Home-Bound: Broken Ties

4 - The Introductions

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The contract was written on a single, thin piece of parchment. Instead of using a charcoal pencil, a small wooden stick was dipped in the flame of a candle, and the still-burning embers were used to burn letters onto the page.

Chieftess Luneah and Chief Stoick discussed their issues and once resolved, an advisor from Berk wrote it down. Mostly it disputed who would get the people, territory, and resources if they won a war together.

Halfway through, both leaders decided to call it a night and the huge feast commenced. Mead was passed around and food was literally thrown up into the air.

Slipping past detection, the five Elites sat and ate in a corner, sipping wine instead of mead, and chatting quietly over the loud Vikings and music. Luneah glanced around the large hall, spotting the young Viking gang in the corner, doing the same thing. They all had full cups of mead instead of wine and were staring at the group curiously. Eret was amongst them.

Luneah glanced back at Hiccup, who had taken his riding mask off. He was leaning against the wall next to her, their elbows locked loosely and casually. He still had his hood still covering his eyes. She waved over the group and widened their circle so the Berkians could join.

As they sat down, Luneah set down her full cup, which was immediately snatched up by Hiccup who finished it in one swig. She sighed as Jeysannia poured some more. That, too, was finished relatively quickly.

"What's that?" Ruff asked curiously.

"Roman wine," Elise answered. "Wanna try?"

Ruffnut shrugged, finishing off the rest of her mead and held out the mug. Elise poured out a small amount and Ruffnut raised an eyebrow. "Why so little?!"

"It's strong."

"There was an awkward silence, so Jeysannia sighed and leaned forward ono her knees. Socialising was something she excelled at. "Let's do icebreakers. Hi, I'm Jay. I'm the Blacksmithing and Inventions Elite of Isunder. I made this awesome armor, designed by our Chief over here," she patted Chief Hayden on the back, and his head turned to her in irritation.

"I'm Allen. Woodworking and Craftsman Elite. I'm the reserve Chief and General if something happens to these two," he pointed towards Luneah and Hayden, who looked extremely disinterested in the conversation. The Berkians assumed they weren't ones for casual conversation.

"Elise. Arts, Culture, and Healing Elite. I made the capes that all of us are wearing," the blonde introduced herself, brushing a curl out of her eyes and tucked it behind her ear. The Berkians were stunned at her resemblance to Astrid. Elise's features were just a bit sharper and her hair was lighter in the sun, but the two could easily pass off as siblings.

"Snotlout Jorgenson. Hottest guy on the planet, amazing fighter, and Heir to Berk," he raised an eyebrow at Luneah and winked, uncaring that the Chieftess was married and that he was engaged. "And very much single."

"I'm Ruffnut, and this is my Twin Douchebag, Tuffnut."

"Yep!" Tuffnut agreed without hesitation. "Wait..."

"I'm Fishlegs. I'm the librarian and dragon expert here," the burly Viking explained, taking a sip of the wine curiously. Its flavor was strange... nothing like Berkian mead.

"I'm Eret, son of E—"

"Yeah, yeah! We know who you are, buddy! Move on!" Jeysannia cut him off with a cackle. The Berkians' eyes shot to her, confused, but didn't interject.

"I'm Astrid. The champion warrior here," the shieldmaiden introduced, gulping down the rest of her mead. "One of Stoick's advisors, and future Chieftess of Berk," Astrid grimaced as she said the last part. It did not go unnoticed by the Elites.