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Located twelve days north of hopeless, a few degrees south of freezing to death, and located solidly on the Merdian of Misery lies Berk - a small island home to the Hairy Hooligans.It's, for lack of a better word, sturdy. Though it has been here for seven generations, every other building is fairly new or has just finished construction. Besides the standard activities of fishing and hunting, it has a charming view of the sunset and sunrise. History says that was the original reason Berk settled here, to feel closer to Valhalla.Now, like many places, the only problems are the pests. Most places have mice or mosquitoes. Berk has... Well, Berk has dragons.A young girl woke to the loud ringing of the warning bell. Grabbing her vest, she ran to open the giant front door before slamming it shut. A large dragon had blasted a stream of fire towards her and made her take the back way out.That girl is Hel Horrendous Haddock, but everyone else calls her Hiccup. Having gained the name due to her small stature, she didn't mind it. It was a lot better than calling her by her real name. No need to accidentally invoke a goddess when talking to her.Due to the belief that a hideous or scary name would frighten off gnomes and trolls, her father chose the goddess of death as her namesake to protect her more as if they're charming Viking demeanor wouldn't do the job.Most people would leave when danger arises but not the Hooligans. They're stubborn.Hiccup ran through her village, ignoring cries for her to get back inside or the occasional apology after nearly steppng on her, until she arrived at the forge."There you are!" The blacksmith exclaimed as she went to thrown on her apron. "I thought you had gotten carried off.""Very funny, Gobber. Just because I'm small, doesn't mean that I'm an easy target," she said. "They would go after you first, more meat on the bones.""They need toothpicks, don't they?"Hiccup was the runt of the village, small and frail according to their standards. Her father had put her under Gobber's care ever since she could walk and pick up things. The blacksmith was the only one who could keep up and have patience with the girl's active mind.She laughed as she opened the window, only to be met with piles of broken, charred, and bent weapons. The dragons were sure giving Berk a challenge tonight.Grabbing as many as she could while avoiding the dull but ragged metal, she threw them on the embers to melt them back down."Gobber, is Hiccup here?" A loud voice boomed through the forge. "She wasn't in the house.""Over here!" She called out as she walked to the owner of the voice. "Anything exciting?""A couple Zipplebacks, Gronckles, and Nightmares." The man was Stoick the Vast, chief of the tribe and Hiccup's father. "A bit scarce on the Nadders though, probably heard about what I did to the last ones."The two shared a laugh before he patted her head before walking out.As she continued to work, she was passed by the other teens in the village. Due to their age and lack of proper training, they weren't able to fight the dragons and were designated to put out fires. One of them passed by the forge, dropping off a sword and sending a smile to the girl."Good to see that you're still on the ground," they said."Now where have I heard that before? Hi Asher," she sighed as she took the sword. "How's the fire situation?""As good as it can be. The twins are causing more chaos than helping, but what else is new?" He leaned against the counter as she put weapon after weapon on the embers. "How's business?""Non-stop weapon drops offs since I got here. Gobber's doing his best to keep up," Hiccup huffed as she pumped the bellow before returning to the window, "but since the dragons have been going non-stop as well, we're busy. If Gobber hops into the fray, I'm all alone in here.""Well let's hope that he's not needed." Asher leaned over the counter and placed a kiss on her cheek. "I'll see you when this is over."Asher Hofferson - the village prodigy, Stoick's secondary heir, and Hiccup's betrothed. The two had a very good relationship though they had initially protested their arrangement, but they grew to love each other eventually. He's the only one who treats her like a normal person.Smiling at him, she watched as Asher lept back into the fight. The other teens joined him, buckets full of water and small weaponry in hand. Hiccup's own cousin, Snotlout, was among the group and tried to make idle chatter. She let out a laugh as Asher smacked him in the head with his bucket. It obviously wasn't the time for a conversation.Gobber yelled at her to get back to work as more and more weapons poured through the window.The growing pile had her sighing. She had developed more long range weaponry to avoid this situation, but fighting face to face was the Hooligan way."Hiccup, you stay here," the blacksmith said as he switched his hammer prosthetic for an axe, "and man the fort. I'll send someone to help you in a moment, but keep up the heat."With a nod and a salute, Gobber ran off screaming to the sky.Minutes later, Bucket and Mulch came stumbling in and started throwing the pile on the embers. She appreciated the help, but there was no way she could keep up with the demand alone. Not that the two older Vikings weren't welcome, but her and Gobber have issues with other people handling the smith's tools.Outside the window, a large fireball hit the ground and shook the site. The three inside took cover from any falling items that had come loose with the blast. Taking a once over, Hiccup was pleased to see that nothing had rolled -- scratch that.Rolling down the hillside was her latest invention, a bola launcher that would throw three times farther that a human arm. That was her only prototype and it took months to build. After tonight, who know if they'll have enough resources to humor her? "Keep the ember's warm! I'll be back!" She yelled out as she took off.Now what she lacked in size, she made up for in skill. Hiccup was quite possibly the fastest in the village as well as the most nimble, if evident by how easily she weaved through the ever changing crowd before grabbing the project before it tumbled off the cliff.The sudden jerk activated the machine and launched a bola to the empty sky. Hiccup sighed, upset that she lost a perfectly good bola to the sea, but was shocked to hear a screech instead of a splash.She had hit something? She had hit something! Her first dragon takedown and no one was there to see it.A loud roar interrupted her thoughts.Correction, no one but a Monsterous Nightmare to see it.A large flaming claw came over the cliffside, nearly smashing the project to bits, before grabbing her and taking off. Hiccup hit away at the claw, but to no avail.She looked to Berk, spotting Asher running along with another water bucket."Asher!" She cried out. He looked around before spotting her and dropping the bucket in shock. "Use the tower!"Towers had been set up along the cliffs for dragon and invader protection. If she did the numbers correctly, Asher should be able to meet with them.The young viking stomped his way up the tower with his eyes locked on Hiccup and the Nightmare. He grabbed one of the safety ropes, wrapped his tight around his wrist, and launched off the platform to tackle the dragon.The Nightmare dropped his catch in shock, leaving Hiccup to plummet to the ocean below. Swinging back around, Asher quickly caught her and held her to his side as they crashed on to the beach below. The two rolled to a stop, side by side in the sand."Are you okay?" He asked, slightly out of breath, before standing up. "Nothing broken?""I'm fine," she said, following suit. "Just a little - OW!" Looking down, she spotted a dark stain start to appear on her lower leg. "Nevermind, I think a claw went through." She studied it a bit more. "Probably need some stitches, but I'll be fine. Can I have your headband?"She quickly made a tourniquet around her leg to stop the bleeding, groaning as she itghtened it. With a small chuckle, Asher lifted her into his arms and carried her back to the main square.The raid had ended sometime between Hiccup's impromptu flight and their arrival in the village. Villagers were taking stock of their belongings, their families, and their homes when they arrived. Hiccup could see her father asking everyone where she was."She's over here, chief!" Asher yelled from the back of the crowd, chuckling as they parted for the chief. "Don't know how, but I caught her being whisked away from Berk by a Nightmare. Nothing too bad, but she'll need stitches.""As long as you're safe," Stoick sighed as he placed his hand on her head. "Thank you, Asher. Bring her back home, she knows what to do next."-"You know," he started as they approached the house, "I wouldn't be surprised if the nightmare that caught you was the one who fried your front door." She gave him a pity laugh as he kicked the door open and set her by the fireplace. "What do you need?""I need a candle, your fire steel, and that basket next to the fireplace." He did as she asked. "Also, I need you to rip my pant leg." He looked confused. "It's no secret that I have the strength of a baby yak, so I need you to do it for me."As he took out his blade to start the tear, Hiccup used the fire steel to spark the candle to life and pulled out a needle and thread from the basket. The sound of ripping filled the home as she pulled out a piece of leather."You wanna stay for this next part?" Asher didn't move. "Suit yourself."Biting down on the piece of leather, Hiccup ran the needle through the flame thrice before beginning to sew the wound closed. Not knowing what else to do, the boy sat behind her to support her as she worked. It didn't take too long, but it was quite a process.Once done, Hiccup cut the ripped pant leg off and pulled out some fabric from the basket to wrap around the wound. Asher put the supplies away as she tended to the final touches."So what were you doing out of the forge? Doesn't almost everyone tell you to stay there?" He asked."One of my prototypes started to roll away and I don't know when Gobber will be able to allocate that much spare supply again. I didn't want it to all go to waste before I could even test it." Hiccup carefully stood, testing her leg. "I should be good as long as I don't do any kind of heavy lifting for a while. Might go to Gothi, see if she has any healing balms to spare.""Just don't do anything dumb in the meantime, okay?" Asher gave her a small smile before placing a kiss on her head as he passed. She nodded under his touch. "Good. I'll see you around. I'll be helping my dad with stock check, so you should be able to find me if needed."Hiccup waved him goodbye and waited for a couple seconds after the door shut before heading up the stairs to her room and put on a fresh pair of pants. Grabbing her notebook, a pencil, and a small dagger, she headed back down and out the back door.She studied the cliffside where her invention had launched and did some quick calculations in the book. From what she could see, whatever she hit landed around Raven's Point.Taking a breath and looking around to find the coast clear, she headed in.-The sun had reached mid-day by the time she had reached the outskirts of Raven's Point and found nothing. No matter how many times she circled the perimeter, she couldn't find anything."How is this possible?" She groaned, snapping her book shut once more and stuffing it in her vest. "The gods must hate me. Some people manage to lose a mug or a mace, hel, even their limbs, but not me. I manage to lose a giant creature."She swung a low hanging branch out of her way, only for it to swing back and hit her in the face. The branch left behind a small wound as she reached up to find blood coming from her brow. Wiping it with her sleeve, Hiccup studied the scene in front of her.Trees were uprooted, dirt was flung to Valhalla and sideways, and various burn marks covered the ground."I hit a dragon," she whispered to herself as she got up.Carefully maneuvering her way over rocks and boulders, Hiccup made it to the landing site where a large, black creature laid wrapped in rope. Having never seen this one in the raids, she determine this one to be the ever famed, Night Fury.Stepping lightly, she walked up to the beast. It was still breathing as she carefully went to lay a hand on its shoulder, just below the wing. The eyes shot open and stared at her, but the dragon didn't move.For a moment, it was like time went still as the two stared at each other. Green stared in to green before the dragon shut their eyes and laid back down, resigning to it's fate.Unlike most other Vikings that would've killed it at first sight, Hiccup couldn't do it. Something about this dragon felt familiar yet strange. Against her better judgement, she began to cut the ropes.As the last rope fell, the dragon sprung in to action and launched at her to pin her against a boulder. It studied her for a moment before spotting the wound on her head. Hiccup's face of fear turned into one of confusion as the Night Fury licked the would carefully. Once they were done, they nuzzled their head below her chin before running off.Hiccup was only left confused.
-Returning to the village as the sun began to set, Hiccup opened the door to her home to find Stoick sitting by the fire. Hearing her enter, he turned to greet her and caught sight of the leftover blood on her head."What happened?" He asked, brushing away her hair that hung over the wound."I wasn't paying attention and walked into a low branch. Small, cut nothing to worry about," she assured."I'll take your word for it. You've always been the better of us to determine a wound severity." He led her over to the fire and sat her down. "I have something to tell you.""As do I, but you go first.""Okay." He rested his hand on her shoulder. "You start dragon training in the morning." Hiccup looked taken aback. "Eh, well, you'll be Gobber's assistant. I was going to have you train alongside them, but Gobber recommended that you learn outside of the arena.""What if I don't want to fight a dragon anymore?""You will, it's fairly simple after your first raid." Standing, Stoick took down a large axe that hung over the fireplace and placed it in front of his daughter. "This is for you. It's been passed down from chief to chief over the past 100 years. When you carry it, you carry Berk with you.""I thought Asher was going to be chief and I was to be the chieftess?""You know what I mean, Hiccup. The point I'm trying to make is that after training is finished, I will be beginning the final years as Berk's chief." Hiccup looked up at him in shock. "Asher has already shown himself to be a fantastic fighter. He just needs to prove himself as a diplomat next, then I shall pass the reins to you two. And that all begins with dragon training, got it?""Got it," she nodded as she took hold of the axe but nearly dropped it due to its weight."Good. Now, most the village will be with me on one final nest search before winter rears its head. We leave at sunrise and you will be at the arena after breakfast."
Stoick walked away to pack any belongings as Hiccup stared into the fire, lost in thought.The next morning, Hiccup said goodbye to the search party before heading up to the arena.She did her best to set everything up according to Gobber's note, but the blacksmith's handwriting was so hard to read. Guess that's what she gets from a man who's writing hand was eaten by a dragon and didn't bother training the other."Welcome to dragon training!" Gobber exclaimed as he led the other teens in. They all looked around in awe as Hiccup rolled her eyes from her post against the wall. The twins and Snotlout discussed all the possible scars they may get."Yeah, it's only fun if you get a scar out of," Asher agreed before spotting Hiccup. "What do you think, Hiccup?""Pain. Love it," she groaned out as she grabbed a rather large sledge hammer from next to a cage door."Oh great," Tuffnut - the male of the twins - groaned. "Who let her in?""The chief did," Gobber said. "I'd be nice to her as I put her in charge of a certain task. Hiccup, if you would."With smirk on her face, Hiccup reared the hammer back to slam it against the metal cage door. A loud growl came from within as she hit it again and again. Most of the twins cried out in protest as Gobber spoke about the dragons they'd be facing through the course.Once she deemed the dragon mad enough, Hiccup left the arena with Gobber and took a seat up top. She settled next to the cage release as the blacksmith shut the teens in the arena."Today's lesson is all about survival. At your choice, Hiccup!"Staring down at her cousin, she just smirked before pulling the lever and releasing the annoyed Gronkle. Hiccup sat on the ground, legs dangling from below the guard chain before she tucked them underself for safety."Aren't you going to teach us?!" Snotlout exclaimed."Gobber believes in learning on the job," she yelled. "How do you think the forge nearly burned down five years ago?""Shush you!" The man exclaimed before sighing. "Now, if you get blasted, you're dead. So what's the first thing you're going to need?""A doctor," Hiccup mumbled as the Gronckle launched a shot but missed anyone."Plus five speed?" Fishlegs guessed."A shield!" Asher announced, confident in his answer."Good job, Asher!" Hiccup could hear the sarcasm in Gobber's voice. "Your most equipment will always be your shield. If you have to chose between a sword and a shield, take the shield."The twins argued over a shield's design as the dragon came around and let out two blast - one went past them and one hit the shield. They quickly moved to the exit as they were now out."Use your shields to make noise. The noise throws off their aim, so use it to your advantage." As the weapons started to hit the shields, the Gronkle started to become disoriented. "All dragons have shot limits. How many does a Gronckle have?""Five?" Snotlout guessed as he dodge a charge."No, six!" Fishlegs answered."Correct! Now, stay alive until they're all out!" Fishlegs got blasted just as he spoke. "What did I just say?" Snotlout got blasted next. "You're not impressing anyone with that act, Snotlout."Hiccup let out a laugh at her cousin's disappointed face as he dragged himself and his priide to the exit. This left only Asher and the Gronkle in the arena.
It fired again and was blocked by the shield. However, the blast was stronger than expected and launched the shield from his grasp. The Gronkle chased him around the arena to only corner him and began charging its final blast.Hiccup did some quick calculations and slid under the chain to fall into the arena. Picking up one of the unused shields, she swung her body back to launch it at the dragon. It flew through the air and hit the dragon in the chin, making it fire just meters from Asher's head."And that's six!" Gobber said, shoving his hook into the mouth and dragged it back to the cage. "Get back to bed you overgrown sausage! You'll get another chance, don't you worry." The door shut and the lock slid in to place. "Remember, a dragon will always go for the kill. So hesitating is never the smartest move." He watched as Asher walked to the heir. "We'll meet up at dinner. Go home."The other teens had been standing at the exit, and made a run for it as soon as they got the dismissal. For a moment, Snotlout lingered waiting for Asher before realizing the other wouldn't leave just yet. So, he left first."Nice shot," Asher said as he threw his arm around the girl. "You're barely winded.""Why would I be?" She asked."That shield was - what? - twice your body weight. I could barely keep it up. Plus, didn't you say that you have the strength of a baby yak?""You do know that almost everything in the forge is about three times my body weight, right?" They began walking out. "Trust me when I say that I've probably lifted heavier. I mean, I could probably lift you.""I don't doubt you."-The two made it back to the village just before lunch. Asher excused himself as he had a lesson to attend to, leaving Hiccup to do her own thing.She headed back to Raven's Point, having found a shorter route. The cut bolas still sat on the ground, untouched. Thinking back on what Gobber said, she felt confused as to why this dragon didn't go for the kill.Throwing down the rope, she spotted an opening to a cove just off to the side. Taking out the notebook from her vest, she began making a mini map as to not get lost. As she stepped in, a large blur shot past her and knocked her down with the wind. It took a moment to get it together, but she came back to see the Night Fury scrambling up the cove walls. Quickly, Hiccup did a sketch of the dragon as she questioned why it couldn't fly. That's when she saw it.The left tail fin was nothing but ripped webbing and cartilage. A wave of shame washed over her. Though not intentional, Hiccup had taken away its freedom. As she sat in thought, her pencil rolled out of hand and hit the rocks below.The dragon turned and locked eyes with her. For a moment, it stared her down before tending to its wound and ignoring her.Still lost in thought, Hiccup didn't return to the village until it began to storm as the sun set. She walked in to the Great Hall soaking wet to find everyone gathered and eating by the bonfire. A lone plate of food sat at the end of the table and, without looking, she grabbed it as the twins prevented her from sitting with them. Asher saw this and stood to go sit with his betrothed, grabbing a blanket on his way. Wrapping it around her, he sat next to her as she ate and rubbed her shoulders to warm her up."Alright," Gobber started, not really caring about the scene in front of him. "Where did Asher go wrong during the lesson this morning?""I mistimed my somersault dive," he groaned. "It was sloppy and wasted the time I could've used to get farther away."Hiccup rolled her eyes and let out a chuckle. Only he would care about that, but Snotlout tried to assure him that the two of them were the best Berk had to offer."Hiccup though." The girl paused in her eating as all eyes turned to her. "She was quick on her feet. In the time it took me to open the gate, run across the arena, and put my hook in its mouth, she dropped down a twenty foot drop and threw a shield at the beast. While I don't condone the action given her latest injury," Asher gave her look as she sheepishly took another bite, "she is the quickest think out of your group. Sometimes a quick thought is the difference between surviving and dying."The storm picked up as thunder shook the hall."No attacks tonight, but I want you to read this and brush up on your knowledge." Gobber slammed down a large, leather bound book as Fishlegs looked excited. "Study up. You need to live and breathe this information. Everything we know about dragons is in this book. Well, the ones we know of anyway. Good night.""Night Gobber," Hiccup called out as she finished eating."This is so unfair!" Tuffnut groaned."I know," Ruffnut - the female twin - agreed which was very rare. "He wants us to read while we're still alive.""It's not that bad guys." Fishlegs said. "I've read it, like, seven time. There's this water dragon that sprays boiling water at your face. And--And there's this other one that buries itself for like a week--""Yeah, that sounds great." Tuffnut drawled. " See, there was a chance I was gonna read that...""But now..." His sister added. "Eh...""Well, you guys read, I'll go kill stuff." Snotlout said, leaving his seat."There's nothing to kill though," Hiccup said, but it fell on deaf ears as they left the Hall.Asher got up and grabbed the book to bring it over."Ignore him," he said. "Spitelout's just upset that Stoick was able to find you a betrothed and has been taking it out on him. Something about how Snoutlout should be the next chief.""Please. If Berk was under Snotlout's rule, there'd be no Berk left. Look, I love my family but Snotlout has not worked a day in his life. He would not last a day as chief." Hiccup said as the book was opened. "Have you read it before?""Once, but it's all the same. Every page just tells us to kill on sight, so I think we can wait a little bit." He pushed the book and plate away as he rested his cheek on her shoulder and wrapped his arms around her. "I never knew chief training would be more exhausting than dragon training.""You got this, Asher. Besides, I'll be in charge of finances and housekeeping and childcare." He groaned at the mention of children. "We have to have at least one because I refuse to give Spitelout the satisfaction of having one of his descendants in the Chief's Chair."This earned a good laugh out her betrothed, smiling as he laid a kiss on her cheek.They sat there for another moment before Hiccup heard the rain lighten up enough for them to run to her place. Leaving the book behind, the two covered themselves with the blanket and made their way. They managed to make it just for in time for the storm to pick up again.Asher lit a fire as Hiccup went upstairs to change in to dry clothes. She came back down to find him shirtless and sitting by the fire. His armor laid on the table as his tunic hung by the fire. Sitting next to him, she traced her fingers over the few scars and burns the decorated his shoulders."What are all of these from?" She asked."Fire guard. Sometimes the houses don't stay standing while we're putting them out." He turned to her. "What about you? You have all of these forge scars, but they're not burns like Gobber has."Hiccup looked at her arms, covered in small nicks and scrapes."Most of them are from rough metal and from all kinds of weaponry. I mostly get them during raids since everyone just dumps their weapons at the drop-off window and I have to carry them to the embers. Nothing too special."He nodded and leaned in to place a kiss on her nose. While close, he spotted a small nick on her chin."Have you always had this one?" His hand held her chin as he tilted her towards the fire. "It's very prominent.""I don't know actually. I've always considered a birthmark since dad never really told me, but it definitely happened when I was a baby."The two returned to silence as she leaned her head on his shoulder. She soon fell asleep at the crackle of the fire, much to Asher's amusement.The next day found the class navigating a maze in the arena with a Deadly Nadder chasing them down."Hey Gobber, can I ask you a question?" Hiccup asked from her spot. "The Book of Dragons didn't have anything on Night Furies. Do we really know nothing?" A blast and a yell caught her attention. "Please tell me Snotlout's out.""Not quite," he said as he gestured her to wait. ""Today is all about ATTACK! Nadders are quick and light on their feet! Your job is to be quicker and lighter! Remember what I said last night!" Asher ducked around a corner as the twins were caught in the dragon's path. "Look for its blind spot. Every dragon has one. Find it, hide in it, and strike!" The twins argued in its blind spot, only to getting fired at. "Blind spot? Yes. Deaf spot? Not so much.""So has anyone tried to sneak up on a Night Fury?" Hiccup asked to bring the focus back to her curiosity."No one has ever met one and lived to tell the tale. Why?""Curious," she smiled as she leaned against the chains.The girl and the blacksmith continued watching and spotted Snotlout trying to impress Asher, but failed as a blast knocked him off his feet. Asher climbed the wals in an attempt to get away, hopping from one to another with the dragon following close behind."Go get the gate ready," Gobber said as she dropped through the chains. "Would it kill you to enter like the others?"She simply smiled and made her way, grabbing a shield on her way.Nearing the gate, she heard someone call out her name. Turning, she found Asher falling from the wall and knocked her to the ground. His axe got lodged in her axe as they realized what happened. He worked to free the weapon, but to no avail. Hiccup removed her arm from the straps and rolled out from under him as he swung the axe like a mace. Opening the cage just in time, she watched as the Nadder ran in and sat in the back corner."You good?" Asher asked and received a nod. "Good.""What is wrong with you?" Snotlout yelled. The question was obviously focused on Hiccup. "Our parents' war is about to become ours, and you're doing nothing but getting in the way. Either stay on the sidelines or go ahead and get eaten."Hiccup's face dropped, but she stood her ground. Fishlegs, though he never spoke to her outside of training, could see that she was holding back tears. By instinct, he moved to her side and placed a hand her shoulder. Asher looked to him and nodded a thanks."Snotlout," Gobber said, a little bit of disappointment in his voice, "Asher and Hiccup worked together to right an unforeseen action. They're not messing around. Being in tune with someone other than yourself has its benefits in battle." He looked to me and Asher, who had started running a hand through my hair. "Go home. I'll see you all at dinner."Snotlout still stood there fuming, ready to march over to his cousin before Asher stood in the way."Whatever you're going to say to her, you can say to me but I really don't think you should. Ever since she came of age to inherit her title, you've been nothing but rude and condescending to her," Asher said as defended Hiccup. "Now I don't know what sad and pathetic thoughts your dad put in your head, but you need to understand she knows how dangerous dragon fighting is. She knows the risks and still acts like a better Viking than you."Throwing an arm around her, Asher led her out of the arena and walked her out. The rest of the teens could only look on as surprise and shock covered their faces.Even before the engagement between the two was ever announced, many of the villagers had something to say about Hiccup's runt status. Though, up until now, no one realized the weight those words held over the heiress. Looking at the second heir, the three sent him looks of disgust and left him in the arena alone.-Hiccup sat on the beach as Asher practiced his axe skills at the shoreline. She ran her fingers through her hair, catching and releasing any know she found.
"You know that you shouldn't take his words to heart, right?" She looked up at her betrothed. "He's just mimicking what his family's been preaching, and with how small his brain is, he doesn't see how wrong it is.""Is this your attempt at cheering me up?" She asked."Is it working?" She chuckled. "But with all things considered, even if you weren't marrying me, I think you'd make an amazing chief. So don't let what anyone else says because I think you're going to bring about a big change for Berk."He paused in his movements to hold his hand out to her, pulling her to her feet once she took it. His axe fell to the sand as he held her in his arms and placed a kiss on her head."Go clear your head. I'll see you at your house for dinner. I'll even cook."With a nod, she pulled away and started on her way. Asher watched her with a smile on his face, knowing that things will be okay. However, he did pick up his axe with steel in his eye. Snotlout and him were going to have a chat.After stopping at her house to pick up a piece of cod, Hiccup returned to Raven's point to find the dragon nowhere in sight. Disappointment filled her chest as she looked around and dropped her hands to her side."I guess it was too much to hope for," she said until a low growl came from behind her.Turning around, she spots the dragon perched on a boulder. It slowly crawled forward before stopping when she held out the fish. It ended up growling once spotting the small dagger on her hip. Noticing this, Hiccup quickly ridded herself of it. The dragon dropped to a sitting position, eyes growing wide in curiousity.She held out the fish once more, only to notice that they had no teeth."Toothless, huh? I could've sworn you had..." Teeth dropped from the beast's gums as it grabbed the fish from her hands. "...teeth." She watched as it gulped down the fish with a small smile on her face. It looked back down, backing her against the rocks, and began to search her for more. "Uh, no. I don't have anymore."Hearing this, the dragon started to hack and gag above her before half of the eaten fish fell in to her lap. Looking back up at them, it finally registered what it wanted them to do."Oh, I'm not hungry."It nudged the fish forward. She wasn't getting out of this. With a sigh, she picked up the fish and faked a bite and a swallow. Holding out the rest, the dragon ate it from her hand as she smiled up at it. They tried to mimic the motion, resembling a small child. It was honestly sweet.With curiosity in her eyes, Hiccup reached up to pet it but they began to growl and left for the opposite side of the cove. Wanting to inspect the injury better, she carefully walked over to them but it spotted her and left again.Giving up, Hiccup went to the other side again and pulled out her notebook. Watching the dragon move about the cove, she sketched them until she ran out of pages. Her eyes began to grow heavy as the day went on, so she settled against a boulder for quick nap.Dusk had arrived soon enough and the dragon had fallen asleep since her arrival. Waking all groggy, it was surprised to find the girl who injured but freed him unconscious near the exit. A part of them was worried and scared since they couldn't tell if she was breathing.He carefully approached her, nudging her with a paw to turn her over. She made a small noise that eased their mind. Adjusting her position, they curled around her to keep her warm. If she had stayed around so long and not injured them, maybe she was worth keeping around.Hiccup soon woke to the sudden warmth, and felt confused. She registered the scaly texture under her hands and realized the dragon had settled itself around her.Not wanting to move in fear of scaring it,  she settled her head in the crook of theirs' and ran her fingers across the scales. It made a noise of contentment."Well hello to you too," she said with a soft voice as she looked around. "How long were we out?"The dragon cooed in response."You know, it's tough to only refer to you as 'the dragon' in my head. You got a name?" They lifted their head to show their toothless smile. "So, your name's Toothless?" It nodded its head. "The name of the Unholy Offspring of Lightning and Death itself is named Toothless. Were you always named that?" It shook its head before nudging her, suggesting that he was not named until she arrived. "Oh, okay. Interesting. Boy?" They nodded. "Okay, got it."Her eyes drifted to his tail again, it laid in front of her."Do you mind if I take a look at your tail? I feel at fault for it."For a moment he considered it before lifting it up for her to see. It was somewhat healed, but the webbing will never return and he had already shed the broken cartilage."I'm sorry I did this, but I didn't meant to do it on purpose." She carefully ran her fingers over the ruin. "Tell you what. You let me learn about you, and I'll help you build up your energy to get you out of here. Deal?"Toothless considered it for a moment before snorting and nodding. Hiccup was impressed by how well he understood her, making her wonder if the other dragons could understand her language as well.With a bittersweet farewell, Hiccup left the cove with the promise to see him tomorrow. Before she left though, she had to know if she truly had his trust. Closing her eyes and turning away, she held out her hand to him and waited.After a moment, a scaly texture found its way to her. She opened her eyes to wide eyes and a gummy smile. She stepped closer but kept her hand in place as she rest her forehead against his.Trust and care flowed through them as a special bond between Viking and dragon was formed.Dinner was up on a watchtower that night, Gobber was retelling some story when Hiccup arrived. The air was still tense after what had happened earlier but the blacksmith ignored it and continued his story."...And with one twist, he took my hand and swallowed it whole. I saw the look in his face; I was delicious. Word must have been passed around because it wasn't a month later before another one and took my leg," Gobber gestured to his appendages, not noticing one had flown off towards Hiccup. She caught it with a practiced ease and threw it back. "Thank you, dearie.""Isn't it weird to think that your hand was inside a dragon?" Fishlegs asked. "Like imagine if your mind was still attached to it. You could kill the dragon from the inside by - I don't know - crushing its heart or something.""I feel like that'd be impossible," Asher said as he passed a fish to Hiccup, not noticing the sneer on her face. "From what we know about the human body, food travels through one pathway. Assuming dragons are the same, the best one could do is block the throat.""I swear! I'm so angry right now!" Snotlout interjected, not caring about interrupting the only good conversation they'd have. "I'll avenge your beautiful hand and your beautiful foot by chopping off the limbs of every dragon I find." He bit off a piece of chicken meat. "With my face!""It'd be an improvement," Ruffnut added causing Hiccup to laugh. They all looked at her, not recalling they had heard her so happy."No," Gobber said as he ripped parts off a fully cooked chicken. "It's the wings and the tail you want to go for. If it can't fly, it can't get away. A downed dragon is a dead dragon." Hiccup's eyes went wide with realization. "Alright, tomorrow we get to the big boys. So I want you all well-rested for tomorrow's training lesson.Slowly but surely making our way to the Monstrous Nightmare, but who will win the honor of killing it?"Asher turned to speak to Hiccup, but noticed she had disappeared. He spotted her heading in to the forge, but thought nothing of it. She probably just had another idea she had to get down on paper.Well, he was somewhat right.-Having worked through the night, Hiccup created a mock-up of a prosthetic tail fin for her new friend. It wasn't much, but it was a start.Arriving at Raven's Point in the early morning with a basketful of fish, she showed him the fin and explained what she was aiming to do. Toothless was ecstatic, but understood that nothing would get done until he ate. He ate every fish in the basket as Hiccup worked to attach the tail, but started growling after a moment of silence."What's wrong?" She asked, worried that someone had found them, only to find an eel in the basket. "It's okay, I got you!"Hiccup quickly picked up the eel and threw it into the pond. She chuckled as Toothless returned to eating as if nothing had happened.Once the prosthetic was on, Toothless attempted a take off only to slam into the cove's wall again."It's just a mock-up, bud. It's going to take a lot of trial and error to get to a working one, okay?" He whined and nodded. "I got some things to do today, but I'll be back tonight with dinner and possibly some sketches and notes. Be good."After her encounter with the Night Fury, the other dragons just didn't seem interesting to her anymore.A look of boredom covered her face as the other teens trained with the Zippleback - a two headed beast. The lesson was about teamwork, but after what had happened yesterday, no one wanted to pair with Snotlout. He sat next to her as they watched the arena below."Hiccup," he said, only getting a hum of acknowledgement. "I wanted to apologize for yesterday." She looked at him in disbelief. "I know, I know, hard to believe but Asher made some good points yesterday. Part of me didn't want to believe it, but he's right.""How is he right, Snotlout?""Dad's always said that he'd make a better chief than Uncle Stoick, but since he's the second born, he wasn't ever considered. I guess he thought that because you were born a runt that I'd be the one chosen as chief." He sighed and leaned his head against the chain. "He never considered that Uncle Stoick was as stubborn as him."Hiccup took a minute to think. Both of them were the products of their parents, only knowing what was taught to them. Stoick taught her to be caring and kind while also being headstrong. Spitelout really lived up to his name by teaching her cousin his ways."I hope you can forgive me one day," Snotlout finished, looking at her."Snot," she rested a hand on his arm, "I forgave you a long time ago, but those words you said yesterday did hurt. I know that I'm the runt of the village, it's kind of hard to forget. I mean, everyone doesn't think I'll survive any dragon attacks but I'm doing just fine. I think you just need to change your perspective. Can you at least try that?""I'll do my best, Hel."She swore she saw him smile for the first time since they were kids. It was nice.Screams broke her thoughts and drew her attention, only to make her laugh. Asher and Fishlegs stood exasperated as the twins were chased by the Zippleback around the arena. She couldn't see Gobber, but she could definitely hear him."Excuse me, I have to do my job."With a flick of her hand, she slipped down between the chains and caught the Zipplebacks attention. It halted in its chase of the twins to direct its gaze at her. For a moment, it stood still before charging at her. The crowd panicked for a moment before the dragon skidded to a stop as she held up her hands. To the audience's sight, she was handling the dragon barehanded."Come on! Back to your cage!" She yelled, backing the Zippleback into its cage. It cowered into the corner as she opened the vest, revealing an eel, and proving her theory true that it wasn't just Toothless who feared the fish. "I'll be back for feeding time. No eels, I promise and I'm sorry."She shut the doors with a grunt and turned around to see everyone looking at her."I guess we're done here. I'll see you all at dinner. Bye!"Hiccup quickly made her way out of the arena and past everyone. She threw the eel over the edge of the cliffside as she left the training area behind.-Hiccup made her way to the forge and in to her private office. She pulled out her sketchbook and concept sketches for Toothless' tail.
The mechanics of how to create a system for him to solely work escaped her. That is, until she figured that out, she'd have to create a saddle and stirrup system for the initial test runs. She got to work sketching out a mock up system and saddle until knock soon broke her out of her work."Come in!" She called out."There you are, lassie," Gobber said as he walked in. "I've been looking everywhere for you. I got worried when you didn't show for dinner.""Is it dinner time already?" She moved a sheet and looked outside. "How did I not notice the light change?""Don't sweat it. You're betrothed is cooking something for you at your house, so I suggest you go and eat since I don't think you ate since leaving the arena this morning." She looked up at him with a sheepish look. "Get."With a chuckle, Hiccup collected her things and shot out of the forge. The blacksmith blew out the candles and locked up shop for the day.The sun had finally set and the village went quiet when Hiccup escaped to Raven's Point.
Toothless hopped from rock to rock in excitement at her arrival. She brought another basket of food for him to eat as she took the right measurements for the saddle. Doing her best to explain to the distracted dragon, Hiccup assured him that this system would be temporary and only until she found the right system for him to work it solo.Her new friend didn't mind though. He simply snuggled into her side after finished eating, listening to her ramble on and on about the things she was creating just for him.As the last of his kind, Toothless thought he would be more wary about who he trusted and kept around. However, something about this human was enticing to him. Unlike other humans, who smelled like anger and fear, she smelled like home and safety.Hiccup stopped talking once she heard her friend begin to snore. She considered their bond a funny thing. The two outliers of their respective worlds found each other. Her hands scratched just between his eyes as he continued to sleep. For once in her life, someone other than Asher and Gobber made her feel wanted and welcomed.-The rest of the week was filled with scattered showers which postponed dragon training until further notice.
Hiccup didn't mind though. This gave her time to create the saddle and a make-shift stirrup system for her and Toothless. Every afternoon when the storms cleared for an hour or two, she headed in to the forest to learn with her friend.Asher grew curious about where she would disappear to, but due to him becoming of age at the end of the year, he needed to finish all kinds of training before beginning his shadow training with Stoick. He ended up only seeing his love at night as he decided to make her a meal every night instead of eating with everyone.
Upon showing the saddle to her dragon friend, Toothless made her chase him around the cove. Laughing as she slipped and fell into the water, he trudged in and dragged her out so that she could hook on the saddle.Their first test run wasn't their best considering the system was a piece of string she held in her hand. Thankfully, she had the foresight to tether him to a tree stump but a large gust of wind tugged at his open wings and launched them backwards. They landed in a large pasture of tall grass. While it took Hiccup a minute to reach a spot she could see over it, she was greeted with a heartwarming sight. Toothless blissfully wallowed in the grass with a gummy smile on his face. She tugged at the grass, stuffing it into her pocket, before moving to coax her friend back to reality. The grass came in handy later at the next day of dragon training. Everyone had left for the day as the Gronckle they faced still rage in it's cage. With the grass in hand, Hiccup opened the door and ducked as the large, rock-like dragon shot out. It spotted her and charged, but fell in to a blissful stuppor at the scent of the grass. It had dropped like, well, a sack of rocks at the scent. Hiccup rolled the beast into it's cage and left the grass behind.Prior to test two, Hiccup had created a stirrup that she could control with her feet. It made the saddle a bit bulkier, but it still allowed Toothless to move freely. The initial fitting had him itching around the collar. As she helped him out, Hiccup accidentally found the sweet spot and knocked out her friend.This information aided her when the Nadder training day arrived. She had noticed that the dragon was filthy during training, and told Gobber that she'd stay behind to clean as she wanted some thinking time.With grass in hand, she led the Nadder of its cage until they were in the center of the arena. She started scratching at the dragon's chin before realizing she found it when they collapsed to the ground. With the dragon perfectly sedated, Hiccup pulled out a soapy water bucket and began to wash the Nadder. According to the Book of Dragons, Nadders are believed to be vain creatures and Hiccup believed that this one was just upset with how they looked.The Nadder purred under the cloth as Hiccup continued her minstrations. By the time they were all cleaned, they started to come around."Well, good morning," Hiccup chuckled when the Nadder realized what had happened. "I tell you what, if you behave the next time you are brought out, I'll wash you right after." They trilled and pressed their head into her chest. "I'll take that as a yes. Okay, back to bed with you."Every time Hiccup had these experiences, she went to the only one who could understand her excitement. Toothless could only smile at her mood as it was drastically different than when they first met. His human was beginning to smell of sunshine and happiness along side the others he could find.Just a few more tests and the two of them would be sky-bound.-"And where have you been, my lady?" Asher said as he entered the forge before stopping.In front of him was a sight not many saw as Hiccup pounded away on an anvil. Her hair - normally braided down her back - was thrown into a high ponytail and put her face on full display. The flush of her cheeks showed off those freckles he loved and the fire reflected in her eyes."Oh, hey Asher," she said, putting her project in a bucket of water. "What brings you around?""I, uh, I haven't seen you in about a week. Between the weather and you not being in the village, I haven't had time to see how you are after the whole Snotlout situation.""Snot and I had our own little chat and fixed up most of our family drama." Asher chuckled and leaned against the post as she spoke. "Since you're here, can I help you with anything?""Other than giving me some quality time with my love? Not really. Do you have time to spare?"Hiccup looked out the window, seeing the sun low in the sky. She was supposed to go visit Toothless for one more test before the final build."Not for until after sunset. I have few more things to go test in the woods, but I will be free right after that.""Where do you even go? Why can't you tell me?""It's a surprise and I don't want to tell, well, anyone just yet. It's not that I don't trust you, I do. I don't know if my project is ready to be around anyone just yet. I have just a couple more tests to do, and if it's ready, I'll let you see it. Deal?""That's the best I'm going to get, huh?" He sighed as she nodded. "Deal."She gave him a kiss on the cheek as thanks.The afternoon found Toothless and Hiccup in the sky, gently gliding along the wind. After many tests and updates, the steering system was ready for it's first untethered field test.Hiccup sat hunched over on Toothless' back as she looked over her small cheat sheet. "You ready to go all in, bud?" She received a happy trill from him. "Okay then, climb."Toothless took off upwards, picking up speed as he did so. Her hands gripped the reins tight as they got higher and higher. He leveled out once they broke the cloud cover for shot while before allowing himself to begin a fall. Hiccup switch the tail position with a small shift and the two leveled out in to a simple glide before they hit the ocean."Nice one. Let's try another climb."With barely a second between the position switch, Toothless back going into a steep climb. Hiccup could barely hold on this time. When she tried to stop him, he wasn't listening. The dragon was falling in to his own little world.Hiccup tried again and again to get his attention, but to no avail. The dragon suddenly stopped above all of the clouds, but Hiccup's momentum kept going. Her harness unhitched from its safety clasps and her hands let go of the saddle in shock before she realized...she was falling.Toothless soon realized the empty saddle on his back and loud noise before he began his own freefall. In front of him, Hiccup fell but didn't scream but reached out for him. He elongated himself, speeding up to reach his human. Within seconds, he was under her and scooping her up. Sadly, his tail was not in position for this level and they continued to fall."Hold on, this is going to get tricky."Toothless opened his wings to try and stop them, but it only prevented them from crashing in to Berk's forest as they glided over it. Hiccup went through position after position for the stirrup before they found the right combination to avoid crashing into the island and seastacks.Once level and slow, the two realized what had happened before the girl threw her arms in to the air and cheered. Toothless shot out a fireball for them to fly through in his glee, not realizing that his human was not as fireproof as him.-Toothless landed them on a rocky island and gathered a lot of fish to feed and apologize to human with. Hiccup couldn't help but laugh when she spotted his face, all apologetic and sheepish at the sight of her singed hair and ask streaked face."I keep telling you that I've had worse forge accidents, bud. I mean I did set it and myself on fire there when I was about six," she assured. Her friend let out a sad croon. "I'm fine."The two sat and watched the sunset as Hiccup's share cooked over the fire. A group of Terrible Terrors - small, cat-sized dragons - came around. Toothless curled tighter around Hiccup and growled at them, but the little ones didn't want trouble. All they wanted was the food. Hiccup chuckled as she watched the few tug and fight over the fish. One had caught Toothless' attention and the larger dragon ended up taking back his food. The small one reared back and began to create it's own fireball. That is, until Toothless shot his own flame inside and caused the gas to rebound in it's body."Not so fireproof on the inside, huh?" She said, throwing a fish from her pile. "There you go." It quickly gobbled up before the Terror came and nuzzled under her hand, curling in to her side. "Everything we know about you guys is wrong."Asher couldn't wait to tell Hiccup the news. After all the training and consideration from Elder Gothi, he was chosen to kill the Nightmare. Now, if only he could find her.He headed into the forest after checking her house and the forge. He got halfway to Raven's Point when he heard her laughter coming from ahead. He took off into a run to find her.Hiccup sat in the cove, wearing some kind of harness, as she moved baskets around in the cove."Toothless! Come on! I wanna see if the cargo's too heavy for you," she called out.A low grumble sounded from out of Asher's view. He gripped his ax and prepared to attack."I know you don't want to, but it's necessary. If we're going to start taking longer flights, we need to take supplies. Plus, I can't exactly live on fish alone like you. I'm small enough as is and still have some growing to do."From the shadows, a large dragon appeared and began to make its way to Hiccup. Asher noticed that she wasn't paying attention. Running on instinct, he lept into action and ran towards her. The dragon noticed him, began growling, and sped up in its steps. Hiccup finally registered what was happening and ran between them.Toothless reared up to slow his path as Asher stopped with his ax still raised. Hiccup held her hand out to the dragon, pressing her palm to his snout to calm him down, as her other hand hit Asher in the chest and made him drop the weapon."If you two would just hold on for one second, I can do my best to explain," she said. Taking a breath, she gestured to Asher. "Toothless, this is Asher. Asher, this is Toothless." Asher carefully stepped closer to Hiccup, earning a growl from the dragon. "He's not going to hurt me, bud. I know that you're protective of me, but if anyone's going to hurt me, it's not going to be him."Hiccup carefully stepped out from between them. Toothless carefully leaned forward and sniffed the boy over and over before nuzzling into his chest."He likes you," she smiled."Is this your infamous test weapons that you had to keep secret?" She scratched the back of her head, sheepishly. "Hiccup, this is a Night Fury. How did you tame a Night Fury?""Well, it's more of an aid exchange. He teaches me about dragons and I help him fly again."Asher carefully began to pet him between the eyes, surprise filling his eyes as Toothless began to croon softly at his touch."Well, this is going to be tough to tell you then," he started. "Hiccup, I got chosen. I'm graduating."She froze in her place before beginning to go through the baskets, nodding as she went through each. She called Toothless over and began to hook up the bags to the saddle. Then it finally registered what she was doing."Wait, are you leaving?" He grabbed her hand in his. "Please don't tell me you're leaving.""I have to, Asher. Ever since I began learning about the dragons and being around them, I look to them as family. If I have to watch you kill one, I think that it may break me. So, I have to go.""Why leave? Why not teach us how to train our own?""You and I see the tribe quite differently. They're stubborn. The minute they see something that's out of the normal life, they question it or put it down. You've seen the way they'd treat me." He looked down, ashamed that he never did anything to stop the teasing. "Look at Toothless. He's like me, just trying to survive in a world that thinks of us as too different. You can either come with us or let us go."Asher still looked unsure as she unhooked the baskets."Take a flight with me, just one. After that, you can make your choice, either you let me go or you come with me." Hiccup hopped on to Toothless' back and held a hand out to him. "Just trust me."Gently taking her hand, Asher swung his leg around to settle on the saddle before wrapping his arms around her waist.With a small nod, she switched the pedal to flight position and they were off towards the sky.-The two stayed in the sky until night came over the horizon. The vastness around them was cloudless and star-scattered as the ocean moved calmly against Berk's shores."I feel at home up here," she said as they glided through the sea stacks. "This new world the dragons have shown me is something I want to be a part of, to protect.""I can see why," he said, resting his chin on her shoulder. "It's beautiful. However, you have to be at the ceremony. Hiccup," his voice dropped to a whisper, "I have to present the heart to you tomorrow. What are you going to do if when present it you throw up?""I don't know, but if I stay, things need to change but no one is going to listen to me.""Then teach me, I'll take the fall.""I can't let you do that.""I love you more than whatever is promised to me upon becoming chief. If I need to be banished to live happily with you, then so be it."Before she could answer, she felt Toothless' body tense beneath her. He dove into a dive, becoming surrounded by fog."Get down," she said as they huddled closer to Toothless. Around them, other dragons were hauling in fish, sheep, and other livestock. "What is going on?""It looks like they're hauling in their spoils."Toothless turned, dove, and rose with the other dragons in some sort of hypnotic dance. Upon entering a large mountain, he dove in to an alcove as the other dragons dropped their prizes down a large hole."Good to know that all of our stuff is being dropped down a hole," she sighed."If they're not eating it," Asher started, "what is?"In that moment, a Gronckle flew in and dropped a half eaten fish down the hole. A large roar soon emitted and a large dragon - one as big as the mountain itself - launched out of the whole to devour the Gronckle. The sight shocked the two. The head of the creature turned its head to spot the trio, roaring at the sight. Hiccup urged Toothless out of there as the mass of dragons escaped with them.In the scuffle, a Zippleback was lost to the beast.-"No, it makes sense," Asher said as the landed back on Berk, "it's like a giant beehive. They're the works and that's the queen. Come on, we have to tell your dad."Asher hopped off Toothless and began to run back to the village before realizing that she wasn't following. Turning back, he saw the dragon nuzzle in to her neck as she began hooking the baskets back to the saddle."Hel, come on.""I said one flight and then you could make your decision. I've made mine, and I'm still leaving." The boy's eyes pleaded with her to stay. "I love you, Asher. Had I known that it would come to this, I would've left the minute I took my first flight with Toothless. Besides, my dad would never understand.""Then, let me do it. Let me be the one to break the mold. Tomorrow, instead of killing the Nightmare, I'll train it in front of the entire village.""No. You've trained your whole life for this moment. I can't let you throw it all away.""I can't let you leave!" His hands cupped her face. "I would give up every, and I mean everything, if it means that I don't lose you." She sighed and took his hands in hers. "Just one more day.""One more, and that's it. Now if you want to train that Nightmare, you're going to need to know the basics."Hiccup sat next to her father as the village began to fill the stands. Her heart began to beat so fast as the sun drew higher in the sky. The heat did nothing to aid her in the long grey dress she wore for the event.Once it finally reached its peak, Stoick stood before the crowd and silence them with a motion."Today," he started, "one young boy becomes a Viking of Berk, having gained the great honor of slaying his first dragon. Asher Hofferson, son of Hilda and Asmund Hofferson, betrothed to Hel Horrendous Haddock - heiress of Berk, you may begin when you are ready."Slowly, Asher stepped into the ring and made his way to the weapons rack. He chose a shield and an ax before facing the gate.The gate slammed open, a lit Monstrous Nightmare growled and roared as it ran out into the arena. It spotted Asher, eyes narrowing at the weapons. It slowly approached, but Asher put his plan in to action.He dropped his weapons, kicking them away from him, to show his empty hands at the Nightmare. Its fire died down as it carefully approached him.The crowd went silent as Hiccup chewed on her nails and Stoick stood from his seat."Stop the fight," he said but no one moved. "Stop the fight!"Stoick had grabbed a beam of wood and hit the chains, causing the Nightmare to panic and reignite itself. Asher tucked and rolled away from the beast to make his way to the exit, but the dragon had set it on fire with a roar.Hiccup took off from her seat, moved through the crowd, and slid under the chains. She landed on the floor with a huff and a scream as the Nightmare shot a fireball in her direction.In the cove, Toothless' ear plates perked to attention and had him running on pure instinct. His human was in danger.Back in the ring, Hiccup and Asher avoided attack after attack from the Nightmare when a familiar ear piercing screech echoed overhead."Night Fury!" Someone called out as Toothless blasted the chains open.He landed in the arena and in front of the people. The Hooligans sat in silence for a moment before yelling and pulling out their own weapons. Hiccup and Asher spared a moment to share a look before they hopped on to his back. Asher helped adjust her dress as she locked in to the stirrups and shot off in to the air. Hiccup heard her father call out for her as weapons began to fly after them. She began to tear up but held herself together enough to steer them to the cove.
For a moment after they landed, the three of them sat in silence as the situation finally registered."What now?" Asher asked."We leave," she replied, hopping off the saddle and beginning to hook up yesterday's baskets. "They'll stop at nothing until Toothless is killed and we face our consequences." She looked up from the baskets. "Did you bring your stuff this morning?""Yeah, it's in your basket. I didn't bring much." She nodded. "Are you going to be okay?""Eventually." She let out a heavy sigh and hopped on Toothless. "But before we go, I have a gift for you." Taking a deep breath, Hiccup let out a shrill whistle that was responded to with a squawk. "I thought you could use a friend of your own."From the sky, a blue Deadly Nadder swooped down and landed next to Toothless. Hiccup gave them a pat on their muzzle before pointing to Asher. The dragon stepped over and stared down at the boy. Asher smiled and held his hand out, chuckling as it nuzzled in. He noticed a saddle on its back and looked at his betrothed shocked."She's gonna need a name," she chuckled.-The two started flying as soon as the baskets were hooked up. Hiccup had torn the dress enough to ride comfortably and left behind the vest she had worn everyday. Asher followed suit by leaving behind the ax he had carried since he was a child. It felt a bit bittersweet to leave the life they know, but it was sadly a necessity.Asher knew that Hiccup was holding in her sadness as he swooped in as close as he could on Stormfly, his new dragon. "Do you want to land?" He asked."No," she shook her head. "Dad has an old trading port just outside the archipelago. It was abandoned when the raids got worse and no one could get out there. He's ignored it for so long that I thin we can spend at least a year there, get as much as we can together, and maybe try to set up trade eventually.""Sounds like fair plan. How long until we get there?""Well," she pulled a folded piece of paper from the front of her dress, "according to his old notes, it's half a week by boat. Taking into account our friends here, we'll be there by sundown tomorrow."-After multiple stops and meals, the quartet landed at the old trading post. The land was overgrown but salvageable. The old storehouses were in good shape, but would need adjustment and mending when available."It's not much, but it's home now," Hiccup said as they landed. She jumped off and looked up at the sky. "Look's like rain's coming our way. We should find the main house, it's usually re-enforced."Asher nodded and hopped off of Stormfly as they made their way into what used to be the old marketplace. The place was full of stone-built buildings that were overgrown and broken wooden stalls. Any sort of houses were up on the mountain behind it. Asher spotted some old gardens on the way up, stating that they needed to be tended to if they wanted to grow their own stuff.As they reached the main house, Hiccup was greeted by familiar friend. The small Terror that she fed the other day spotted her and shot itself in to her arms. It was nice to hear her laugh after everything that happened. Inside, Toothless lit a fire in the firepit once Asher filled it with dry wood from the storage. Hiccup set up their bed mats and sat on her own as the Terror curled against her chest.Thunder boomed from above. The small dragon curled tighter against her."You scared too?" She chuckled. "It's okay. It'll pass.""You're good with him. Think how you'll be with kids," her betrothed said as he and the dragons sat down."It's a bit early for any right now, we're not even married yet.""Who says we're not?" She looked confused. "Think about it. If there's no one to marry us but we're in charge of our own tribe, we can marry us.""So, you're saying we're married now?""Indeed, we are." He placed a kiss on her lips. "Hello, Mrs. Hofferson."The storm continued to rage on as this new little family settled into their new life for the first time.Months have passed since that faithful day, and the old trading post has found itself a new life. Hiccup and Asher worked in tandem with their dragons to rebuild many of the collapsed buildings as well as the old blacksmith forge. That was one of the first to be rebuilt since they needed the materials from there.It started to feel like home.The two ended up finding trading partners with the Bog-Burglars as well as offering to take in any who wished to leave the island or prisoners they had. Their chieftess, Big Boobed Bertha, promised to keep their whereabouts hidden should the Hooligan tribe come looking for them.Life was changing. The Island was growing. Only time would tell what would come next.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Berk - An island village twelve days north of Hopeless, a few degrees south of freezing to death, and located solidly on the Meridian of Misery.
That's where I live. It's, for lack of a better word, sturdy. I mean, it's been here for seven generations, yet new buildings show up every day. Sure, it may seem boring, but we have fishing, hunting, and a charming view of the sunsets.The only problems are the pest. You see, most places have mice or mosquitoes. We have....
CLANG!!! CLANG!!!
...Dragons!That sound you just heard, that's the weekly warning bell. See, the dragons don't care what time it is when they show, hence the bell.Now, most people would leave if the threat of danger hangs over as a daily thing. Not us. We're Vikings. We have, stubbornness issues. My name is Hiccup, well actually it's Hellen, but I digress. Great name, I know. But, it's not the worst. Parents believe a hideous name will frighten off gnomes and trolls. Like our charming Viking demeanor wouldn't do that.

During these raids, you'd most likely catch me running through it. Not a big deal if I'm a viking, right? Wrong! I'm a runt, not built for this type of world. The only reason I was running now was because my house was on fire.

Running through cries of "What are you doing out?", "Get back inside!", and "Sorry, almost stepped on ya.", I made my way to the blacksmith. It's like my home away from home.

"There you are!" A voice called as I grabbed my apron. "I thought the dragons may have carried you off."
That's Gobber, my godfather or secondary father, he owns the smithery as well as two artificial limbs. I've been his apprentice ever since I was little. Well... littler."Oh, please." I scoffed. "They wouldn't know what to do with me.""They need toothpicks, don't they?" I laughed as I pulled open the window, only to be met with piles of broken weapons. Man, the dragons are sure hauling today. Anyway, I grabbed as many as I could, avoiding the dull but sharp metal, and threw them over the embers."Gobber, is Hiccup in here?" I heard a deep voice called as I pumped air onto the flame."Over here!" I called, throwing more logs onto the fire."Good." This man was Stoick the Vast, chief of the tribe. "Make sure you stay here, got it?""Yeah dad." Oh, and he was my dad as well. "What's been seen?""A couple Zipplebacks, Gronckles, Nightmares, the usual. We've been scare with the Nadders though.""They know what you did with the last few, huh? They're scared." I stretched, pulling another sword onto the embers. "No, Furies?""Not yet." He sighed, grabbed a mace, and looked at me. "Stay safe, Hellen.""I will." I sighed as he ran off.Man, why does he get all the fun?Whatever, the smith was where all the action was. You could see the entire village from the window, but it wasn't as appealing when everything was on fire.Speaking of fire....Here comes the brigade. They were the only other teens is the village.
Ruffnut and Tuffnut Thorston - The infamous troublemaking twins
Fishlegs - Many called him the walking Dragon Encyclopedia
Snotlout - My cousin the egotistical
Asher - The village prodigy
Everyone expects Asher to be the next one to kill a dragon in the ring, and chief should my dad ever die. Oh, I must have forgotten to mention...He's my fiance. Yeah, he's only two years older than me. But when it was obvious that I wouldn't be able do all the things a chief could do, my father struck an agreement with his father for a wedding when I was of age. So, in a year, I was expected to walk the aisle. It's not a bad thing, he's not a bad guy to be around. I just hate the idea of an arranged marriage, and the audience of the wedding night. Ugh...I digress again.Anyway, they're job is so much cooler than working the smith for vikings who don't appreciate you. It's not that I hate this job, but sometimes I want to do something more."Hiccup!" Gobber called, knocking me out of my thoughts. "They need me out there, so I need you told down the fort.""Nothing new! Go get 'em!" I yelled, placing a new batch of weapons on the table....which quickly depleted.I took custom orders from various vikings but pause when something caught my eye, causing me to leave the viking I was talking to."I'm sorry," I said to them, "but part of the forge is rolling away. I will be right back."I couldn't let it get away. I have worked too hard for it to be crushed without a test fire. See, I'm an inventor, trying to find a way to help my fellow vikings, and this invention could save a lot of us from arm slings. It launched bolas, three rocks tied to each other by long pieces of sting, to tie around any dragon's legs.
Now, what I lack in body mass, I make up in speed. I'm the fastest in the village, and proud of it! So, it's not surprise that caught up to it before it fell off a cliff.It was a surprise that it fired with the sudden stop. Though it did hit something...WAIT?! IT HIT SOMETHING!? I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!I was so caught up in my shock that I didn't notice the Monstrous Nightmare flying up the cliff side. So, I was surprised when it came over and spotted me.Okay, I know I bragged about my speed, but YOU TRY OUT RUNNING A LEVEL 5 DRAGON?!It took me into its claws, and carried me over the village. I spotted Asher carrying a bucket to a house on cliffside. I knew it was unlikely, but I had to try."Asher!" I called, hoping he would hear me. "Asher!!" He looked up, spotted me, and ran alongside the dragon. Our eyes locked. "The tower! Use the next tower!"Towers were set up along each cliff side, and one was coming up. If Asher picked up his pace, he may be able beat the dragon to the next tower. That's what he did, and I got to see first hand why he was the village prodigy.Okay now, you may think I'm stupid for running out to catch a prototype weapon, but it can't be as stupid as TACKLING A NIGHTMARE! Yeah, you heard me. ASHER TACKLED THE THING! Surprised as it was, the Nightmare released me from claws and left me falling to the ocean below.I don't know how long I fell, but I remember that Asher tackled me next and swung us to the tower's base. I forgot there were safety ropes at the top!
The raid had ended by the time we landed. The dragons were leaving and the sun was starting to rise."Are you okay?" Asher asked me, setting me down."Ye-OW!" I screamed, feeling a sharp pain move up my right leg. Looking down, I saw a dark spot grow on my pants. "Ugh, a claw must have gone through."We both looked at the wound. It wasn't drastic enough to amputate, but it would need a few stitches and a day of bed rest."I'll carry you back to your place." He offered his arms. "Come on."Giving in, I let him carry me like a child back to the main square. Now, unlike the other teens (minus Fishlegs), Asher didn't make fun of me. Sure, he wouldn't be seen in public with me for more than five minutes, but he was kind. I could hear my dad yelling for me as we approached the square. Man, he's gonna be so disappointed in me."She's over here, chief." Asher yelled from the back of the crowd. The crowd spit as he came through. "She was chasing a run away cart of weapons when a Nightmare got her.""How'd she get out?" Dad asked, noticing my leg. "What happened?""Asher saved me." I said. "It was my fault I got caught.""Asher, please take her to the house. You know what to do, Hiccup.""Yup." I said as I was carried to the house. Man, the dragon did a number on my front door."I wouldn't be surprised if the Nightmare that caught you was the one who fried your front door." Asher said, trying to make a joke while opening it."Ha-ha." A pity laugh if anything. "Just put me at the table and grab the basket that's next to the fireplace." He obeyed, but looked unsure of what to do next."I see this going two ways; you rip the leg of my pants so I can take care of this or you can leave. Which will it be?""Well," he started, "considering you have the strength of a baby yak, I'll help." He took off my boot and grabbed the end of my pants. "I'm ripping to the knee.""You better not go any farther."I'll save you the details of what happened. Let's just say involved me biting on a piece of leather and a sterlized needle."I'm impressed." He said as I wrapped a bandage around my leg."You need anything you need looked at?" I said with a small smile. "I'll do it for free.""Nah, the job's only fun if you get a scar out of it."With a small smile, I watched him leave my house. Like I said before, he's the only one who's really nice to me. So, tying the bandage even more, I grabbed one of my journals.Let's see...If I was on the farthest cliff when I hit whatever, than if I calculate the arch....blebblurbbleh. I've lost you, haven't I? Whatever. The thing I hit is somewhere around Raven's point, deep in the forests of Berk, and I'm gonna find it. It wasn't until mid-morning when I felt like going to walk for it. My wound is fine. After working in the forge for nearly ten years, I've learned to walk off not-too-drastic wounds. I still took a cane with me just in case as well as my dagger, a gift from the Jorgenson family (Snotlout's family) when I was five. I would stop every so often to cross out another spot in my journal."How is this possible?" I groaned, shutting my book and stuffing it in my vest. "Ugh, the gods must hate me. Some people manage to lose their mug or mace. I manage to lose a giant creature." I swung my arm at a low-hanging branch, only to have it snap back in my face. "What the---?" I started, but looked at the scene in front of me. "I must be close." There were trees uprooted, dirt was flung to Valhalla and sideways, and various burned marks covered the ground. "Oh Sif, I hit a dragon."I flung down my cane and ran along the beaten path. Sure, I may have ripped a stitch, but I could take care of that at home.Stopping just outside a ring of boulders, known as Raven's Point to the Berkians, I could see a large black creature wrapped in rope. By its size and color, I could tell that I brought down a Night Fury, the most dangerous of all dragons.I heaved a breath and took out my dagger. Stepping lightly, I walked up to the beast. It was still breathing. Taking a risk, I put my hand on its shoulder, just below the wing. Their eyes shot open, but they didn't move.Its eyes stared at me, and I into it. They were a beautiful green, one that could rival my praised ones. Dad always said my eyes were as green as meadow.The dragon hummed and closed its eyes, resigning to fate.
I couldn't do it.
I had come out here to find what I hit, kill it, and bring its heart to my father. I wanted to show him I didn't need to be protected and coddled.
But I couldn't.
Beyond better judgement, I took my dagger and started cutting at the ropes. My heart couldn't take this, but this creature was like me. Trapped, only to give in to the inevitable.As the final rope fell, the dragon tackled me to an adjacent rock. It just held me there to study me, but it's sight locked on my leg, still exposed by a ripped pant leg. The mouth opened, I thought he was going to eat my leg, but it licked it instead. The scene reminded me of the village dog caring for her pups whenever one was injured. When it was done, they nuzzled their head below my chin and ran off.Did I just get cared for by a dragon?Now that I thought about it, my bandage was soaked in dragon saliva. I removed it so it wouldn't get infected, but there was no wound, just some ripped stitches that came out with ease.Note: Night Fury saliva heals.

----I made my way back to the village, spinning my cane like one would a spear. Just because I couldn't fight the big creatures, doesn't mean I can't fight those closer to my size. So, thanks to some visiting sailors a few months back, I'm skilled in melee and hand to hand combat. When I'm bored, I toss around my cane."Hiccup!" I heard Asher call, halting my actions. "Your dad's been looking for you." He ran up to me. "I thought you would be resting. You said it yourself.""I know, but you know I can't sit still." I nudged him with the butt-end of my cane. "I just needed some air, and I wasn't gone long.""I'll take your word for it." He chuckled. "He's waiting in your house."Thanking him, I hobbled back to the house, making it show to him that I was taking things easy with my leg. Opening the (still) charred front door, I spotted my dad sitting by the fireplace."Hi, dad." I said, catching his attention. "Asher said you were looking for me.""I was." He said, standind from his seat. "I need to speak with you.""Oh, that's great! I need a word too.""You first.""You're the chief. You first.""Okay." He sighed and looked down at me. "You start Dragon Training in the morning." His eye drops to my leg. "Eh, well, you'll be Gobber's assistant. You'll be learning the fight techniques from outside the ring.""I should've gone first." I said, under my breath. "Dad, I don't want to fight a dragon.""Of course, you do. It's fairly easy after your first battle." He took a large ax of the dining table. "This is for you." He dropped it into my ill-prepared arms. I nearly fell over. "When you carry this axe, you carry Berk with you. Which means you walk like us, talk like us, and think like us. Something you've always wanted.""This is starting to feel like one-sided conversation." I mumbled leaning on the ax as if it were my cane."You join Gobber at the arena tomorrow. Every day after that will be spent tending to the animals. Nothing too hard, just bang on the cage doors to rile them up." He placed his large hand on my shoulder. "Do we have a deal?" I shyly nodded. "Hellen?""Deal." I said out loud."Good." He grabbed a bag and headed out the door. "Train hard. I'll be back. Probably.""And I'll be here. Maybe." I waved as he walked out the door. This wasn't anything new, but he usually let me be watch them off from the docks. Guess he wants me to rest...I know dad wants me safe as the village runt, but I don't think this will be good for me. I sat by the Gronckle's cage the next day with a large hammer, waiting for everyone else to arrive."Welcome to Dragon Training!" I could here Gobber yell from the top. He let out a small chuckle as the other teens ran down the ramp."I'm hopping to get some serious burns." Tuffnut, the elder twin, announced."I'm hoping for some mauling, like on my shoulder or lower back." Ruffnut, the other twin, sneered before spotting me."Yeah, it's only fun if you get a scar out of it." Asher pointed out as he waved to me. "What do you think, Hiccup?""Yay. Pain. Love it." I said, very monotonous while standing and grabbing the hammer."Oh great." Tuffnut groaned. "Who let her in?""The chief did." Gobber said, standing between me and the group. "You can speak with him when he gets back about her very presence, alright?" He looked back after hearing me chuckle. "Now, let's get started. Hiccup, you know what to do."Nodding, I grabbed the hammer and started hitting the cage door in various places."Whoa, whoa! What is she doing?" I heard my cousin yell."Ignore her. It's what you all are best at."Thanks Gobber. Anyway, I kept hitting the cage as he spoke of the different species locked in these cages and Fishlegs spouted out information. Yeah, let's just say Gobber was not happy with that. Feeling like it was mad enough, I hurried and exited the arena. Gobber followed me soon after, gesturing me to the above-ground lever."Today is all about survival. Pull it, Hiccup!"With a smirk on my face, I released an angry Gronckle on the teens of Berk."Aren't you gonna teach us?" Snotlout yelled, running around the cage."Gobber believes in learning on the job." I yelled back. "How do you think the forge nearly burned down seven years ago?""Shush you." Gobber said, lightly hitting my shoulder with his artificial appendage. "Now, If you get blasted....you're dead! What's the first thing you're going to need?""A doctor." I mummbled, sitting at the edge with my legs hanging below the chains of the dome."Plus five speed?" Fishlegs yelled. Get it together, bub."A shield!" Asher announced, confident in his answer."Good job, Asher!" Gobber nudged me again. "Your most important equipment is your shield! If you must make a choice between a sword and a shield, take the shield!" Gobber kept nudging me. "Your dad picked a good one for you, didn't he?""I guess." I answered, watching the twins arguing over a shield and ignoring the incoming Gronckle. "Twins, out!" I called as they got blasted twice."Use your shields to make noise. They hate it! So, use it as an advantage to throw of their aim." As the weapons started to hit the shield, the dragon shook its head. "Now, all dragons have a shot limit. How many does a Gronckle have?""Five?" Snotlout guessed."No, six!" Fishleg's answered, correctly."Good! Now, stay alive until time runs out." Fishlegs just got blasted as he spoke. "What did I just say?" Snotlout got blasted. "You're not impressing anyone, Snotlout."It was just Asher and the gronckle facing off, now. It fired again, and Asher blocked the blast. However, due to the blast, he lost his shield. The gronckle had him cornered to the left of where I was sitting and was charging it's last blast.Thanks to my thin frame, I slid between the chains and the ledge, and dropped down to the arena floor. Picking up one of the unused shields, I launched it and let fly, sideways through the air. It knocked the dragon in the chin, making fire just meters away from Asher's head."And that's six!" Gobber said, hooking the dragon by the jaw and to its cage. When did he get in? "Go back to bed, you overgrown sausage! You'll get another chance, don't you worry." He closed the cage and bolted it shut. "Remember: a dragon will always -always- go for the kill." He watched as Asher walked over to me. "Go home.""Nice shot." Asher said as he approached. "You're barely winded.""Why would I be?" I asked, feeling a little offended."The shields are, like, twice your body weight. How?""Yeah, and everything in the forge is, like, three times my body weight." I laughed. "Trust me when I say, I've lifted heavier. I could probably bench you.""I don't doubt it." He chuckled, squeezing my upper arm. "You should show me one day." I looked at him, shocked. "What you lift? I mean, what do you lift?" He chuckled nervously, removing his arm. "I'm gonna go."I laughed as he walked away, looking like I do when I get made fun of. Glad to know that Mr. Perfect isn't always so perfect.--After leaving the arena, I headed back to where I found the Night Fury. The bolas I cut were still lying on the ground. I thought about what Gobber said. If dragons always go for the kill..."Why didn't you?" I asked myself. Throwing it down, I walked into Raven's Cove, a small hideaway just off the point. "Well, this was stupiiiIIIID!!!" A black blur shot pass me, knocking me off my feet, making me yell in the process. The Night Fury was scrambling along the high walls of the cove, trying to get out. "Why don't you just fly away?"It scrambled some more before settling in the cove. Pulling out my journal, I made a quick sketch of the dragon's anatomy. That's when I saw it. The left tail fin was obliterated, gone, kaput, whatever way you could put it. I did that. Not on purpose, but I did that.I was brought out of my thoughts when I dropped my pencil, hearing it hit the rocks as it fell, and attracting the dragon's attention. It stared at me, repeating our exchange from yesterday. Something was exchanged between us, something profound. It was raining by the time I decided to head back into the village. So, sopping wet, I trudged into the Great Hall to find everyone else gathered. A lone plate of food sat at the end of the table, but, without looking, I grabbed it as Snotlout and Tuffnut closed any gaps in which I could've sat. I chose a table close to the roaring fire of the gods, and sat by myself."Alright." Gobber started, not bothering to check on me. "Where did Asher go wrong in the ring today?""I mistimed my somersault dive." He groaned. "It was sloppy, and threw off my reverse tumblr."I rolled my eyes and let out a silent chuckle. Only he would care about that, but Snotlout did. He tried to assure him that he was still the best Berk had to offer."Hiccup, though." No, Gobber, don't bring me into this. "She was quick on her feet. The time it took me to run across the ring and hook that Gronckle, she jumped down a twenty foot drop and threw an abandoned shield at it. She is one of the quickest thinkers out of all of you. That's the difference between surviving and dying." The rain started to pick up and thunder shook the Hall. "Storm's picking up. So, no attacks tonight, but I want you to read this." He slammed down a book."The Dragon Manual!" Fishlegs cheered."Study up. You all need to live and breathe this stuff. Everything we know about dragons is in the book. Well, the ones we know of anyway." He sighed and I felt his eyes on the back of my head. "Good night, everyone.""Goodnight." Everyone echoed as the large door creaked open."This is so unfair!" Tuffnut groaned."I know." Ruffnut agreed, which was very rare. "He wants us to read while we're still alive.""It's not that bad guys." Fishlegs said. "I've read it, like, seven time. There's this water dragon that sprays boiling water at your face. And--And there's this other one that buries itself for like a week--""Yeah, that sounds great." Tuffnut drawled. " See, there was a chance I was gonna read that...""But now..." His sister added. "Eh...""Well, you guys read, I'll go kill stuff." Snotlout said, leaving his seat."Snotlout," I said against my better judgement, "you heard Gobber. It's pouring. There's nothing to kill tonight.""I'm sorry, did you say something?" He held a hand to his ear, but I didn't respond. "That's what I thought." He chuckled and left with the twins, Fishlegs not too far behind. Asher looked at me, then brought the book over."Don't mind him." He said, plopping down next to me as I continued eating. "He's just jealous because the two of us are in line for chiefdom.""Seriously?" I chuckled and pushed away my plate. "Let's see what's in this ever famed Book of Dragons."

Dragon classifications: Strike, Fear and Mystery

Thunderdrum: This reclusive dragon inhabits sea caves and dark tide pools. When startled, the Thunderdrum produces a concussive sound that can kill a man at close range. Extremely dangerous, kill on sight. 
Timberjack: This gigantic creature has razor sharp wings that can slice through full grown trees. Extremely dangerous, kill on sight. 
Scauldron: Sprays scalding water at its victim. Extremely dangerous. 
Changewing: Even newly hatched dragons can spray acid. Kill on sight. 
"Well, don't they sound charming?" I joked, not receiving a reaction from Asher. "Really? Nothing?"
"It's not really something you should joke about."

Gronckle, Zippleback, The Skrill, Boneknapper, Whispering Death. Burns its victims, buries its victims, chokes its victims, turns its victims inside-out. Extremely dangerous, extremely dangerous, kill on sight, kill on sight, kill on sight...

Night Fury: Speed, unknown. Size, unknown. The unholy offspring of lightning and death itself. Never engage this dragon. Your only chance, hide and pray it does not find you.
I stopped on that page, and remember the scene from the cove. The Night Fury didn't attack me, he just looked at me."Hey," Asher said, placing his hand on top of mine, "you okay?""Yeah, just a little shook." He rubbed my hand. "I should get home.""I'll walk you, the storm looks like it's not gonna let up for both us to walk alone." He stood up and went to put out the fire. "You gonna leave the book?""Uh, yeah." I answered, closing it. "It's the village's only copy, let's not ruin it."Asher put out the fire as I approached him. Throwing an arm around my shoulder, we walked to the propped door. The storm was in a light phase when we walked out. We went out to my house first as it was the closest to the Hall. We had managed to close the front door when it picked up again."Yeah," I dragged, removing my fur vest to dry by the not-yet-lit fire, "you're not leaving any time soon." He sat next the fireplace, removing his armor. "I think have some tunics that dad had made when he thought I was a boy. I'll be right back. I trust you know how to work a fireplace." He chuckled and I walked upstairs.I changed and found that box of tunics. Grabbing one, I headed back down. Asher had successfully lit the fire and was sitting in front of it."You can use my room to change. Just go up the stairs." He looked at me, tilting his head. "What?""Do you basically live here by yourself? Doesn't your dad live here?" He stood and shook the excess water from his hair."That's just a front. He lives in the house behind us. Said something about a girl needing her privacy." I shrugged, but froze up when Asher started to remove his shirt. "Whoa! Hang on!" I shielded my eyes. "I said you could change upstairs.""Hellen, we're basically engaged." I heard him chuckle and walk towards me. "You better get used to it." His hand grasped my arms and pulled them away. Yup, still shirtless. "You'll be living with it in about a year.""It's not that you're not, like, bad looking. It's just that you ignored what I said." I looked away from him. "You're the village prodigy. I heard that Mrs. Thorston tried to get your dad to break out contract. Apparently, she'll do anything to prevent a contract to be made with Snotlout or Fishlegs.""Okay, Snotlout, I understand. But Fishlegs' isn't that bad." I nodded, still looking away. "Hey, look at me." He turned my head to him. "You're not that bad looking yourself.""Stop." I chuckled, pushing at his chest. "Just get changed."----We sat by the fire waiting to get completely dry. Okay, so Asher kept his shirt off and I didn't complain. The storm still raged on, but we didn't care. We just talked about what would happen after the wedding next year. He'd move in here because it's the chief house and we'd share my room. An extension would need to be added to the house if whenever we have kids. Yeah, when. It is expected for me as the chief's wife to provide heirs."You know that's not all you have to be." Asher said, brushing his hands through my hair. I was confused. "You heard what Gobber said. You're a quick thinker. That's gotta be good for something.""Yeah, running away." I leaned against his shoulder. "Dad seems to think that's all I'm good at doing.""That's not all." His hand paused. "Hellen, I'm going to be your husband in a year. You need to get used to me giving you complements." His hand continued as I looked at him. "You know we can't keep hiding.""Dad would just make us get married quicker." I sighed. "It's not that I don't love you, I do. I'm just looking forward to the wedding night.""We should just elope." He laughed. "I know Bertha would love that.""She would, wouldn't she?" Staring into his eyes, I thought. "Kiss me."We leaned into each other. His lips brushed mine as he pulled me closer. We've kissed before, behind the Great Hall's steps just after a war win three months ago, my private workshop at the forge, and even the beach in plain view. But tonight was different...
...Until the front door slammed open.
We jumped away from each other to find Gobber standing there with a lantern, shock on his face."You will say nothing to my father." I said, a threatening tone sinking in. "Understood?" He nodded. "Good. Now, what did you need?""It's a soft spot in the storm." Gobber explained. "I want all of you sleeping the Great Hall, just in case." He went to leave but turned back. "But if you two want a little alone time...""We'll be there, Gobber." Asher said, standing and putting the on his shirt. He tucked the tunic I gave him in my bag. "Grab a change of clothes. We'll need to make another trip while it's still soft." Gobber left us to gather what we need. I went to grab what I needed, but Asher brought me back for another kiss. "I love you. Remember that.""You've never said that." I smiled, kissing him again."First time for everything."----Sleeping in the Great Hall wasn't so bad. Well, unless you slept alone like me. The other teens slept in a small pile near the back of the Hall, leaving me to sleep at the side.So, on a cot and in my own little corner, I dreamed about the Night Fury. There's so much we don't know.I'll ask Gobber tomorrow at training if he knows anything. "Hey Gobber, can I ask you a question?" The class was tackling a maze in the ring with a Deadly Nadder. Gobber and I sat up top again, chuckling at thier misfortune. "The Book of Dragons didn't have anything on Night Furies. Do we really know nothing?" The Nadder blasted, nearly hitting Snotlout. "Darn.""One moment." He gestured to me to wait. "Today is all about ATTACK! Nadders are quick and light on their feet! Your job is to be quicker and lighter! Remember what I said last night!" Asher hid behind a wall as the twins were caught in the dragon's path. "Look for its blind spot. Every dragon has one. Find it, hide in it, and strike!" The twins argued in its blindspot, only to getting fired at. "Blind spot? Yes. Deaf spot? Not so much.""So, has anyone tried to sneak up on a Night Fury?" I asked, trying to get him back to me."No one's ever met one and lived to tell the tale. Why?""Curious." I smiled, leaning against the chains.I watched as Snotlout tried to impress Asher, but failed miserably. Asher turned away and climbed the walls, hopping from one to another. The Nadder wasn't too far behind, knocking down the walls as it went."Start getting the gate ready. That Nadder's gonna flip when the final wall collapses." Gobber instructed as I dropped down again. "Stay hidden!"Following his words, I went along the walls to the Nadder's cage and grabbing a shield just in case. I was near the gate when someone called my name. Asher fell from the final wall and into me, knocking both of us to the ground. His axe got stuck in my shield, and we both did our best to dislodge it. Yeah, no luck..."Oooh! Love on the battlefield." Tuffnut joked."He could do better." Ruffnut replied.I pulled my arm out of the shield, and he threw it at the Nadder. Asher helped me up and pull the cage door open. The dragon ran in, hiding in the back corner. Shutting the door, he asked me a question I don't hear often."You okay?" I nodded. "Good.""Do you guys think this is some kind of joke?" Snotlout yelled, a first for him. "Our parents' war is about to become ours! You need to figure out where your true loyalties lie.""Snotlout," Gobber said, a little bit of disappointment in his voice, "Asher and Hiccup worked together to right an unforeseen action. They're not messing around. Being intune with someone other than yourself has its benefits in battle." He looked to me and Asher, who had started running a hand through my hair. "Go home. I'll see you all at dinner."The teens left and Asher said he was gonna stay with them. I didn't mind...----After training, I took a codfish to the cove where I last saw the Fury. I threw the fish into the cove, and waited for it to attack. When nothing happened, I figured it was safe to enter. Picking it up, I searched the cove. I thought it was empty until I heard a growl from behind me. There, sitting on a boulder, was the Night Fury.He approached me as I held out the fish, but growled with his eyes trained to my hip. My dagger, he was scared. I grabbed it, dropped it, and kicked it into the lake. He calmed down and sat, looking like a puppy. Holding out the fish to him, I noticed something."Huh. Toothless. I could've sworn you had..." His teeth came from nowhere and snatched the fish out of my hands. "...teeth." He nudged me with his nose, backing me into a rock. "Uh, uh, no, no, no. I-I don't have any more."Upon hearing my words, he started hacking. I thought he was choking, but no. He was just regurgitating half o the fish for me. I was generally confused, but then I saw his face. Aw hel, no! But he just kept nudging it towards my face. With me wanting his trust, I picked it up and took a bite.It was so bad! Raw fish is not good for a little human like me!I swallowed and held out the rest to him. He took it and ate it again. I smiled as he looked down at me, and he tried to mimic me. Holy offspring of lightning and death, my butt.He looked peaceful and easy to approach. So, I did what any curious child would do. I went to pet him. He snarled and ran away to the other side of the cove. He lit up a small patch of the ground and settled down before staring at some birds. I followed, wanting to study the missing tail fin. He noticed me and blocked me from view. Reaching for his tail, he lifted it and stared at me. I didn't want to get on his bad side, so I walked away.Dusk came and the dragon hadn't woken up just yet. Using a stick, I drew in the dirt. Simple pictures like a flower or a bird, but then I started studying the sleeping creature. As I moved onto my next one, I felt a breath next to me. The dragon was watching me draw him! He stood up on his hind legs and walked away. I didn't question it, I probably bored him.A crunching sound had me confused, so I turned around. He had ripped an entire sapling out of the ground. I should be more shocked, but he started drawing as well. Every so often, he would look over at me and continue drawing. I guess was trying to draw me. Wanting to explore the piece, I walked from my seat. The dragon growled as I stepped on one of the lines, but calmed down when I released my foot. Repeating the action made me chuckle until I decided to step over the line. This seemed to please him, so I continued this. Over and over, I stepped. It felt like a dance.Finally, I stopped. I found myself with my back to the dragon and his breath in my hair. I turned to face him, wanting to place my hand upon him. He growled when I tried, but I persisted.I turned my head away and held out my hand, waiting to see what would happen. I felt his warm, scaly texture underneath my palm. Turning back, he looked content pressed against my hand. I placed my head on top of my palm, just breathing in time.He left my hand and, then, left me.----"...And with one twist, he took my hand, and swallowed it whole. And I saw the look on his face: I was delicious. He must have passed the word, because it wasn't a month before another one of them took my leg." Gobber was telling a story I've heard a million times at dinner, up on a watch tower."Isn't it weird to think that your hand was inside a dragon? Like if your mind was still in control of it, you could have killed the dragon from the inside by... crushing his heart, or something." Fishlegs said, surprising me. He never talks about stuff like that."I swear, I'm so angry right now! I'll avenge your beautiful hand and your beautiful foot. I'll chop off the legs of every dragon I fight." Snotlout vowed. "With my face!" Well, it's be an improvment."Uh-uh. It's the wings and the tails you really want." Gobber informed ripping said parts of his chicken. "If it can't fly, it can't get away. A downed dragon is a dead dragon." I stared at my fish, cooking over the fire. The dragon had a missing tail fin. Did I doom him? "Alright. I'm off to bed. You should be, too. Tomorrow we get to the big boys. Slowly but surely making our way up to the Monstrous Nightmare. But who'll win the honor of killing it?"I ran down the stairs of the tower as the others discussed and then argued over Tuffnut's "birthmark."Gobber said he was turning in, so he wouldn't care if I borrowed the forge for a personal project. Taking out the drawing of....Let's call him, Toothless...I sketched back the tailfin. Yup, I'm making him a new one. I woke up early the next morning to bring Toothless breakfast as well as the new tail."Hey, Toothless!" I called. "I brought breakfast. I hope you're hungry." He ran over to me, nudging me happily. That's different from yesterday. Whatever. Knocking over the basket I brought, a pile fish poured out. "Okay, that's disgusting. Uh... we've got some salmon, some nice Icelandic cod, and a whole smoked eel." He flipped at the mention of the eel. I kicked it away. "No, no, no, no! It's okay. Yeah, I don't really like eel much either." I patted his head. "Sorry bud." I waited until he was done eating to show him my gift. "It's a new tail." I explained when he tilted his head. "Well, actually, it's a mock-up. I'm gonna get you flying again." He cooed, and lifted his tail to my face. "I feel guilty for what I did, even though I didn't really mean to do it." He cooed again. "You wanna try it on?"With the energy of an excited five-year-old, he let me put on the tail and tried to take off. The tail didn't hold for long and he crashed into the lake. Sopping wet, he came over to me."Sorry, I'll try again. Nothing is gonna stop me from getting you in the air again." He did not look amused and shook off the water, soaking me in the process."Thanks."----Training that day didn't go any better. The teens were tackling the Zippleback to work on teamwork. Which we knew would fail after yesterday's fiasco. I could feel Gobber's exasperation as we opened the gate to get the teens out. I rolled under the gate as it closed to keep the dragon from escaping. The smoke from its head had cleared, leaving me in clear view."Hiccup!" Asher yelled. "What are you doing?" I ignored him. "Hiccup!""Back! Back! Back! BACK! Now, don't you make me tell you again!" The Zippleback cowered in fear as I approached. "Yes, that's right! Back into your cage." I opened my vest to reveal the eel from earlier, and threw it into the cage. "Now think about what you've done." I shut the gate to see the group staring at me in shock. "Okay! So, are we done? Because I've got some things I need to, uh... Yep. I'll... see-see you tomorrow!"----Now, Toothless is gonna need some help to fly until I can figure out the mechanics to do so. So, for now, he's gonna have to let me ride him.I made a saddle, something that Toothless made me work for to get it on him. I swear it was like trying to dress a toddler.Tethering him to a tree stump, I used a rope to get the basic positions. I must have pulled to hard on one because we detached from the stump. Landing in a patch of grass, I was separated from him. I watched as Toothless rolled around in the grass. He was very happy. If the eel worked on the Zippleback, who's to say that this won't work on the Gronckle?----Training was done for the day, and Gobber and I were trying to wrangle the Gronckle back into it's cage. I had the "dragon-nip" in my hand. Coaxing the poor thing over to his cage, it sniffed my hand and fell to the ground. Well, enough for me to roll it back into the cage.
Again, the group looked at me before tackling me with questions and praise.
Gobber got me out of there, said something about me being needed in the forge, and basically saved my hide.----I designed myself a harness to keep me on him during flight. It helped during the next trial flight, but I can't hold the rope forever. So, I made a foot pedal to help out. This should work.
I saw Toothless again that afternoon, helping him scratch a hard-to-reach spot. He fell to the ground after I scratched his chin. It knocked him out? Did I hit a pressure point?----It was another Nadder day, but everyone hadn't shown up yet. Good, because I was about to do something stupid.I lured the Nadder out of her cage with some of the nip and she just sat in the front. Letting her keep sniffing the grass, I searched for her spot. When I found it and knocked her out, I grabbed a bucket of soap and water and cleaned her. From what I remember, Nadders are pretty vain creatures. So, this one may be upset with how she looks.I could feel her, basically, purr underneath the cloth. But, by the time I was finishing up, she was awake. She was enjoying her bath."Alright." I said, wringing the cloth. "You're done." The Nadder shook off the excess water and chirped at me. "If you're a good girl today, I'll give you another bath tonight. Okay?" She trilled and put her head to my chest. "Good girl. Back to your cage."Obeying my orders, she walked back and I closed the cage behind her. The Nadder was a good girl, she just wanted to be cared for.----I spent the time after training with Toothless, building some a little home away from home in the cove. I was starting to get tired as the day went on, so I went to go lay down on Toothless. But he was preoccupied with a sparkle on the ground. Tracing it back, I saw that it was just light reflecting off the hammer.Tilting the hammer, Toothless shot his head up as it moved around. He chased it around like a child to chasing a small dog, which I will admit being guilty of.Ladies and gentlemen, the scariest monster known to viking-kind.----
Asher caught me the next morning before I headed to the arena. We hid behind one of the houses because he greeted me with a kiss."And where have you been, my dear?" He said, tugging at my braid."Busy." I replied, tugging at his hand. "What about you?""Training. Everyone says I'm a shoo-in the kill the Nightmare." He tugged my braid again. "If that's true, I want you there in your best dress. I want to announce the engagement.""Asher," I was confused, "the whole village knows our families have a contract. It's not something worth announcing.""It is when I'm asking you personally." He held a necklace in between his hands. "Make it official?"I nodded and turned around. The necklace was a beautiful betrothal necklace, engraved with the crest of both of our families. I wasn't supposed to receive this until my birthday, but I feel like this is a love that could equal my parents."It's beautiful." I said, kissing his cheek and grabbing his hand. "Walk me?""Of course." We exited our hiding spot to meet the rest of the group. "Oh, hey guys.""Hey Asher." Snotlout said, ignoring me. "Have you heard what dragon we're facing today?""Not yet. Hiccup?" He turned to me. "What dragon are we facing?""Terrible Terror." I laughed. "Small thing, but one of the hardest to wrangle back into its cage. I got the scars to prove it.""When did they get so chummy?" I heard Snotlout ask."You told me those were forge accidents." Asher said as we walked off."Okay, some of them are." I rolled up my sleeves. "Small claws, large scars. They healed pretty quick though.""Any advice on tackling this one?""Why are you asking me?""I saw you with the Zippleback, the Gronckle, and the Nadder." I stopped walking. "What aren't you telling me?""I saw some dragons in the wild, and I observed them." Continuing to walk, I made up a story. "With my small structure they didn't notice me. The techniques I used was just stuff I observed." His thumb rubbed the back of my hand. "To tackle the Terror, reflect the sun off your shield. It likes shiny things."Asher took my advice to heart, and tricked the small dragon back into its cage during training, and with no other student challenging him, he would fight the Nightmare when the rest of the village returned.----"Toothless, it's just one more trial flight before we go untethered." I sighed, tying him to the stump again. "I need a cheat sheat to prevent us ffrom falling." He groaned and flopped on the ground. "Well, excuse me, Mr. Dramatic."----The flight went well until we were blown off again and the harness got stuck. I had to remove it from both of us to get it fixed.Promising Toothless I'd be back in the morning, I took the equipment back into town and dropped it off at the forge.Sadly, I wouldn't be able to get to it until late tonight. Snotlout's throwing a congratulatory party for Asher, and Asher had to tell me about it. Because, let's be honest, none of the others would. I can forgive Gobber, poor meathead's already losing his mind."Uh, who invited you?" Tuffnut said as I walked into the Great Hall."Uh, Asher." I shot back, pushing past them. I saw Asher speaking to Gobber and walked over. "Hey you two." To which, I got nods as they were deep in conversation. I patted on his shoulder to indicate I would be back, and walked over to grab a snack. Grabbing a plate, I gathered some goat cheese and fish to take back over. Yet, I was blocked by the terrible trio. "Can I help you?""Why are you here?" Snotlout sneered. "Last I checked, I didn't invite you.""You may not have," Asher said when he walked up, "but I did. It would be a shame that my betrothed didn't come to my party.""Oh please, that contract is just an inconvienence to you." Ruffnut tapped his shoulder and pointed to my neck. She must have seen my necklace. "What?""Excuse us." Asher led me away to the other side of the hall. "You okay?""I'm fine, but thanks." I ate what was on my plate. "When's the rest of the island returning?""Uh, tomorrow, I think." He scratched his head. "I lost count.""You know, I didn't tell my dad goodbye when he left." I sighed. "Why'd I do that?""I don't know. Maybe you were upset.""Maybe." The next day, Toothless and I soared high above the ocean."Let's try this....for real this time." I said, clicking the pedal into a new position. "We're gonna take this nice and slow. Here we go. Here we go... position three, no, four. Alright, it's go time. It's go time. Come on, buddy, come on, buddy!" My foot slipped and we crashed into a seastack. "Sorry!" Another Stack. "My fault!" He hit me with his ear. "Hey! I'm helping you fly.""Okay. Position four, uh, three." We backed upward, climbing higher and higher. "Yeah! Go baby! Yes! Oh, this is amazing! The wind in my..." My cheat sheet detached itself from the saddle. "....CHEAT SHEET!!! STOP!"Probably a poor choice of words because Toothless stopped his wings and I fell out of my seat. Stuck in freefall, both of us tried to get back to each other. I forgot about my cheat sheet to worry about Toothless. I was able to grab the saddle and pull myself on. Hoping I memorized the sheet enough, I popped the pedal. Both of us moved smoothly through the seastacks and fog until we made our way back into open ocean.I let out a cheer and Toothless....Toothless let out a fireball....which we flew into."Ah, come on!"----
We landed on a small, barren island afterwards to watch the sunset. My hair was charred in places, but it was nothing I couldn't pass off as a forge accident. Toothless had gathered us some fish for dinner and lit a fire."Uhh...Thanks, but I'm good." I chuckled as Toothless hacked up another fish for me.A group of Terrors came around and I pushed back against Toothless. He wrapped his tail around in me in protection. But the little ones didn't want any trouble, they just wanted the food. After a few cases of tug-o-war with the big one, one of them decided to stand up to Toothless. It was prepped for a blast, but Toothless fired a small one inside, making it have a gas rebound."Not so fireproof on the inside, huh?" I laughed, throwing one of the fish to them. "Here you go." They gobbled it up and went to lay at my side. With it curled up and felling asleep at my hip, I realized something. "Everything we know about you guys is wrong."----The search party came home while I was out, not that I cared anyway. So, I spent the rest of the day in my workshop and doodling the dragons. If there was a way for me to avoid my dad as long as possible, this was it. However, it did not work in my favor.Dad opened the door and came hulking in, scaring me and making me try and hide the sketches of Toothless' tail."Dad!" I said in surprise. "You're back! Uh, Gobber's not here, so....""I'm not here for him, Hellen." He said, taking a seat. "I came looking for you.""You did?""You've been keeping secrets." I didn't know what to say. "Just how long did you think you could keep it from me? Because nothing happens on this island without me hearing about it." He leaned towards me. "Let's talk dragons.""Oh gods." I scratched the back of my head. "Dad, I'm sorry. I was going to tell you. I just didn't know how----" He started laughing. "You're not upset?""What?! Hellen, I was hoping for this!" Are we even talking about the same thing? "And it only gets better! You're official engagement announcement to Asher, plus his first kill to prove his worth!" He said, excitement leaking into his words. "All those years of worrying about you being the weakest in the village! With things going so well, we finally have something to talk about." He scooted his seat forward as I moved back. "Oh, I... brought you something. You may not be the viking I hoped for, but your mother would want you to have this." He handed me a helmet. "Had it forged out of your mother's breast plate. Mine matches, a matching set.""Thanks dad." I hugged it to my chest. "I wish I knew her.""Me too." His stood and kissed my head. "Get some rest. Phlemga comes by at lunch to help you get ready."He left me alone with my thoughts.I was going to have to see Asher kill a dragon....I don't think I could bear it, especially after befriending Toothless.I made up my mind. Toothless and I leave.....

Tonight.

"Toothless!" I called into the cove, not paying attention to anything. "Come on, I wanna fit the cargo bags." I didn't hear his usually cheery chirp. "You hear bud?""Hellen?" A voice asked. "What are you doing?""ASHER!" I laughed awkwardly. "What uh---What are you doing here?""Calming down before tomorrow. What about you?""I'm, uh, I'm studying.""Studying some more dragons?" I stayed silent, but dropped my bags to the ground. "My dear, tell me what's wrong?""I don't think I can do it." He looked scared. "I don't think I could watch you kill a dragon.""What are you talking about?""Before I tell you, can you drop your ax?" He was confused, but followed me. Lifting my fingers to my mouth, I whistled. "Toothless! It's okay to come out.""Who are you talking too?" I pointed behind him. "What the?"Toothless stood behind him, a small snarl on his face. He was not happy."Hey, bud." I cooed, stroking his face. "It's okay. Asher's not gonna hurt me." Toothless nuzzled my face. "I know, I know. You're just worried for me." Asherplaced his hand on my back, earning a growl from Toothless. "Hey, shhhhh, shhhhh. He's not gonna hurt me."
"Hellen, who is this?" He asked."Asher, Toothless. Toothless, this is Asher. Please be nice."I stepped away and let Toothless sniff Asher to make sure he was safe for me. He growled and nuzzled Asher's chest. "He likes you." I smiled."So, this is your infamous study session?" He laughed as I nodded. "You taught her everything she knows? Thanks for that. If not for you, she'd be dead." Okay, slightly offended. "Were you going to leave?""I have to, Asher." I placed my hand back on Toothless' head. "I look to the dragons as family because of him, and if I have to watch you kill one, it's going to break me." Kissing his cheek, I motioned for Toothless to go on all fours. "You have two options; you can try and make me stay or come with me.""Hellen....You know I can't force you to do something you don't want.""Then, you need to let me go." I sighed and felt Toothless nudged me. "You know, you could always come with me." He looked unsure. "Asher, look at him. He's just trying to survive." Toothless cooed. "One flight, just one. If you want to come with me afterwards, you can." He still looked and unsure, but walked towards the saddle. "I'm driving this dragon, move back.""Pushy-pushy."I climbed on just before him."Okay, Toothless, gentle take-off." He listened, and out of the cove we went.----The sky was cloudless and star-scattered, the ocean was calm against the island of Berk, and there was no wind to bother us.  This was the perfect night to run away, but Asher just held on tight. He reminded me that I needed to return him to Berk when we were done."This is what I want to protect, Asher." I explained. "Dragons have shown me a whole new world, and I fell in love with it." I patted Toothless' side. "He's like a brother to me. I don't want his family to die.""Hiccup," he started, "tomorrow, you have to be at the ceremony. I'm..." His voice dropped to a whisper. "...I have to kill a Nightmare, and present the heart to you. What are you going to do if when I present it, you throw-up?""I don't know." I sighed. "If I stay, something's gotta be done.""Teach me. Teach me how to train a dragon. I'll take the fall for you.""Asher, I can't let you do that.""I love you, Hellen, and if I have to be banished to have you live happily with me and Toothless, than so be it."Before I could answer, Toothless tensed up. I tried to figure out what was wrong, but his ears just slapped me away. We fell into a downward dive, and into rhythm with other dragons."Get down." We looked around to see every dragon carrying something. "What are they doing?""It looks like they're hauling in their kill." Asher responded, pushing both of our bodies closer to Toothless. "Hiccup, we just found the nest."Toothless flew into a large mountain, entering a cavern in the process. There were dragons covering every wall, and even more were coming in and dropping what they had into a large hole."Good to know all of our stuff is being dropped down a hole." I said."They're not eating any of it." Asher gasped. "What are they feeding?""I think we're about to find out."A Gronckle flew in with just a small fish in it's mouth. It dropped the fish and proceeded to fly off. Sadly, it did not get too far. A large roared echo through the cavern and a large dragon, probably as big as the mountain we were in, popped it's head out and ate the Gronckle. The head of the creature turned and looked at us. Urging Toothless, we moved as fast as we could to get out with a mass of dragons. A Zippleback was eaten in our place.You will never win! I heard in my head. You will perish!----We flew back to Berk, our minds reeling with what we saw. Asher compared the Nest to a giant beehive. You've got your workers and then you have your queen."We need to tell your dad." Asher hopped of Toothless and started to run to the village. He looked back at me. "Come on.""Asher," I looked down at Toothless, "I said, one flight. I'm still leaving." His eyes asked me not to. "I have too. If I have to watch you kill that Nightmare, it'll be like watching you kill Toothless." I dismounted and walked to him. "I love you, Asher. I had no idea things would come to this. Besides, my dad would never listen if I said I couldn't accept the heart. He'd never understand.""Then, let me do it." I looked at him, shocked. "Let me be the one to break the mold. Tomorrow, at the arena, I will train the Nightmare in front of the village. Just teach me what to do.""I won't let you do that.""And I can't let you leave!" He held my face between his hands. "Hellen, look at me. I would give up everything, and I mean everything, if it means I don't lose you." I sighed and took his hands into mine. "Please. Stay.""Okay." I sighed. "Okay, for one more day, I'll stay. But if you wanna train that Nightmare, you're gonna need to know the basics." The next day, at lunch, Phlemga arrived with my best dress as I heated the bath water over the fire. She braided my hair into various strands before gathering the mess into one large braid."This dress was your mother's." She said, getting me in it. "She wore it the day she met your father."That's right. Mom came from another tribe. The marriage was arranged for peace, but both of them just fell in love.Thankfully, it wouldn't be ruined. According to tradition, there is just enough time for me to change between Asher entering the ring and the presenting. I brought a change of clothes there last night and hid them in the wall."She'd want you to wear it." She said as I started to tear up. "No crying now. You need to look your best." She saw my necklace sitting among the jewelry. "Who--?" Her eyes widened as she saw the crest. "By the gods! Congratulations!""Thank you, Phlemga. He wants to announce it at the ceremony." I laughed. "So, let's keep it a secret until then."With a nod from her, I threw on a cloak and walked to the arena. I met my father at the stage. Only he and I were allowed to sit there."You look just like your mother." He said when he saw me. We both took a seat as the village started to gather. "Now, when Asher enters the ring, he will announce that he does this in honor of you. You will remove your cloak and set it on the chair. Then, you will head down to the gate. You will wait there until he kills the dragon. Understood?""Yes dad." I responded, mind reeling.I hope this works.----The time had come, and Asher was let into the ring."Today," my father started, "one young boy becomes a Viking of Berk. With great honor, he will slay his first dragon. Are there any words you would like to say?""Today," Asher said as if he had rehearsed, "I kill this dragon in honor of the heir of Berk, my betrothed, Hellen Horrendous Haddock. My dear," he bowed to me causing me to giggle, "I do this for you.""I accept this honor." I replied as I stood and removed the cloak."Let the battle commence!" My father commanded as I left for the gate.I'm going to be honest. I ran down to the gate as they let the Nightmare out. With everyone occupied, I would be good to change with no peeping tom to bother me. I practically ripped my clothes out of my hiding hole while kicking off my shoes.The sleeves of my dress went first as my tunic went over my head. With my shirt on, I threw my pants under the skirt. Now that everything was in place, I removed the dress and folded it into the hole.The cheers stopped. Asher must have started the plan. I opened the gate as the Nightmare calmed down."It's okay." I heard him. "I'm not gonna hurt you." The clangs of his helmet and weapon hitting the floor echoed. "I'm not one of them.""Neither am I!" I announced stepping the ring. Everyone was shocked at my quick change."Hellen!" My father yelled. "What are you doing?""We discovered something all of you should see." Asher took my hand. "This war can come to an end.""Get them out of there." I heard my dad say."No, you need to see this." I yelled, reaching out my hand. The Nightmare sniffed it. "It's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you." The Nightmare got closer. "That's it.""I said, GET THEM OUT!" My fater brought a hammer down onto the chains of the cage, scaring the Nightmare.He nearly snapped my hand off in defense of the action. Asher pulled me away to keep me safe."We need to move," Asher tugged me to the gate, "now!""He's just scared!" I tried to reason. "He needs to know everything's okay!""You can't do that while he's mad! You'll have to wait."A familiar screech entered my ears."No." I breathed. "He shouldn't be able get out of the cove without me.""NIGHT FURY!" Spitelout shouted as Toothless blasted the cage.Toothless dropped down and started to fight the Nightmare. Blast after the blast kept me rooted to the spot. Now, against my better judgement, I ran and hopped on the back of Toothless."What are you doing?!" Asher yelled."Get on!" I yelled back. "We're getting out. NOW!" He obeyed and hopped on behind me. "Alright, Toothless, let's get out of here." He launched up into the air."Hiccup! Asher!" My dad yelled entering the ring. "Get off of that dragon, right now!""Sorry dad, but this isn't something I want to leave behind." I looked proud on top of Toothless. "You can either listen to what I have to say or you can lose us.""There is nothing I want to listen to while you are on that dragon!""Fine!" I patted Toothless. "Cove now!"We flew out of the ring and to the Cove, where my bags from yesterday stayed and Asher added his this morning."Any idea on where you're planning on flying us?" Asher asked as we loaded Toothless."From what I remember, dad has a trading port that's been abandoned for nearly a decade." I pulled a map from one of the bags. "He's ignored this place for so long that we can spend at least a year here, get everything together, and maybe start own tribe?""How are we supposed to do that?""You remember Cami, right?" He nodded as we climbed on. "We've been talking and their tribe is getting to big for their island. They've been wanting to make a separate tribe for a while.""Hic, they're dragon killers. How are we gonna convince them?""I'll write to her once we get there." Toothless shot into the air, and there goes Berk. "Now, it's about a day trip by dragon to get there. So, we'll be stopping from time time to let my boy rest.""But I'm not tired." Asher joked."You're my fiancee. Toothless is my boy."----After multiple stops and meals, we landed on the old trading post island. It was overgrown, but salvageable. The old storage houses were still in good shape, they just needed a touch up."It's not much." I said, as we looked around. "But it'll do.""It's a perfect place, Hiccup." A small Terror landed in front of us. "Look, our first guest.""Well, as good as that may be, I'm gonna see if I can find a boat. I need to make a visit to Cami and her mom." Toothless made a noise. "What's up, bud?""Hiccup?" A storm cloud gathered above the island. "We should get inside.""The big house. It's usually re-enforced." Running into the store house, the Terror followed us in. "You scared too?" They curled into my chest. "Hey, it's okay. It'll pass.""You're good with him." Asher said as we sat in the middle of the empty house. "Think about how you'll be with kids.""It's a bit early, young man." Toothless looked jealous. "Oh, don't worry, you're still my favorite."
The storm raged on as the four of us curled up in the shack. Asher and I studying the Terror, and have a lot of fun.The Terror is one of the most playful species among all the dragons. Much like a small puppy, they love being around the parental figure of the group, meaning he wouldn't leave me alone. So, I just let him sleep on my chest."I see someone's still jealous." Asher laughed as I started to pass out. "Don't worry, Toothless. No one's taking her away."Chuckling, I curled into both of them and let the sound of the rain lull me to sleep.Tomorrow, we would need to refurnish the store house to be livable and scout the island for. The old farming grounds were up north, so I need to see if any seeds were left behind or if it's overgrown.This is our life...Well, at least until we're confident enough to return home.----The next day was clear, no storm cloud as far as the eye could see.Toothless flew Asher and I up to the old grounds. As I suspected, the grounds are overgrown. With a little trim and weeding, we'll be able to start growing food again. From what I guess, it'll take us at least two weeks to do so.Yeah, fish for the next few weeks. Unless the Bog-Burglars give us food as tribute.There was an old shipping boat. It was in good shape, not a lot of damage from years of isolation, and stable enough for Toothless to pull it and hide in."Asher," I said, putting on my harness, "Toothless and I are heading out to the Bogs. Hopefully, things go well.""Stay safe." He kissed my cheek. "Keep on her, okay Toothless?" He made a sound of agreement. "Good. Anyway, I'm gonna work on the farm grounds. Try and fix 'em up. Hopefully, we can replant some stuff when you get back."With a smile and a laugh, we left with Toothless tugging the boat. From time to time, we relaxed when the wind was nice to allow him to rest."You know, Toothless....This is the start of a whole new world."