Book I, Chapter 12
The premise that Magnus the Good's diplomatic overtures to Berk was the instigation to ending the Hooligan Tribe's unofficial policy of noninterference and isolationism has been debated repeatedly over the centuries in academic circles, to the point where it is a traditional topic for undergraduate papers in the subject. Regardless of the specific perspective taken, however, the facts simply remain that Hiccup Haddock's state visit to Norway was the first time that the Hero of Berk traveled to another court and was greeted as an equal by a monarch, and that in the aftermath, Berk began to take a larger role in international affairs, in the economic, political, religious, and militaristic spheres.
— The Dragon Millennium, Manna-hata University Press, Ltd.
Tropes That Appear In This Chapter:
- Ambition Is Evil: Mildew is willing to betray his tribe and kidnap a few eggs and baby dragons for Mac Bethad in exchange for enough money to becoming the chief of his own hamlet each. Mac Bethad only agrees under the assumption that Mildew will die quickly of old age.
- Boredom Montage: Essentially describes the boat-ride to Norway. Having gotten used to fast travel by dragon (and never having had sea-legs to begin with) Hiccup is driven stir-crazy by the ride.
- Everyone Can See It: Hiccup and Astrid's affection for one another is so obvious, that even Mac Bethad's spies (in their very brief time on Berk) could see that their entire tribe is rooting for them.
- Evil Virtues: Mac Bethad has no intention of divorcing or "removing" his own wife, openly voicing that he has that much in common with Stoick.
- Idealized Sex: Subverted, when Hiccup and Astrid have sex for the first time it started out being clumsy, awkward, and confusing. They did eventually find a rhythm that worked for them but even then it wasn’t perfect, not that either of them minded.
- If I Wanted You Dead...: Magnus is willing to trust Hiccup when he offers to give him a ride on Toothless because if he ever intended kill Magnus, then he would be a smoldering pile of ashes by now.
- Loophole Abuse: When Hiccup asks if flying ahead and making a big entrance on Toothless was a breach in protocol, Yngvarr points out that there isn't really a protocol for "in-coming dragons/dragon riders" in the first place, so essentially no.
- Mythology Gag: There is some confusion whether the giant dragon is called "the Green Death" or "the Red Death."
- One-Steve Limit: Astrid has to do a double-take when Sigvatr Tordarson recites a poem about Magnus' father King Olaf's arranged marriage to Wulfhild's mother Astrid Olofsdotter.
- Their First Time: Hiccup and Astrid end up deciding to do it on their first night in Magnus' castle.
