Friends and Harmony

Chapter 1

A Special Mission

Henry walked throughout the cobblestone paths of the castle gardens. He couldn't stop thinking about the stories he had read.

"Well, well. Look who it is." said a voice familiar to him.

Henry groaned silently as he looked ahead and saw his three least favorite people in the castle grounds. Scott Jorgenson and the Thorston twins, Roxanne and Timothy.

Scott has black, shaggy hair, and pale skin. He was definitely a bit more muscly than Henry, and his beige shirt and black pants and gray boots shows it off.

Roxanne and Timothy both have flaxen blonde hair and gray eyes, but Roxanne wears her hair in three thick braids, while Timothy wears his down. Roxanne wears a dark gray shirt with a beige vest, dark green pants, and black boots. Timothy wears a dark green shirt with a black vest, dark gray pants, and brown boots.

"You know, Henry. We are heading to meet the others for a game of basketball." Scott said with a smug smile. "You wanna join us?"

Henry knew that they're just inviting him so they could watch him get pummeled. Luckily, he didn't need to come up with a fake excuse, for he had a real one.

"Sorry, guys. I have a lot of studying to do. Gotta run!" He then took off at a much faster pace than before, leaving them behind.

The three teens watched him go off. "Does that guy do anything but study?" Roxanne asked.

"Boring!" said Timothy.

"Come on, guys." Scott said as they walked away.

Henry continued walking at his fast pace, still deep in thought. Dragon spirits. Where have I heard about them before? And what exactly is so special about their magic?

He then started running as he entered the castle. The marble floors emphasized the sound of his footsteps. Servants greeted him with a smile as he ran by them. He managed to greet each of them back with a grin as he ran. Despite the kids his age not liking him, he is a favorite among the adults throughout the castle.

Finally, he ran into his personal study in one of the towers of the castle. The walls had bookshelves towering almost to the ceiling. Book stands were positioned throughout the room. Then, there was a long white desk up against one wall, littered with papers and pencils.

Henry called for his assistant. "Astrid?"

Astrid Hofferson walked over to him from behind one bookshelf. She had golden blonde hair in a braided ponytail, long bangs over her left side, blue sapphire eyes, and tan skin like Henry. She wore a blue shirt, a red and brown skirt, blue shorts underneath, and brown combat boots.

They first met when the king and queen brought Henry to the castle. Astrid was the daughter of the captain, so she showed him around and helped him in settled in.

At first, she was pretty indifferent when it came to the shy but upbeat boy. But, as time went on, they became good friends, and on Astrid's side, it became more than that. But it seemed that Henry is oblivious to how she feels about him. She sometimes tries to confess to him, but there's something about his emerald green eyes and lopsided smile that makes her words freeze in her throat.

"What's up, Henry?" she asked.

"Please find the other book on predictions and prophecies." Henry asked as he placed his shoulder bag on a hook and pulled out his two books.

As he placed his books on his desk, Astrid began scanning the tops of the bookshelves on one of the ladders, while Henry started his search on the bottom.

"No, no, no, no." Henry said as he looked around the shelves. "Anything, Astrid?"

"Got it!" She proclaimed, holding up a brown and gold book. She tossed it down to Henry.

"Thanks!" He called to her as he placed it on a book stand and began flipping through the pages. "Let's see." Finally, he came to the page he was searching for. "Guardian Dragons."

"The Guardian Dragons?" Astrid asked as she slid down the ladder and walked over to Henry. "Isn't that just a legend, Henry?"

Henry ignored her and began reading the page. "The Guardian Dragons were the powerful magic dragons that protected the land centuries ago. After their deaths, their spirits became the sources of the magic they practiced."

"Didn't you already learned that?" Astrid asked. "I remember you spent three weeks memorizing the story."

Henry gave her a glare. She felt her skin getting hotter, yet she felt pale. Still, he didn't seem to notice. "I get that, Astrid. But, there's nothing about what exactly is the magic the dragons practiced. All that is said in this book is that it was extremely powerful. The source of all good magic."

"Henry!" came a booming voice. Henry and Astrid jumped up and turned around to see King Stephen and Queen Valerie at the doorway of the study.

The king and queen seemed like a strange couple. The king was huge, bulky, and had a long bushy red beard with blue eyes. While the queen was the opposite, with her slim figure, auburn hair in a braid, and a slim face with green eyes, similar to Henry's own.

"Your Majesties!" Astrid immediately curtsied. "You startled us!"

"Relax, Astrid." Henry said casually. "They come here often." He walked over to them with a smile. Since they took him in, they insisted that he doesn't bow to them, for he was more like family than a protégé. "What can we do for you, Your Highnesses?"

"We decided to send you two on a mission." The queen declared.

"You will go down to the village of Berkton and overlook preparations for the Summer Festival." The king informed.

Astrid visibly slumped, but Henry's eyes lit up. "I've never been down to Berkton before!" He said excitedly.

"You're not going to like going to a boring village." Astrid said.

Henry turned to her. "You don't know that." He replied.

Queen Valerie handed him a paper. "Here is the checklist. Look through everything thoroughly."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Henry said with a grin.

"You two will stay above the local library until the festivities are over." King Stephen continued.

Henry brightened up even more. Staying above the library can get him direct access to all the books. One of them must have more information about the Guardian Dragons.

"You can count on us!" Henry said with a playful salute.

The king and queen smiled softly at their student. He always knew how to brighten everyone's day.

"Your transport is waiting." With that, the king and queen left the study. Once they left, Henry pumped his fist up in the air.

"Yes!"

Astrid rolled her eyes. "Why would you be excited to go to Berkton? Nothing exciting ever happens there."

"How would you know?" Henry asked. "You've lived in this castle all your life. When I was living in the orphanage, I always wanted to see Berkton. Now, I finally get to! Maybe I can make some new friends."

"Uh, remember why we're going? To check preparations, not to socialize."

"Come on, Astrid!" Henry groaned as they began to leave the study. "Lighten up."

Author's Note

A/N: Well, that's it for now! I personally kind of like the one-sided Hiccstrid. But, don't worry. He won't stay oblivious for long. But, not in this story, that much I can say for now. For those who know HTTYD, you understand what I'm talking about.

For those HTTYD fans, you already know that Henry is Hiccup, Scott is Snotlout, Roxanne is Ruffnut, Timothy is Tuffnut, Stephen is Stoick, and Valerie is Valka. Astrid is still the same.

Please let me know what you think.

Got to fly! ;)