Viking in an effort to get him to relax, "Daenae hurt yerself."
"Sorry," Gobber apologized with embarrassment, scratching the back of his head again.
"Nae need tae apologize," Will replied with a shake of his head, "Ah understand ye like her but ye haenae quite figured oot where ye an' her stand yet. Ye will though, daenae worry. Maudie's a good lass an' she's taken a real shine tae ye, Ah can tell. Ah know 'at look."
"Sounds like ye know a lot aboot women," Gobber observed with a bemused smile.
"Ah might be young," Will explained, "But Ah've had ma fair share o' encounters with th' fairer sex."
"Right," Gobber stated with a nod, "Ah recall Merida sayin' saemethin' aboot 'at."
"Oh, well, in 'at case," Will said, pointing a finger at Gobber as he spoke, "Those are lies. Terrible, scandalous lies. Nae a lick o' truth tae them."
"Nae a lick o' truth," Gobber parroted , giving Will a knowing look as they reached the front of the ship.
Standing at the prow of the ship was a man looking out at the oncoming sea. Like Will, he was a tall and slim man, his wiry arms crossed over his chest. His wild, black hair whipped in the wind, as did the hems of the tunic and kilt he wore, the same color and design as the one's Will wore.
"Da," Will said to announce their presence, "Ah found him."
Turning, the man smiled as he saw Gobber, a sharp grin to match his sharp, angular features, half of which were covered in the same blue warpaint that covered Will's arm.
"Gobber th' Belch!" he declared with a voice that sounded strangely like Gobber's own, "Jist th' man Ah was lookin' fer!"
"Well, ye found me, Lord Macintosh," Gobber replied with a chuckle and a helpless shrug as he approached the man.
"Sae we did," Lord Macintosh agreed with a nod before glancing over at Will, "Thanks, son."
"Nae problem," Will replied as he gave a small wave before turning around and heading towards another part of the ship.
"Ah'm sure ye want tae know whit it is Ah wanted tae talk tae ye aboot," Lord Macintosh said as Gobber stepped up next to him.
"Aye, a bit," Gobber admitted with a nod.
"Well, Ah suppose Ah wanted tae talk tae ye aboot our home," Macintosh said as he clapped Gobber on the shoulder while turning the other man's attention towards the sea, "We'll be arrivin' in th' Highlands soon. Ye excited tae see yer mother's homeland?"
"Honestly, Ah'm a bit nervous," Gobber admitted.
"Naethin' tae worry aboot ma friend," Lord Macintosh assured him, "It will be like ye've been living there yer whole life."
Gobber's expression was unsure but he didn't say anything in argument.
"Ye'll be stayin' with ma family as an honored guest fer th' duration," Lord Macintosh went on, "Ye can stay as long as ye like, though Ah imagine ye'll be travelin' back tae Berk with us fer th' weddin' come th' spring."
"Aye," Gobber answered with a nod, "An' thank ye fer yer hospitality."
"Think naethin' o' it," Lord Macintosh replied with a dismissive wave, "Ye're family after all."
A small smile crossed Gobber's face at the comment.
"Sae, Ah take it Maudie will be holidayin' with ye?" Lord Macintosh asked with a cheeky grin.
"Yes, Ah mean, nae," Gobber replied, fumbling for words, "'At is tae say, she is on holiday, but she waenae be stayin' in th' same room as me but-"
Lord Macintosh cut him off by holding up a hand, chuckling in amusement as he did.
"Relax," Macintosh said, his grin growing as he spoke, "Ah think Ah understand. Daenae worry, she will be stayin' with us as well."
"Thank ye," Gobber said, his flushed face returning to its normal color.
"Ye know, ye really hae tae stop thankin' me fer these thin's," Macintosh stated with a chuckle, "All o' this is th' least Ah cud dae."
"Sae, how much further?" Gobber questioned.
"Nae far," Lord Macintosh replied, "Fer us at least."
"Whit dae ye mean?" Gobber asked, quirking an eyebrow at Macintosh.
"Macintosh lands are th' closest anes tae Berk," Lord Macintosh explained, "They take up th' central eastern part o' th' Highlands."
"Ah suppose 'at explains our shared history," Gobber observed.
"Aye," Macintosh agreed with a small nod as he looked out at the expansive sea towards home, "Ah suppose it daes.
"Whit aboot th' other lords an' th' king?" Gobber inquired.
"Ance we get in sight o' land, th' king's ships will turn south an' follow th' coast down tae Dunbroch," Lord Macintosh explained, "Dingwall an' MacGuffin, on th' other hand, will turn north."
"Both o' their lands are north o' yers?" Gobber questioned.
"Nae," Macintosh answered with a shake of his head, "MacGuffin's lands lay tae th' east o' ma own, which means if he wants tae sail his own ships back tae his own lands he has tae gae up an' around th' northernmost tip o' this great island we call home."
"Sounds like quite th' trip," Gobber observed.
"Aye an' treacherous," Macintosh added, "Th' trip will bring him well within th' reach o' th' Norselands."
"But ye've made peace with us," Gobber pointed out.
"Aye, th' Highlands hae made peace with th' Vikin's o' Berk," Macintosh agreed, "But ye know as well as anyane 'at makin' peace with Berk daes nae make peace with th' other Vikin' tribes. It is true 'at Berk is plentiful with resources an' is located in th' southern reaches o' th' Norselands, which made it th' largest Vikin' threat tae th' Highlands. This daes nae mean ye were th' anly Vikin' threat we hae faced."
"Ah see," Gobber said as he nodded his head grimly, "Stoick daes hae same pull with same o' th' other tribes, like th' Berserkers an' th' Bashems. They shud fall in line with his policies."
"'At's certainly th' hope," Macintosh agreed, "Perhaps Berk can help with th' other danger th' Northern Highlands present."
"Whit danger is 'at?" Gobber inquired.
"Well, as th' cartographers like tae write on their maps, 'Here there be dragons,'" Lord Macintosh said with a grin.
"Hae dragons been a problem fer th' Highlands?" Gobber asked.
"Nae as large a problem as they hae been fer Berk an' th' rest o' th' Norselands," Macintosh answered, "But we've had our fair share o' dragon attacks over th' years an' th' problem gets worse th' farther ye gae north."
"Ye think it might be another nest o' dragons like th' ane near Berk?" Gobber suggested.
"Th' king has pondered th' same question afore," Macintosh said as a grim expression fell over his face, "But if it wud be anythin' like 'at sun-forsaken island we saw up north, Ah certainly hope 'at there isnae."
"Aye," Gobber agreed with a sober nod, "Though after whit we've learned, perhaps we can turn it tae our advantage."
"Ah daenae think Ah'm ready tae ride a dragon quite yet," Macintosh stated with a chuckle.
"From th' way Hiccup tells it, Ah daenae think there's ever a point where ye're ready tae ride a dragon," Gobber replied with a small laugh of his own.
"Ah can believe 'at," Macintosh said with a grin.
"Why daesn't MacGuffin just sail around th' southern part o' th' island?" Gobber questioned.
"Because, unfortunately, the Highland Kingdom is nae th' anly kingdom on this great island," Macintosh explained, "An' we've ne'er quite gotten along with our neighbors tae th' south."
"Is it really 'at bad?" Gobber questioned.
"Th' kingdom of Duloc is a powerful kingdom an' they wud like naethin' more than an excuse tae gae tae war with us," Macintosh explained, "If Macintosh ran intae Vikin's, there's a chance they'd kill him. If he ran intae Dulocians, it's a guarantee."
"Ah see," Gobber replied soberly.
As they talked, a happy cry went out from above them. Looking up, Gobber spotted the man in the crow's nest waving and pointing in excitement, the Macintosh flag, a light green harp encircled by a similarly colored line that entwined over the harp in a sharp, dagger-like point on a field of black, fluttered above him.
"Land! Land!" the man cried happily, "Highlands an' home!"
A cry of happiness went up amongst the men on the ship, echoed by the other ships in their small fleet. Turning his attention towards the horizon, Gobber couldn't help but smile as he saw land start to rise up out of the cold water of the sea. As they drew closer, Gobber could make out rocky cliffs topped with green fields standing tall against the pounding waves. One cliff in particular was topped with an imposing castle that look down on a small bay where Gobber was willing to be a village was located.
"Look at 'at!" Macintosh exclaimed with a happy laugh, "Ainae she a beaut? Hearth, Highlands an' home!"
"Well Gobber," Macintosh continued as he clapped his hand on Gobber's shoulder again, "Let me be th' first tae say welcome home!"
A/N: Hey guys! I know I only just finished When the Cold Wind is a Callin' but we got to keep this train moving, so here's the start of the next story! I'm kind of excited for this one, because it mostly involves focusing on characters who up until this point have been secondary characters. I hope you like this little side adventure because I think it's going to be fun. As always, feedback and critiques are always welcome so please review! Later!