A/N: This One Shot is part of my Hogwarts Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragon series which can be found in my profile. Please read Years 1-4 before this, as this is only meant to link the movies to my other fanfiction. Like my previous One Shot, this follows the film very closely but with my own spin on it.
How to Train Your Dragon belongs to DreamWorks and Cressida Cowell. Rise of the Guardians and Guardians of Childhood belong to DreamWorks and William Joyce.
The Moon shown down on the Barbaric Archipeligo as a Night Fury flew over. Tzar Manny Lunar Lunanoff looked down on the world. It was odd to be so far away, he thought to himself.
For the past few decades, the Man in the Moon lived on earth, passing himself off as a normal wizard. But a few months ago, events transpired that made Manny rethink his strategy. Things on the earth were stirring. At first, he thought they needed his presence on earth to help calm things down, but now he could see that his place was that of a silent observer, a director. He needed to be there to guide the Guardians to where the humans needed them most. And, he needed to be there to seek out new Guardians. That was why he was now focused on the tiny Island of Berk.
For the most part, the island was quite ordinary, at least in terms of the Isles of the Barbaric Archipelago. A fairly quiet place, except for the huge Vikings and dragons. But what really drew Manny's eye to this island was not one of the big things, but one of the smallest. For on this island lived a small boy named Hiccup.
To look at him, the boy was nothing remarkable. With all the other creatures to see on Berk, it would be easy to miss the one small boy, running with a cart to the cliff. And yet, he held the Man in the Moon's attention.
Manny knew that this one was no ordinary boy. He'd seen the fifteen-year-old in action last Easter. He knew that a keen mind and a good heart lay under the boy's lackluster appearance. The only question left was if the boy's heart was pure enough to become a Guardian.
As Manny watched, the boy looked to the sky. For a moment, Manny could have sworn the boy was staring up at him, but no. The kid wasn't looking that far into the night sky. He was focused on events much closer to earth. He pulled back the lever on his machine, letting loose a weighted rope. Manny watched as it took down the dragon. Hm, perhaps the boy wasn't quite Guardian material. Manny didn't need to watch the rest of Berk get destroyed as a Monstrous Nightmare chased the boy.
No one who would kill a dragon, simply for the sake of killing a dragon, was fit to be a Guardian of Childhood.
Manny checked in on the other children who had proven themselves as possible Guardians. The boy Jack Frost showed the most promise. Manny sent some moonbeams down to Burgess to keep the children free from nightmares as they slept in their cottages. They didn't have dragon attacks to wake them in the early hours of the morn.
Somewhat farther away, the Scottish princess was groggily getting up as her mother opened the curtains to the first rays of sunlight. She might make a fine Guardian as well, despite being a bit reckless. And then there was the Princess Rapunzel. Manny wasn't sure about her. He knew her plight, of course. He'd been watching the day she was kidnapped as a baby. He knew her true power. But as much as his job was to protect the children of the world, it was not his job to interfere with mortal affairs. That was why he acted through the Guardians.
That was why the Guardians Manny picked needed to be selfless and powerful. After Manny was assured that the other candidates for Guardianhood were still safe from Pitch's nightmares, he turned back to the Village of Berk.
Hiccup stood before the dragon he downed. A beautiful black creature. The boy held a dagger, ready to stab the Night Fury. Manny almost turned away, he didn't want to see something so majestic be killed. But the boy hesitated, and so Manny watched.
Slowly, the teen's arms lowered. The moon smiled down on him. This boy was no killer. Even more so, he bent down to free the beast! Maybe he was cut out to be a Guardian.
The Night Fury leapt on the boy. Manny sent an invisible moonbeam down to protect the child but it wasn't needed. The dragon only roared at the boy before he turned and fled.
The moonbeam stayed as the boy fainted from the shock, Manny didn't want to draw Pitch Black's attention with the fear. Thinking of the Boogeyman, where was he?
Manny searched the world over, looking for signs of the darkness. In several places, his moonbeams were blocked by clouds. There could be no doubt that Pitch was behind them, but with the black clouds covering several hundreds of miles, Manny found it impossible to pinpoint his nemesis' location. After nearly a day of searching and coming up with nothing but dead ends, he turned back to the children.
The good news? Pitch Black was nowhere near any of them. Again, the boy Hiccup caught Manny's eye. He was observing the dragon. Not hunting it, but studying it. Suddenly Hiccup dropped his charcoal pen. The dragon looked up. Manny did not interfere as they stared at each other. After a moment, Hiccup cast the summoning spell on his pen. As he waited for it to levitate up, clouds moved in, blocking the island from the Moon's view.
Was this just an ordinary rain storm, or were these dark clouds Pitch's? Manny sent a moonbeam down to chase the clouds away. By the time the storm cleared, Hiccup was inside, shielded from the Moon's eyes.
Rather than watching the town for the boy, Manny chose to watch the dragon. The black reptile stayed in the cove. Manny wasn't quite sure why he didn't simply fly away. Perhaps the dragon sensed something special about the boy, too. Or maybe he couldn't fly. Manny was not an expert in animals, he did not understand their ways.
The next time the boy came in contact with the dragon, Manny watched. The boy was curious, and trusting, as he approached the fearsome beast. The boy kept coming closer and closer to the dragon, testing his chances, until finally, the boy stood directly under the beast. He looked away as he put out his hand, and to Manny's surprise, the dragon leaned into the touch.
For the most part, Vikings slept during the night, which meant Manny couldn't see most of what happened on the island. But whenever the boy and the moon were out at the same time, Manny looked down on him. He watched as the boy sat with the other children of Berk, and he watched as the boy worked in the forge. Though Manny had many telescopes, he could not decipher what the strange leather creation was. At least not until he saw the dragon the next night. The boy had made for him a new tail.
Manny contemplated that. Does fixing the beast's tail qualify him for Guardianship? Or did the fact that the boy injured this one discount his bravery. After all, many people sought to fix past mistakes, but that did not make them all Guardians. Manny decided to reserve judgment. He would let the boy make the next move.
The next move Hiccup made was to build a saddle. Manny watched as the kid did all the leather work himself. If the Guardian thing didn't turn out, Hiccup might make an excellent leather smith.
Days passed as Hiccup and the dragon grew closer. Manny couldn't see much of what was happening between them, seeing as most of it happened during the day. But when he sent his moon beams down to check on the isle of Berk he could feel how the culture was changing. The moonbeams whispered Hiccup's name, and the people responded with awe. Once or twice Manny got the chance to observe Berk on his own, when the moon was in the sky during the day. What he saw was amazing. The boy was helping the other dragons. Whenever a dragon was let loose, Hiccup would convince it to leave or fall over before the other Vikings could go for the kill.
Of course, since training happened during the day, Manny couldn't watch most of it. He did notice that one night, Hiccup waited with the dragon outside longer than normal. The boy snuck the dragon back to Berk that night, attempting to undo some kind of harness.
The Moon was so intent upon the boy, he failed to notice the Viking girl until it was too late. Sound was not particularly good on the moon, Manny could not hear their conversation, but the boy seemed to escape her prying eyes.
The next day, the Moon was happy to be shining during the day. He watched as the boy climbed onto his dragon and, together, they leapt off the cliff. The Moon knew there was at least one other dragon rider, a strange woman named Valka who lived more to the north, and another man, Drago. But neither of them rode a dragon with an artificial tail.
Suddenly, the boy slipped off the dragon's back. He started to crash down to earth. Manny sighed. The boy, though impressive, had yet to prove himself. Without possessing a relic from the golden age like North and Katherine, the boy was completely mortal. It was always sad to lose such a promising candidate.
Fortunately, at the last second, the boy caught hold of his dragon, and successfully sailed past the standing rocks of Berk.
The Moon did not see much else. In fact, the next time he saw the boy, a girl was with him. The Moon may have paid more attention to their romantic flight, but he noticed the northern lights; North was calling a meeting.
Reluctantly, the Moon turned from the boy, his dragon and girl, to observe the North Pole. Since it was Guardian headquarters, he could always communicate using the magic crystal mirror that connected the two worlds.
Manny joined the Guardians as they discussed ideas for dealing with Pitch. They felt the need to unite people, and what better way than a friendly competition. North and Ombric conferred for a long time, setting up the rules and requirements. They would host the Triwizard tournament.
Once the details were set, Manny turned back to Hiccup and the girl. Manny couldn't hear what they were saying, but the girl punched Hiccup, then kissed him. Manny simply shook his head; having never associated with other people until the Guardians, he didn't really understand relationships.
Manny watched as the teens split up, the girl retreating into the woods. Slowly the moon sank beneath the horizon. Manny checked on the rest of the world as he waited to be over Berk again. Children had nightmares almost every night now. Sandy worked overtime to quell them, but as soon as he left, the dreams turned back into nightmares.
Worse than that, Manny could sense a stirring on an island in the middle of the sea. Dark creatures were being created there. Manny didn't know if Pitch was behind them or some other evil, but it did not bode well for the mortal world.
After a day of waiting, the moon finally shown down on Berk again, and what a sight it was. The day before, the town was enthusiastic to see Hiccup kill a dragon. Now, all the adults were gone. What happened during the day?
Manny focused on Hiccup. The boy was in the arena. He led a dragon out, straight towards his human friends. Manny watched in awe as the toughest looking boy touched the dragon's snout. This could be it. Inspiring trust in others. That just might qualify the boy for Guardianhood, especially if he did something heroic with it.
The children mounted their dragons and set off.
It took Manny quite a while to find the adults. They were farther from their island than he expected. And the island they were on was covered in smoke from a gigantic dragon.
Manny had seen large dragons before, but they rarely interacted with humans. This dragon, a red monster that radiated with death, let loose his flames, attacking the Vikings. As they scrambled to avoid him, Hiccup's friends flew to the rescue.
Mostly, they just confused the beast. Manny focused on Hiccup. The boy was not going after the large dragon, he was attending to his smaller friend. As Manny watched, the imprisoned dragon plunged into the water, taking the boy with him. Manny watched, a moonbeam at the ready. He could pull the boy out... but did he deserve it? Certainly the boy was brave and kind. But so were many mortals, and not all of them could, or should, be rescued from death by celestial beings. That was why only those who gave something to the world were deserving of immortality.
Before Manny could make up his mind on whether or not to save the drowning child, the boy's father jumped into the water. He pulled both the boy and his dragon out. Manny smiled down as the boy charged into the fray on the back of his dragon.
Hiccup got the others out of the way before taking on the monster alone, well, with his dragon. They flew higher into the night sky, leading the beast up. Manny could imagine how hot the earth must feel.
Fire filled the air, but Hiccup flew deftly through it, making sharp turns on his own dragon. He and the black dragon moved in perfect sync. Clouds started to cover the fight, preventing the lower Vikings from seeing what was going on. These were Pitch Black's clouds, but the boy was using them to his advantage. He disappeared into the smoke and clouds. The big dragon hung around, searching.
Suddenly there was a flash of light. Hiccup and his dragon shot at the big dragon, catching his attention. As the big dragon's breath filled with gas, Hiccup turned, firing a last shot. With a bang, the dragon exploded.
The boy and his dragon flew up, trying to escape the explosion. The big dragon's tail came out of nowhere, knocking the boy off his dragon, down into the fire. The black dragon dived after him.
There was no question now. The boy was qualified to be a Guardian. He'd inspired loyalty and trust in his village and in his dragon. If only Manny could send a relic down to infuse the boy with life before it was too late and his spirit moved on to Valhalla.
As Manny frantically searched for any relic that a moonbeam could carry down to the boy in time, he noticed the Vikings cheering.
Manny sent his moonbeam down to report.
The moonbeam came back, the boy lost a leg, but not his life. He was alive. The dragon's loyalty saved his life. The boy would make a good Guardian. But as he was not dead, Manny decided to hold off sending a relic. There would be time for that later, when the boy took the Oath of the Guardians, if he wanted to be one.
Manny smiled and turned away from Berk, off to observe other potential Guardians, and other potential threats, leaving the Vikings of Berk to rebuild and train their dragons in peace.
A/N: See you all in Year Five: The Big Four and the Tournament of Fear here: (h) (t) (t) (p) (s) (:) / / www . fanfiction (.net)/ s/11838660/1/The-Big-Four-and-the-Tournament-of-Fear (delete spaces and parentheses)