Chapter 3

The Meeting of No-Handed and No-Footed

It had been a few weeks since the storms had begun to let up, and Hiccup and Toothless were positively delighted. They went flying as much as possible, and finally felt like themselves again. Today they, along with most of the other dragon riders, were going to visit Bardikk for a long overdue treat.

The morning of the trip everyone was up early, vibrating with excitement for the change of scenery for the day. Hiccup and Toothless were more than amused by everyone's heightened energy; rough-housing, chasing each other, boisterous laughter, and even the dragons were joining in. Before long, breakfast had been wolfed down in record time and every rider was on his dragon, impatiently waiting for Hiccup to do the same.

As Hiccup was just as eager to visit Bardikk's bustling market, he decided not to tease them too much, and only stalled for a few minutes. Then they were off.

The flight was shorter than usual on account of everyone's buzzing excitement. Even with the dragons' extra loop-the-loops, diving, swooping, corkscrewing (only Toothless and Static), along with a few dunks in the ocean, they arrived earlier than Hiccup expected.

As soon as they landed the other dragon riders set their dragons loose to play, with a warning from Hiccup on staying, "a good distance away, you hear? Don't be too close."

Of course, they already knew the drill, and knew to still remain nearby for when their riders called. Toothless, obviously, had to remain with Hiccup though, refusing to fly without him. While the other riders went off, donning disguises, or simply being surreptitious about the removal of their masks or hoods, Hiccup and Toothless went looking for the chief of Bardikk, a stern man named Flintrock.

"You brought ALL of them!" the chief exclaimed when Hiccup had informed him of their visit, just to be on the safe side.

"Not all of them," Hiccup said. "Only most. And I told them not to cause any trouble."

Flintrock crossed his muscled arms over his big chest. "Oh you told them. That makes me feel better."

"Only two of them are troublemakers," Hiccup assured him. "And I'm only iffy on one of them being an actual problem. But I'll keep an eye on him, don't worry."

"I'm going to worry," Flintrock said gruffly. "Are you taking that beast around my town?"

Hiccup shrugged. "No," Hiccup assured him. "He'll be keeping an eye on the other dragons while we're here."

Flintrock scowled. "You do know this is bad for business, right?"

"And you know that dragons don't raid anymore, right?" Hiccup countered.

Flintrock pressed his mouth into a thin line. "I know. That doesn't erase anyone's nervousness over those beasts."

"And I know that too," Hiccup said with a sigh. "They won't be wandering around the market though, just close enough to keep an eye on their riders."

Flintrock was none too pleased with the arrangement, but grudgingly agreed. It was only a small victory, but Hiccup let it cheer him. He definitely needed it after months cooped up in his little stone house for most of the winter and most of the summer.

Leaving Toothless to watch over the rest of the dragons, Hiccup removed his mask and armor and settled himself on the sidelines where he could observe his wandering dragon riders. Some of them, like Lodin and Tuffnut, were practically vibrating with energy. Others, like Hall and Aesa, were more sedate but no less happy to be wandering around.

But Hiccup himself was content to observe and watch over them, so he parked himself next to a building and leaned against it to take the weight of his footless leg.

The breeze was uncommonly warm, which Hiccup could appreciate. He much enjoyed feeling in through his light tunic. The Barbaric Archipelago was usually cold and wet, summer being the only time a Viking ever felt dry. Fall usually wasn't this warm, but Hiccup wasn't going to complain. He stayed there for a long time, simply enjoying the warm weather, eyes tracking the movements of his dragon riders, until someone bumped into him from behind. The force of the collision sent Hiccup tottering dangerously forward, feet slipping in the slick mud. He grabbed the edge of the building while someone else grabbed his other arm, exclaiming, "Sorry!"

A moment later, Hiccup had righted himself and found himself faced with a young Viking who was the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome. (Unless you were the epitome of a Viking, in which case he looked skinny, flimsy, and a little short. But since, dear reader, I don't think you're an eight-foot tall warrior Viking pirate, we'll stick with tall, dark, and handsome.)

"I'm so sorry!" the stranger said again. "I wasn't looking where I was going."

"It's alright," Hiccup said, gesturing toward his bootless leg. "I'm a little unsteady." That wasn't necessarily true, Hiccup had become quite adept at moving around on his prosthetic, but the metal couldn't gain much purchase on the slippery mud.

The stranger's gray eyes followed Hiccup's gesture and alighted on the complicated prosthetic foot Hiccup had designed. Interest sparked in his eyes. "Did you lose it recently?"

"Last year," Hiccup answered easily. It seemed it didn't matter if you looked much like a Viking, battle scars would always be interesting..

"Would you mind if I…?" the stranger asked vaguely, waving his hand at Hiccup's prosthetic.

Hiccup wasn't sure exactly what the stranger wanted to do, but he nodded anyway, assuming he wanted to look it. His eyebrows shot up in surprise as the stranger dropped to his knees in the mud and started examining the prosthetic like the feat of engineering it was instead of passing it off as a really funny-looking peg leg. It was then that Hiccup realized the stranger's hand was missing.

Deciding turnabout was fair play, Hiccup asked, "When'd you lose your hand?"

"A little over a month ago," the stranger answered absently as he continued to look over Hiccup's prosthetic.

Surprised again, Hiccup ventured, "But haven't the dragons stopped raiding?"

"Oh, this isn't from a dragon," the stranger said, looking up with a spark of humor in his eyes. "Right nasty Viking gave me this. You lost yours to a dragon, I presume?"

"Yeah," Hiccup confirmed. "I'm Hiccup, by the way."

The stranger shot to his feet and stuck out his hand. "So sorry, how rude of me! I'm Cal."

Amused, Hiccup shook his hand. "That's alright. Something interesting about my foot?"

"Yes!" Cal said enthusiastically. "It looks fiendishly clever," he added with a wink. "More serviceable than any old wooden peg leg, at any rate. Does the shape help you balance on it better, like a real foot?"

"Yeah," Hiccup said, a pleased grin making its way onto his face. Vikings with a brain were notoriously hard to find, but it seemed one had stumbled right into him. "I've had to tinker with the weight to get it balanced right, but I got it." He lifted his prosthetic a little to emphasize that before setting it down and letting it take his weight again.

Cal's keen eyes tracked the movement. "Have you got springs in there too? That's genius!"

"It does keep the limp down a good bit," Hiccup said, grinning.

"And probably helps when it comes to running," Cal guessed. "Most Vikings with peg legs are slowed down a lot."

"I probably won't be winning any foot races," Hiccup said. "And I'm not as fast as I used to be, but it is better than lugging around a hunk of wood."

"I can imagine," Cal said wryly. "Did you build that yourself?"

"Built and designed," Hiccup said proudly. "I had a lot of time on my hands this summer."

Cal laughed. "Everyone did. But that didn't make the blacksmith on my island any less reticent to give me a hand."

Hiccup snorted, and Cal winked. "Pun fully intended, no regrets," Cal said, lifting his silver-hooked hand.

"Well, your hook looks pretty deadly," Hiccup commented.

"It isn't just a hook though," Cal said excitedly.

"Interchangeable?" Hiccup asked, eyebrows going up. In all his years, he'd only seen Gobber with that feature.

"Sort of," Cal admitted, "but I'm still working on that bit. What I did do, is this." Cal reached over with his right hand and pressed a button-like depression on the side of the hook's base. Immediately a blade as long as Hiccup's forearm popped out of a slit in the base, extending past the length of the hook.

"Wow!" Hiccup exclaimed. "Mind if I take a look?"

"Be my guest," Cal said, offering his arm out.

Hiccup immediately took it in his hands and examined the depression Cal had pushed and the blade's exit point. "That's impressive. Is the blade stored in your bracer?"

"Yeah," Cal said, tapping said bracer with his left hand. "I had it made thick enough to keep the blade in there. Couldn't have it cutting me when I wasn't using it."

"Where are the springs?" Hiccup asked. "Are those in your bracer too?"

"Yep, right about here." Cal pointed to the spot. "They're tiny. They have to be to fit. But they're also really powerful. It was a pain to get them in there, believe me."

Hiccup turned to examine the tip of the blade. "I'm guessing that stays pushed up against a guard or a gate until you push it open."

"Right again, Hiccup," Cal said with a winning smile.

"Take much sharpening to keep the point up?" Hiccup asked, finally letting go of Cal's prosthetic.

"Not too much," Cal said. "But I have to replace the gate mechanism every so often since the point scrapes against it during the release. I figure that out after practicing with it for a while. Snapped the gate right off and jammed it. I had to take the whole thing apart to get to it."

"The springs last a good long while too then?" Hiccup asked.

"Yeah, I haven't had to replace those yet," Cal said.

"How does the weight feel on your arm?" Hiccup questioned. "Especially with it being only about a month old."

Cal grimaced. "Not too good," he answered. "But living where I do, I wasn't really keen to let it lie for too long. It isn't too bad though. It just gets sore after a wearing it all day. Yours must be worse since you have to put your whole body weight on it."

"Eh, for the most part I had the luxury of waiting for it to fully heal before I did anything too strenuous," Hiccup said. "But it did take me a while to get used to standing on it for so long. I'm still not fully used to it. Where do you live that you needed your hand replaced as soon as possible?"

"It's a little island, you probably haven't heard of it," Cal said. "It's right next to the Outcast isles though, which is why I wanted replacement as soon as possible. It's pretty dangerous there, even with the dragons leaving us be."

"Sounds awful," Hiccup said sympathetically.

"We're Vikings," Cal said with a grin and shrug. "Let it never be said we ever did things the easy way."

Hiccup snorted. "Sometimes, I wish we would."

"Only sometimes?" Cal asked wryly.

"I was trying to be positive," Hiccup joked.

"Your positivity is amazingly negative," Cal remarked dryly.

"Desperate times, desperate measures," Hiccup quipped.

"I bet you're just as positive about the Vikings finding this treasure then," Cal said with a grin.

Hiccup's good humor faded into confusion and he frowned. "Treasure?"

A surprised look flitted across Cal's face and then he mirrored the frown. "You mean you haven't heard?"

"Obviously not," Hiccup deadpanned.

"I mean, I thought everyone had heard by now," Cal mused.

"I've been out of town," Hiccup retorted.

"Alright, alright, don't get snarky on me," Cal said, holding up his hands in a universal gesture of surrender.

"Too late," Hiccup said.

"Yes, yes, you're so clever," Cal said, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes.

"I like to think so." Hiccup grinned.

"Alright, alright, let me tell you about this treasure before the level of sass gets any higher," Cal said.

"Fire away," Hiccup invited.

Shaking his head with an amused grin, Cal explained. "A treasure map and a riddle were found that will reportedly lead the Heir of Grimbeard the Ghastly to his hidden hoard of treasure."

"Really?" Hiccup said, disbelief coloring his voice.

"Really," Cal confirmed. "Got the whole archipelago in an uproar. Originally it was just the Berkians who were looking for it, but word got out and now everyone is losing their heads over where this treasure might be, there are a hundred different interpretations of the riddle floating around, as well as at least a dozen different versions of the riddle itself."

"You're kidding," Hiccup stated, eyebrows going up.

"Am not," Cal countered. "Just ask anyone. I'm surprised you haven't heard already what with Vikings talk about it left and right. It's the talk of the archipelago!"

Hiccup shrugged. "I've been away."

"Where?" Cal asked, arching an eyebrow. "Under a rock?"

"Ha ha," Hiccup said dryly, rolling his eyes. "It was on top of a rock, actually."

"Right, of course, on top of a rock," Cal said. "A little rock in the middle of nowhere then?"

Hiccup grinned. "Something like that."

A curious spark lit in Cal's eyes but he didn't press. Instead he rocked back on his heels and returned to the original subject. "I reckon everyone in the archipelago, barring you of course—"

"Of course," Hiccup parroted agreeably.

"—have been on the lookout for the treasure. Most people have given an actual search a go too," Cal finished.

"Everyone in the archipelago?" Hiccup echoed.

"Well, most everyone," Cal amended. "I have yet to hear whether or not those dragon riders have gone at it. But as far as I know, all the tribes have looked and a lot of individual Vikings have struck out for the treasure as well. I'd be really interested to know if the dragon riders have looked though," Cal mused. "I'd say they have the most ability, being able to fly wherever they want. They'd be able to cover distance faster."

Hiccup pursed his lips. "They'd have been holed up on their island during the storms though. I doubt they'd be out and about much."

Cal shrugged. "Rumors and tales travel faster than anything I've ever seen. I'd bet they've heard of it by now."

Hiccup scrubbed a hand over his mouth to hide his smirk. "Probably," he agreed.

"I'd think they were scrambling to find it," Cal mused casually.

Hiccup cocked an eyebrow at that. "You think they're poor?" he asked.

Shaking his head, Cal replied, "That isn't what I meant. I meant the Dragon's Jewel."

At Hiccup's blank look, Cal explained, "It's a jewel that's said to carry both a deadly disease that could cause the extinction of dragons and the power to control them all."

Hiccup frowned. If that was true, that could be really really bad for them, and he vaguely recalled such a jewel rumored to be hidden in Grimbeard's treasure, but it had always been brushed off as a myth. "I hope you'll forgive my skepticism," Hiccup said with a grimace. "But I don't think anyone believes the Dragon's Jewel is real."

Cal shrugged. "Believe what you will, but a lot of what's left of the older generation are familiar with it, and if I were them, I'd at least look into it. Maybe if I spread the rumor around, it'll get to them at some point, yeah?"

"Yeah," Hiccup muttered. "At some point."

There was a moment of silence before Cal sighed and said, "I should be getting back." He didn't move.

Hiccup stared at him with an amused smile at the reluctance to be 'getting back' Cal was showing. "You don't seem to be in a hurry."

"To be honest, I'm not sure I can handle another one of Trader Johan's tales of adventure at this point," Cal said honestly, grimacing.

"Ah, he is quite the story-teller, isn't he?" Hiccup mused. "How long have you been traveling with him?"

"A couple of weeks," Cal said in a tone that clearly suggested that time was the greatest torture he'd ever experienced.

"Ouch," Hiccup winced. "How'd you do it?"

"I cried," Cal said.

"Not very Viking-ly of you," Hiccup said in amusement.

"Johan's stories could reduce the sturdiest of Vikings to blubbering heaps," Cal announced, expression brooking no argument. "Unfortunately, I don't really have any other method of travel at this point, so I'm stuck." Cal gave him a tired grin. "Pray to Frey for my soul, will you?"

Hiccup returned the grin on the outside, but inwardly his mind was whirling. "You know…" he said slowly, but trailed off, unsure.

"What?" Cal asked curiously.

"Well…" Hiccup said, mind racing, trying to think of any disadvantages to his idea. "Some of the dragon riders are here today. Maybe you could hitch a ride with one of them. They probably wouldn't mind."

Cal smiled. "But not with you?"

Hiccup frowned. "What do you mean?"

"On your dragon," Cal elaborated, grin widening at Hiccup's flabbergasted expression. "Oh, come on, you honestly thought I didn't know?"

"I, er—uh, I didn't… ah, er, what?" Hiccup stammered.

Cal laughed. "You aren't that subtle, Hiccup."

"I'm subtle," Hiccup argued weakly.

Still chuckling, Cal revised, "Okay, you're fairly subtle—a lot more than most Vikings anyway. I'd already heard of you, Hiccup, son of Stoick the Vast, traitor to his tribe, one of the first dragon riders, though that's a bit of a contested topic at this point. Can I see your dragon? Where are the dragons? Over here? Come on."

Hiccup was left staring, jaw agape, as Cal fired off his explanation before turning and striding off toward where the dragons had been left to their own devices. Then he realized that Hiccup wasn't following, doubled back, and then grabbed Hiccup's arm and dragged him along.

Before Hiccup quite knew what was happening, they had gone over to the dragons and he'd introduced Cal to them all. Cal obligingly rubbed each dragon's sweet spot, though he drew the line at any rough and tumble playing with the dangerous creatures. Idle chit chat of this and that somehow led to Cal asking if Hiccup was any good at sword-fighting. When the answer came as a resounding no, Cal had taken matters into his own hook and despite Hiccup's protestations set about giving him a lesson in The Grand Art of Sword Fighting.

Hiccup tried to be sullen about it. He hated lessons in how to use weaponry, mostly because he was an utter failure when it came to such Vikingly things. But his sour attitude quickly faded as Cal started to teach him—not teach how to use his brute strength and pound his opponent to death like a real Viking—but teach him how to use his speed as an advantage, to dodge and weave, and use his brain when he fought. Hiccup was astonished to find himself enjoying the impromptu lesson.

Unfortunately, interesting new ways of fighting aside, Hiccup was as clumsy as ever. And as they moved onto demonstrating maneuvers, it showed. Hiccup tried to copy Cal carefully, but usually without much success. He usually just couldn't get the sword to do what he wanted, or he tripped over his own feet. Towards the end of their session, Hiccup even managed to fall over. He grunted as he hit the ground and groaned at his failure.

"Bravo!" Cal exclaimed, grinning. "Great job, Hiccup!"

Hiccup glared at him from the ground. "I fell down," he pointed out testily.

"But you did it with such style," Cal proclaimed, dramatically waving his arms. "You can't teach that sort of thing, Hiccup. It's in the blood."

Hiccup snorted and sat up. Cal speared his sword into the ground and offered him a hand. Hiccup took it and let Cal haul him to his feet.

It was then that the other dragon riders began to trickle over, and Hiccup looked up to see the sun sinking in the sky. It was about time to leave.

"Who's this, Hiccup?" Aesa asked as she approached, hood up. "Made a friend?"

"Er, yeah," Hiccup said, brushing the dirt off his tunic. "This is Cal. Cal, this is Aesa."

"Pleased to meet you," Cal said, with a charming grin.

"He's been travelling with Johan for awhile," Hiccup explained.

Aesa winced sympathetically at that. Everyone liked Johan, but everyone also knew how tiresome he could get, especially over long periods of time. She also, Woden bless her, caught on quickly to what Hiccup needed. "Where are you headed, Cal? Maybe one of us could give you a ride."

"I'm off to Luk Tuk next," Cal said with a relieved smile.

"Well, I know Hiccup here is heading in the opposite direction from that," Aesa invented smoothly. "How about I give you a ride?"

"It would be most appreciated," Cal said gratefully.

Hiccup also gave her a grateful smile, though he was thankful for her smooth protection of his identity as the leader of the dragon riders. He still preferred that particular knowledge not be spread about just yet.

In short order, Aesa and Cal had flown off toward Luk Tuk, and Hiccup had informed Hall and the rest of the dragon riders that he was taking a trip to Meathead Island to break into the library. He needed a little more information on the Dragon Jewel before he decided what to do next.

AN: I'M SO SORRY ABOUT THE WAIT, GUYS! I don't know if any of you are still hanging around at this point :P but the school year was a bit busy for me and all. But here we are. I really hope to finish this story and go through the rest of the series (which is a lot, so maybe not all of it) but we'll just have to see about that. I can't promise the next update will be soon, but I'll do my best. Thanks, guys! I'd love to hear what you guys thought of this chapter.

Quick Question: Does anyone still care about this story?

Review responses:

onefor: Sorry, it was a bit of a wait for the next chapter ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Nice job with all the Ws!

mrsgunsage: Thank you!

Tzoulia: Yes, I am leaning more toward the books for this story. This one will mostly have the plot of How to Be a Pirate, with a few adjustments for the movie world (and a little from the show). Cal is a very fun character :D But I'm afriad I won't be saying anything about who he is, except that he's someone important.

Bluephoenix22: Thank you so much! I hope you continue to like it :)

dragonlovewater: Thanks for the cookies! Write all the reviews you want, I'll love them all. Yes I have watched Race to the Edge, and I have to say, the chicken was my favorite part... Anyway, if you do end up writing that crossover fic, let me know!

Dude: Sorry it wasn't soon, but oh well. Thanks for the review!

Spiros the Chained: Thanks, I hope it will be!

Fenrir's Phantom: Sorry about the wait, I hope you'll still enjoy it!

CartoonLoverBecky: *squeezes bear hug back* I LOVE YOU TOO! Sorry your sister looked at you funny, I get that all the time when I fangirl :P

LilithDarkness: Thank you!

kairi loves sora: Hiccup is now sort of involved, but we'll see more of that next chapter. Thanks for the review!

Karate Koala: Is not abandoned, and I hope it won't be :) Just busy with rl, which is dumb...