Gift-Fic: The Berkians Musts Be Doing Backflips
by: Flaming Trails

“You are not going to believe the top story in the paper today.”

Victor took a moment from sorting through the wingnut bin to lift an eyebrow at his friend. “Marty, I’ve lived here for five years now. My wife is the city’s most famous monster killer. My best friends are its top repairmen, and own a time-traveling flying steam train. I regularly attend dinner with Her Majesty’s White Knight and his wife – my former betrothed – and discuss his ideas for improving the world. I’m a valued member of the Mad Hatter Haberdashery tea party set, which includes a man more mechanics than flesh, a Fabricated March Hare and Dormouse, and a Reanimated corpse bride from my hometown. Oh, and I myself am the proud creator of a riding butterfly, and the Hero of Secundus, who saved us all from a horrible tentacle monster. What in the Gears & Grind could possibly shock me by now?”

“How about Hiccup Haddock managing to levitate the whole island his village lives on by accident?”

“…What?”

Snickering, Marty handed over the paper. “Front page news, o unflappable hero.”

Ignoring the wound to his pride, Victor looked at the headline. “BERK SKYBOUND!” it screamed, with a picture of the floating island right below. Diving into the article revealed that Hiccup had been testing an anti-gravity device to aid dragons like his own Toothless, rendered earthbound by injury or illness. Unfortunately, what was supposed to be a personal bubble of levitation had swelled until it had enveloped the whole of Berk, ripping it clean out of the sea and carrying it seven miles upward before stabilizing. To Victor’s surprise, though, the article continued by stating that the Berkians in general were happy with this turn of events, seeing it as a mark of just how powerful their personal Touched was, and enjoying the ability to literally look down upon their neighbors. Hiccup was even already making new plans to take advantage of the situation: “We’re hoping to levitate more islands – unoccupied ones of course – and use them as a proper dragon sanctuary! I’ve always wanted to try my hand at breeding more hybrids, and this ‘dragon vale’ would be the perfect place!”

“So?” Marty asked, leaning on the counter.

Victor folded the paper up and handed it back. “Okay, so maybe I can still get shocked occasionally.” He contemplated a wingnut. “…think they’ll allow visitors up there?”

The End