Chapter 46: The City of Rome
A/N:
'Dragons' - Dragonese
Anna had told them that they spotted Cielo's mother a few months ago before the riders had arrived at Arendelle and predicted that she might have landed near Rome. Kristoff also said that he saw her flying off in that direction when he was on the mountains one time. But the riders visited Grand Pappie again and asked him if she was near Rome. Luckily he said yes. Then they got ready to pack for their journey ahead.
Right now at the moment, the gang was at the docks, ready to fly to Rome. Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf stood in front of them with saddened expressions.
"We're going to miss you guys." Anna said.
"We will, too." Merida said as she and Anna hugged.
"Don't worry, we'll see each other again." Audrey assured her.
"When?" Olaf asked.
"Someday." Hiccup replied.
All of the riders hugged their friends goodbye before they mounted their dragons.
"Safe travels, everyone." Elsa prayed.
The riders nodded and the dragons flapped their wings. They turned away from the docks and flew into the sky, leaving the kingdom of Arendelle behind them.
"Good luck." Anna prayed to the riders.
The sun was still out as the dragon riders were flying over the ocean and soon across a forest when something suddenly popped out to the right of them which shocked the both of them. They turned in that direction and saw something white flying away. The two turned in the direction where the flying creature was going. They knew it wasn't a bird, it was bigger than a bird which led to a possible conclusion: a dragon. But Hiccup wondered what kind of dragon it was. Hiccup and the other riders turned around and went after the dragon. But suddenly the dragon disappeared after it shot out a fire blast and dove towards it.
"What the heck was that?" Audrey asked.
"I have a feeling that it was a dragon." Hiccup replied.
"But what kind it was is the question." Carlos pointed out.
"Agreed," Hiccup agreed, "Let's land somewhere for now."
The riders nodded and flew to a clearing up ahead.
By mid afternoon, the riders dismounted and unsaddled their dragons. Merida and Audrey began collecting wood for the fire while Hiccup and Carlos went fishing and their dragons waited at their camp. Once they got enough for everyone, they headed back to camp. They gave half to their dragons while they put theirs on sticks and cooked them near the fire. When the dragons finished their meal, Toothless spotted a butterfly and decided to chase after and the other dragons followed after him. The riders glanced at each other and chuckled lightly. There were times that they thought that their dragons were more like big cats than of dragons.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?"
The four riders turned around and saw a girl with long black hair and violet colored eyes wearing a strange outfit. She was holding a sword out, which was pointing at the group. To Hiccup and Carlos, the encounter was similar to the one when they met Merida.
"Uh...hi?" Hiccup greeted, nervously.
The girl in front of them arched her eyebrows at Hiccup's greeting.
"We're travelers. We came to explore the city of Rome." Hiccup explained.
"We're also looking for someone." Carlos added.
"And who would that be?" The girl asked with narrow eyes.
Suddenly all of their dragons leapt in front of them, protecting their riders from the armed girl who stood before them. The girl stepped back in shock when she saw the creatures.
"Are those…dragons?" She asked, shocked.
"Yes, they are." Hiccup answered.
"Are they responsible for stealing our fish?" The girl asked.
"What do you mean?" Audrey asked, confused.
"Have you been taking our fish near the harbor?" The girl asked.
"No, we were fishing from the river." Hiccup replied.
"If your dragons weren't taking the fish, then what kind of dragon is taking them?" The girl asked.
"Not sure," Hiccup concluded, "By the way, who are you?"
"I'm Roana." 'Roana' introduced.
"I'm Hiccup."
"Carlos."
"Merida."
"Audrey."
"What about your dragons?" Roana asked.
"Toothless and Sharpshot."
"Cielo."
"Aileana."
"Quicksilver."
"Pleasure to meet you all." Roana greeted, "But what are you really doing here?"
"We're mostly here to look for Cielo's mother." Carlos replied.
"Your dragon's mother?" Roana asked, curious.
"Yes, Cielo got separated from his mom in a storm and we've been looking for her while we're exploring." Carlos replied.
"From all of the clues we've found, we know that she's somewhere near the city. Out of sight from humans," Hiccup added, "Did you see a dragon like Cielo, but only bigger?"
"I'm afraid not. But my father has spoken of something big flying by the city a few months ago." Roana said.
"Your father?" Hiccup asked.
"Gaius Marius. He's my adoptive father." Roana replied.
"Do you think that you can help us get into the city?" Audrey asked.
"Well, since you're not from around here, I suppose I'll have to," Roana suggested, "But only if you promise to help him with this dragon problem."
"What kind of problem is it?" Hiccup asked.
"A dragon has been stealing barrels of fish every other week. My father had said that if they don't figure out why it's doing that, they'll capture it and kill it." Roana informed him.
"I see." Hiccup pondered.
"Do you know why?" Roana asked.
"Not sure. But we should meet with your father to think of a plan." Hiccup decided.
"Alright then. Grab your stuff and let's head to the city." Roana declared.
The dragons hid in the woods, except Sharpshot who hid in the hood of Hiccup's cloak, as their riders put on cloaks and followed Roana into the city. The city was beautiful. The group saw many things as they followed Roana. There were stands that had different weapons, jewelry, loaves of bread, meat, even farming animals. Many of the people were wearing clothing similar to Roana's, but there were others who wore a more fancy and beautiful kind. They soon entered a large building where Roana led them through. She made sure that they would avoid every guard every time they passed through the halls until they reached a door. Roana knocked on it.
"Who is it?" An older male voice asked behind the door.
"It's Roana." Roana answered.
"Come in." The voice said.
Roana grabbed the handle of the door and let the group in first and she entered last. She closed the door behind and went over to the front of the group. There was a desk and behind the desk, sat a bald man with white hair and a beard, wearing a strange set of clothes that almost seemed fit for royalty. He was writing something down at the moment and he looked up at the group in front of his desk. He was surprised to see them with his daughter standing in front of them.
"Roana, who are these people?" The man asked, brow arched.
"Travelers. They want to help us with the dragon problem." Roana replied.
"What makes you so sure that we can trust them?" The man asked, curious.
"They have dragons of their own." Roana explained.
Then Sharpshot popped up from Hiccup's hood. The man was intrigued by the little dragon as he stood up from his chair and walked over to Hiccup.
"Is that…?" The man trailed off, pointing at Sharpshot.
"Yes, from where I was from, he's known as a Terrible Terror. As a matter of fact, all kinds of dragons are in many shapes and sizes." Hiccup replied.
"Really?" The man asked, intrigued. Hiccup nodded.
"By the way, who are you?" Hiccup questioned.
"I'm Gaius Marius." The man introduced himself to the group.
"It's a pleasure to meet you sir." Hiccup greeted, "I'm Hiccup."
"Carlos."
"Merida."
"Audrey."
"Pleasure to meet you. I believe you've met my adoptive daughter, Roana." Gaius introduced the girl next to Hiccup. Roana waved at him with a smile, which made him relax for a moment. But he had to look back at Marius.
"Yes, sir." Hiccup said.
"Quite a timid boy you are." Gaius commented.
"Sorry sir." Hiccup apologized. He never liked to apologize to anyone who judged him about his size.
"No need to apologize." Gaius comforted the young man.
"Thank you, sir." Hiccup thanked Gaius.
"So," Gaius went back to his desk and sat down in his seat, "My daughter said that you have dragons. Does that mean that you know of a way to deal with the dragon?"
"Yes sir. We all bonded with our own dragons." Carlos responded.
"We're good friends with them, too." Audrey added.
"They'll only attack if you try to harm us." Merida added.
"I see." Marius understood as he rubbed his chin.
"Would it be alright if you would let us handle the dragon problem?" Hiccup requested.
"You have my permission to help us. We wish for you all to solve this quickly. That dragon has been scaring most of our fishermen and we want to get rid of it." Gaius informed.
"Father…" Roana interrupted.
"Sir, dragons are kind, loyal, and intelligent creatures," Hiccup reasoned, "There must be a reason why it's doing this."
Gaius sighed. Not only is his daughter suggesting they handle the dragon delicately, now the young viking and his friends in front of him as well. Throughout early history, dragons have been a threat towards human society and have caused nothing but trouble for them just like the one that's bothering them now. But when he saw the boy with the little dragon on his shoulder, he could easily see that the two have quite a bond. Not to mention how loyal the dragon is to the boy. He sighed once more before turning towards the boy.
"What do you suggest we do, Hiccup?" Gaius questioned.
"Maybe my friends and I can follow it when it comes here for the fish. Then we can see where it's taking the fish." Hiccup suggested.
"That's your plan?" Gaius asked, brow arched.
"For the moment, yes." Hiccup replied.
"Very well." Gaius agreed.
"May I come along, father?" Roana asked.
"Why would you want to go, Roana?" Marius questioned.
"I want to see what kind of dragon it is. Not to mention that I want to help Hiccup and the riders." Roana answered. Gaius sighed once more.
"Very well then." Gaius agreed.
Rome is the city of echoes, the city of illusions, and the city of yearning. - Giotto di Bondone