This story begins over 1000 years ago, a horde of evil misshapen creatures known as the darkspawn emerge within the dwarven kingdom beneath the very ground itself. The dwarfs fought ferociously trying to hold their roads, also known as the Deep Roads. The sheer number and ferocity of the darkspawn horde were just too powerful and its head it was led by a misshapen corrupted dragon known to everyone as the Archdemon.

How these creatures came to be is unknown, some say there were always there and that the dwarfs accidentally released them. Others say that they were the creation of the Old Gods as a divine punishment for those who strayed from their path.

However, many believe what the Chantry teaches us is true that seven powerful mages in the country of Esnal, a country that is ruled, even today, by powerful mages, also known as Magisters. These Magisters were part of a cult that worshipped the Old Gods, who whispered in their ear telling them that Golden City, the city of the Maker the one true God, was ripe for the taking.

They gathered many elven slaves and performed the bloodiest blood ritual in known history. Their sacrifice tour and opening within the Veil, the gateway between the waking world and dreaming world. Filled with pride and ambition, the seven Magisters made their way to the Golden City to calm the throne that was promised for them.

Unfortunately for them, that was not to be the case as every step they took the city became black as night. The Maker furious at their transgressions sent them back to the waking world. As punishment, they were twisted and cursed by their own corruption into monstrous creatures, and soon they became the first of the darkspawn.

The Maker also punished the Old Gods, for misleading the Magisters trapping them deep inside the Deep Roads never to see the light of day. But this sickness of form began to spread first into the Deep Roads and then to the surface, and then they corrupted one of the Old Gods, Dumat who became the first Archdemon and began to terrorise the land.

The Esnal Imperium was not ready for this attack, and soon their once glorious empire began to crumble as city by city, village by village was being overrun by the evil darkspawn. However, a light within the darkness soon shone as emerging from the shadows was a group of people who vowed to put an end to the Blight gathered together and formed the order known as the Grey Wardens.

Not much is known about the Grey Wardens, their practices are a well-kept secret, their knowledge is beyond anyone's reach, but one fact remains without them we would be dead. They rallied all those torn by the Blight and battled against the Archdemon Dumat at the Silent Plains, the moment he was slain the darksapwn and retreated back into the Deep Roads.

Unfortunately, this was not the last time that people would see the darksapwn. They continue to breed beneath the earth battling against the dwarfs every single day, who was starting to lose their once glorious kingdom. Once the Dwarven Empire spanned across the continent and was home to 12 Great Thaigs, today only two remain.

With six remaining Old Gods still trapped within the Deep Roads which meant that six more Blights are inevitable. The First Blight was so terrifying that no one believed the Grey Wardens that more was to come, but this ancient order still maintained its vigilance and a few centuries later what they proclaimed came true.

The Second Blight began, and it was just as terrible as the first, but once again, the Grey Wardens stopped it before the entire continent was destroyed. The process continued for the next 800 years in each and every time the Grey Wardens perform great sacrifices to stem the tide of darkness. But now it has been four centuries since the last Blight, and many people believe that the darksapwn not gone for good believing that so many have killed during Fourth Blight that they will never return.

In truth, the darkspawn have had four centuries to rebuild their ranks, and now they are gathering. The Grey Wardens are few, and their warnings have been ignored for too long, and it may be too late as there have been rumours that the darkspawn have emerged.

The year is 9:30 Dragon, and this tale begins in the most southern country of the continent of Reros, Midgard in one of it's southern cities Berk. Berk was a very hardy city, and the people were just as hardy, not to mention stubborn, and they were ruled by Teyrn Stoick, nicknamed Stoick the Vast, who was considered to be the best of the four Teyrns in the country.

However, this story is not about him; instead, it is that of his one and only son Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third. Hiccup was rather skinny and appeared to lag that of muscles for a 20-year-old, he had sharp emerald green eyes and auburn hair which he had in braids, he also had a small scar on his chin.

Ever since his mother disappeared, his father had been somewhat overprotective, and the two barely talked. Hiccup spent most of his days at the blacksmiths, which was run by an old friend of Stoick I called Gobber the Belch.

Gobber had fought side-by-side with his father when they rebelled against the Asgardians and as a result, lost his right hand and left leg. He was completely bald and had a blonde ropelike moustache.

"So did you tell your father you are coming down here?" Gobber asked as he hammered away.

"Of course not, you would have ordered me to stay put in the castle," said Hiccup as he was sitting at his desk looking over his designs.

What Hiccup lacked in brawn he made up with intelligence and had been busy devising new weapons in order to compensate is lack of strength. Unfortunately, most of these designs ended up blowing up in his face and ended up causing quite a bit of panic within the city to the point where people complained to their Lord.

"Have you tried talking to him?"

"He doesn't listen."

"Runs in the family."

"And when he does it with this disappointing scowl like someone skimmed of the meeting his sandwich. 'Excuse, me barmaid, I'm afraid that you brought me the wrong offspring. I ordered an extra-large boy with beefy arms, extra guts and glory on the side. This here, this is a talking fishbone!'" he yelled, imitating his father and flexing his arms in a number of gestures.

Gobber chuckled. "No, you're thinking about this all wrong. It's not so much what you look like, it's what's inside he can't stand."

Hiccup gave him a dried expression. "Thank you for summing that up."

"No, I mean there's Midgard way, and then there's your way, and your way makes grown men uncomfortable."

"Speaking of uncomfortable, I would like a new conversation, please."

"All right then, how's it going with the ladies?"

Hiccup groaned. "Way to put the mood back on track."

"Ah, come on. I've seen the way that you looked at Astrid."

"Please, Astrid wouldn't come near me if she was on fire and I had the only bucket of water in town. And before you say it," he said before Gobber could open his mouth. "I have no intentions of asked my father for an arranged marriage, she would kill me if I ever suggested it."

"I'm sure you're just overreacting."

"Oh, no? Have you seen the way she acts every time Snotlout tries to woo her."

"Point taken."

"I thought I might find you here," said a new voice.

Hiccup turned and found standing there was Fishlegs, a very husky 19-year-old young man with blonde hair and with bright blue eyes. He was quite happily named due to the small fact that his legs were rather skinny, in fact, it was quite amazing that they could hold his entire body. He was one of few friends that Hiccup had in the whole world.

"Where else would I be?" Hiccup sighed.

Fishlegs made his way inside. "You were locked in your room, you snuck out again, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I did."

"Lord Stoick is going to be mad."

"I know, Fishlegs and I would appreciate it if we could change the subject."

"There's a rumour going around that an important guest is going to appear at the castle," said Fishlegs fiddling with his fingers. "Do you have any idea who it might be?"

"This is the first time I've heard of it," said Hiccup looking up from his desk. "I suppose my father didn't want me to embarrass him in front of this special guest."

"I'm sure that he has his reasons, apart from that one," Gobber assured him.

Hiccup then rose to his feet. "If you don't mind, I think I should get some fresh air."

The two of them watched as Hiccup left the Forge.

Fishlegs looked at Gobber. "Don't you think that Lord Stoick is being a bit unfair to him?"

"Doesn't help the two of them barely talk, they're more alike than they think," said Gobber shaking his head.

Berk was at the base of a vast lake named Lake Calenhad, named after the first king of Midgard, Calenhad Theirin, also known as Calenhad the Great, he was the man that united the warring clans together and formed this county.

Midgard was a fairly new kingdom compared to the other nations on the continent, and it had its fair share of warfare. The Asgard Empire had occupied the country for nearly over 50 years until Maric Theirin managed to take the kingdom back, his own father fought by his side became one of his closest confidants.

Berk was one of four Teyrin, and his father had about five Arls and over 20 Banns under his command, making him the strongest out of the other Teyrnirs. It was a beautiful city with vast mountains and forests surrounding it, Castle Berk was located on a large hilltop that overlooks the lake and beneath that was the arena where knights and soldiers trained.

In fact, that is where Hiccup was heading right now in order to meet another friend, who no one knew about.

The arena was made of solid stone with a chained dome attached at the top which could be lowered or raised at any time. In there was a blonde-headed young man of 23 years, and he was considered one of the best swordsmen in the city, he was Ake Hofferson, and incidentally, his younger sister was the person that he had a crush on.

"I was wondering whether you are going to show up," said Ake as he tossed him a practice sword.

"Sorry, lost track of time," said Hiccup apologetically grabbing the sword.

"Then let's begin shall we?"

Ake had been training Hiccup in secret for about three years, the reason being was that if his father ever found out, he would throw a fit. Ake was, in fact, a knight like his father before him and Hiccup could never understand why he ever offered to train him.

"So are you ever gonna give me a straight answer about why you decided to train me?" Hiccup asked, blocking his strike.

"You're my lord, it's my duty to protect you, and I can best accomplish that by making sure you can defend yourself," he said as he went in for another swing.

Hiccup quickly backed away and then performed a forward thrust, but Ake sidestepped out of the way of avoiding it. He then brought his sword down on top of Hiccup, but he quickly spun around and blocked it.

"Your reflexes have become very sharp, but you need to put more power into your attacks."

"Power is not really my thing," Hiccup reminded.

"You're stronger than you think, you just need to push yourself."

They kept this training for hours, and eventually, they stopped to take a break.

"You've come far, you should be proud," said Ake tossing him a canteen of water.

"Tell that to my dad," Hiccup sighed.

Ake sighed. "Perhaps you should tell him."

"Every one of our conversations is one-sided, and he does all the talking."

Ake sighed. "We better get back up to the castle before your father sends a search party."

Hiccup and Ake soon returned to the castle, and they were soon greeted by Hiccup's aunt Runa. Runa was a 40-year-old woman with burning red hair, and she wasn't native to Midgard, in fact, her home country was Asgard. She married his father's younger brother, and that caused all kinds of strife, considering people had long memories of the Asgard occupation.

His uncle Stonewall, who sadly passed away several winters ago leaving his widow and his eight-year-old boy, Connor. She never really liked Hiccup, no doubt due to the mess he made of things and practically made his life unbearable.

"Where have you been?" Runa asked in a somewhat demanding voice.

"Is there something wrong for a young Lord to visit his own city?" Hiccup questioned.

Runa narrowed her eyes. "Just make sure you don't bring any more dishonour to this house."

She then walked off without uttering a single word.

"I don't know how you can stand?" said Ake.

"You get used to it after everyone gives you the cold shoulder," Hiccup shrugged.

"I certainly admire your restraint. Anyway, we better go and see your father."

Hiccup sighed. "Joys of joys."

They soon entered the Great Hall, and that's where they found Stoick, he was a mountain of a man with a thick red beard. In truth, there was not much resemblance between him and Hiccup, apart from the eyes. However, what caught their eye was the fact that he was standing with someone else, and the two of them recognise the armour he was wearing, which belong to the Grey Wardens.

"A Grey Warden? Here?" Ake stared dumbfounded.

"Guess this was the special guest Fishlegs mentioned to me at the Forge," Hiccup whispered.

The Grey Warden in question had a starker skin colour indicating that he was either born further north or he had ancestors. He had thick black hair and beard, and he wore golden piercings on his right ear.

Stoick then noticed the two of them entering immediately turned on Hiccup. "Where have you been, Hiccup. I hope that you had not been out adventuring in the forests again, I strictly forbade you from—"

"I was with him the entire time my liege," Ake said quickly. "Don't worry, young Lord did nothing even remotely dangerous or destructive."

"Good to see that you kept an eye on him, Ake," said Stoick easing off slightly.

"So this is your son, Lord Stoick," said the Grey Warden.

"Aye," Stoick nodded. "Son, Ake, allow me to introduce to you Duncan, Commander of the Grey."

"It's an honour to meet you, Commander," said Ake.

"It is, but why are you here?" Hiccup asked.

"Hiccup," Stoick warned.

"It's quite all right, my lord," Duncan assured. "It is a fair question." He then turned and looked at Hiccup. "The answer is quite simple young Lord, I am looking for recruits to join the Grey Wardens. I regret to inform you all that a Blight is upon us."

Ake's eyes widened. "A Blight?"

"Why is this the first time I've heard of it?" Hiccup asked, looking at his father.

Stoick shifted uncomfortably. "Because no one is sure whether this is a Blight or not. Darkspawn have been seen in the South. But by all reports, the king and his army have come out victorious."

"I assure you my Lord that a Blight is upon us, your nephew is there as we speak prepping the army," said Duncan.

Hiccup was, in fact, a member of the Royal family, his mother was the sister of Maric. King Maric disappeared at sea several years ago, leaving his son, Cailan, to take up the throne. Unfortunately, Cailan didn't bring confidence to many of the nobles, who actually wanted his father to take the role as king, but he declined the offer. Cailan was married, but he has yet to produce an heir which meant that Hiccup was, in fact, next in line for the throne a prospect that not many favoured.

"I'm only repeating what many nobles have been saying," said Stoick. "I will, of course, bring aid to my nephew, but I'm afraid it's going to take some time. There has been a rise in bandits and highwayman, most of my forces are dealing with them as we speak."

"I understand the necessity of keeping the roads safe, but the darkspawn are the greater threat, my Lord," said Duncan.

"I'm afraid they're scattered, I won't be able to send aid for about two weeks," said Stoick regretfully. "In the meantime, you have to hope that the troops that you have are more than efficient."

Duncan nodded. "Very well, but at the very least, assist me in finding a promising recruit."

"I would offer Sir Ake, but I need him here to look after the garrison," said Stoick. "I'll arrange a tournament, and you can select from the applicants that take partake."

"I thank you for your help," Duncan nodded.

Stoick then looked at his son. "Son, can you inform the servants that Duncan needs a room for the night. Ake, I want you to arrange this tournament."

"It shall be done, my lord," Ake bowed.

"I'll get right on it," Hiccup sighed.

Both Stoick and Duncan watched as the two of them left the room.

"Tell me about your son," said Duncan.

"Not much to tell, from the time he could learn to crawl, he has been different," Stoick sighed. "He doesn't listen, he has the attention span of a sparrow. I take him hunting and instead he goes hunting for trolls."

"I think you're being too hard on the boy, my lord," said Duncan looking at him. "Something in his eyes, something I can't quite place. Tell me, have you given him any kind of responsibilities?"

"Every time I do, he somehow ruins it. Most of the time, I try to clean up all these messes, just won't stay where he supposed to."

"What kind of training does he have is he good with a sword?"

"He would hurt himself, I am not going to endanger him."

"Strange way to train your heir."

Stoick turned on him. "You're here as a guest, Duncan. My generosity has its limits, so don't push them."

"I meant no disrespect, I'm just saying that you won't always be here to protect him and these days we need every sword arm we can get."

Stoick just said nothing.

Later that evening, Hiccup was down to the kennels. Midgard didn't have a large cavalry, as such they didn't breed horses and stuck to the companions of their Dire Wolves. Dire Wolves were twice as large compared to ordinary wolves, and they were far more intelligent and lived far longer. The Midgardains had been working alongside them since ancient times, and it was a mark of nobility to own one.

Hiccup's Dire Wolf wasn't the largest, but he was undoubtedly the swiftest and his black firm made him practically invisible during the night. Hiccup had named him Toothless, he had been very young when he had him back when his teeth had not been fully developed, and the name stuck.

"Nice to see you, bud," said Hiccup as he stroked the wolf.

Toothless growled affectionately to him.

"I wish I knew what to do," Hiccup sighed. "I just can't seem to get my father to accept me, nothing I do seems to satisfy him." An idea then appeared on his head. "Wait, what if I join the tournament. I mean if I become a Grey Warden then maybe I could finally make something of myself."

Toothless growled at him, indicating the risks involved in such a plan.

"I know, I would have to give up everything I have, but what do I have?" Hiccup asked. "People have made a number of complaints that if I take over the entire city would burn itself down in a week. If I do become the Teyrin, everyone will shift to someone else to support, and I wouldn't be able to stop them."

Toothless growled at him again.

"Yes, I know my father will stop me the moment I enter my name, but what if he didn't know it was me?" Hiccup asked.

Toothless gave him a curious look.

Hiccup then spent all night at the Forge getting himself prepared, he was making himself some armour, and he was making it from the finest leather he could find. He added a few artistic designs for himself and soon in front of him was a thick leather armour which was as black as night.