Riders Unbroken

Prologue

This is Berk, the home of vikings and dragons. Once the dragons were thought of as folklore or legends, but to the people of the Barbarian Archipelago, dragons are very real. People told me years ago that once the dragons were part of Berk, and the people who lived there. Up to about three years ago I would've called them crazy...I did call them crazy. Now, after Dragnier's defeat, the dragons roam the archipelago freely...for the most part anyway. The people of Berk are now the people I'd heard about in those legends and tales, and there's no other place I'd rather live there than here.

"Where is your daughter?" Hope asked James, staring at him furiously. "You didn't try to talk to her about it again, did you?"

"Of course not," James said, scratching his neck, which was a telltale sign he was lying. He walked over, and unhooked Starfire's saddle from where it hung on the wall. "Why would I do that, today of all days. I mean, its Stevensons versus Haddocks in the dragon racing tournament-"

"James!" Hope snapped, making him flinch.

He looked down at the floor, "Yes I did," he whispered.

"Why?" she asked, "you know she's not even twenty yet. She shouldn't have to worry about all those responsibilities you have. Gods James, you need to learn that she's only eighteen. She has that want we had back when we were kids. The want to get out there and explore-"

"Yeah, I know," he said.

"And she's a girl!" she laughed, "You shouldn't be expecting much learning out of her, at least not yet. She can barely sit still."

"I know," he whispered, and slung the saddle over his shoulder.

"You do, do you," Hope whispered, and put her hand on her hip. "I know what you'll do when she gets back, its obvious."

"I have to try and get her to listen," James said, "it's good to start at a young age. She can learn, she just can't always be flying off the edge of the world-"

"You know as well as I do that the earth is round," Hope told him.

He smiled, "it was a figure of speech."

"We'd better get going," she told him, "lets not upset Hiccup and Astrid more than we already will."

Hiccup and Astrid stood with Zephyr on the balcony overlooking the race course. It was only the three of them because Nuffink wasn't old enough to ride yet. Astrid had that stern look she always had just before a race, so did their daughter. Hiccup was just waiting for the contest to begin so they could get it over with.

Finally Hope and James landed on the balcony next to them, and James flashed him a nervous smile. Hiccup smiled back,

"I see you scared her off again," Hiccup said, "you give her your little speel?"

James hopped off Starfire, and she snorted.

"Tried to," she told him.

"Almost finished this time," James stated.

"She's gotta learn," Hiccup told him, and Astrid punched him in the arm.

"She's fine," she said. Hiccup shared the same view as James did on Alia one day leading Croise, and how she had to get it through her head that she wasn't the only person in her small world.

Astrid shared the same view as Hope, and basically every one else on the Isle of Berk. Let the girl roam free with her hair flowing in the wind as she rides into the sunset atop a fire breathing lizard. Oh yeah that was the best idea, not showing the eighteen year old teenager any discipline. Not prepare her for the responsibilities she would have in the future.

"We'll worry about this after the race," Hope said.

"Yeah," James agreed, "now which one of you are sitting out?"

"I will," Zephyr said, and everyone looked at her. "Gotta make it fair, right." she smiled, and lead her Nadder, Singe, off of the balcony. After they were out of hearing range, James smiled.

"Just like old times," he told them.

Astrid snorted, "us kicking your butt, you mean."

An hour later the stands were crowded with people, men, women, and children. The dragons and riders all had face pain, and wing pain, and tail paint, etc. And the race was finally about to begin,

"You guys know the rules!" Valka announced, "we want a clean race, no extra weapons, bludgeons, swords, etcetera, no fire. Your dragons can hit each other, as well as the riders, WITH BARE HANDS! If dragons draw blood from each other, the one who inflicted it is disqualified.

"The course starts here. Then you loop around the ocean statues, go through the hangar, fly around Gothi's hut, and back here. That is one lap, the race has a total of three!"

"Ready, Star?" James asked his dragon. She snorted which gave him an affirmative.

"GO!" Valka yelled, and the dragons lifted off into the sky. Starfire and James took the lead immediately, and barrelled towards the ocean statues. These were the two statues that marked the deepest channel in the harbor for ships. Starfire's wingtip dipped into the water, and she banked around the statue. James looked behind him to see Hiccup and Toothless hot on their tail,

"Lets go bud!" Hiccup urged the Night Fury.

"Faster Starfire," he told the Starwing as they flew towards the green building that housed most of the dragons. "We can lose them in the hangar!"

"Okay James!" she growled, she dove towards the hanging building. She closed her wings and was inside, twisting and turning around the dragons and people within. She landed and ran instead, and jumped off the walls. Once they were outside she lifted off again, and they took off towards Gothi's hut.

"That a girl!" James yelled, and Star roared. As soon as they rounded the mountain a horn blew, and he looked behind him to see Hiccup and Toothless still on them. He smiled, and waved to them. Astrid and Hope were still a ways behind.

As they neared the starting line, a sheep was fired into the air with some kind of contraption. Starfire reached out her claws to catch it, but Hiccup and Toothless dove in from above and snagged it from them.

"Wahooo!" Hiccup yelled, and Toothless roared. Star and James flew faster, but not before Hiccup and Toothless threw the sheep in the basket. Each basket had a different dragons face painted on it. Toothless, Starfire, Stormfly, Juniper, Singe, and Dawn. If someone didn't show up, there painting was still left there as a reminder that they're still part of the team.

At the end of the race it was Haddocks 7 (because of the black sheep), and Stevensons 2.

"That was a good race," Spitelout said, patting James on the shoulder as everyone exited the stadium.

"I guess," Hope told him.

Spitelout laughed, "too bad Alia wasn't here or you guys might've won. Where is she?"

"Who knows," James stated, "probably somewhere in the middle of nowhere."

"Aww James," Gobber said, and put his arm around James shoulder. "Don't be like that, you guys did the best you could. In the end the black sheep was the tiebreaker. You guys were right in there-"

"You sure were," Stella said as she gave James a hug. "Let's go eat something, I'm starving."

"Breakfast at my place for the racers and their families," Hiccup said, "See you there."

James nodded, and walked towards the house next to the Great Hall.

Yep, life on Berk is amazing. The dragons, the people, the sports, and the fact that everyone was family. I wish it could always be like that, but the sad news is...nothing lasts forever.