Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD

Worse Laid Plans

Chapter One

On a warm – well, as warm as it ever got in the archipelago – summer day, the island of Berk was filled with sunning dragons and busy humans. Most of the to-ing and fro-ing was taking place at the docks. Merchants and traders had arrived to sell their wares; the Berkians traded Gronckle iron and trinkets made from shed dragon-scales for furs and other assorted goods.

This year was different from the previous, however. All of the ships were being searched and the merchants questioned, looking for signs of unwitting treachery. Needless to say, they weren't too pleased about the intrusion. "Is all this really necessary?" Johann complained, as the twins investigated…some might say ransacked…his possessions. Granted, it may have looked like they were piled haphazardly in the first place, but there was a method to the madness! He knew where everything was, and now it was all a mess!

"We can't be too careful" Hiccup insisted, as he and Toothless came in for a landing on the docks. "And quite frankly, Johann, given your past history…"

Johann suddenly looked nervous, wringing his hands together. "Err, past history, master Hiccup?" he repeated nervously.

Toothless-Hiccup gave him a withering you know what we mean stare. Johann cleared his throat awkwardly. "Oh, uh, yes. That past history." (1)

"What past history?" asked Helena, who was sitting on the saddle in front of her father. He dismounted and lifted her down onto the deck as she questioned, "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing, sweetheart. Grown up things" Hiccup said hastily. Helena squinted suspiciously at him.

"Well if it isn't the prettiest little girl on Berk!" Johann smirked, quickly changing the subject. Helena beamed at him. "You know, I have the perfect toy for you around here somewhere. If I can just find it…blast it, why can't those two put things back where they came from?" he muttered as he rummaged around.

At that moment, Ruff and Tuff emerged from below deck, hauling a smaller figure between them. "Hiccup! Look what we found. A stowaway! What's your deal, huh, trespasser?" Tuffnut demanded of the dark brown haired boy, who couldn't have been much older than thirteen.

"I'm not a stowaway!" the boy protested, struggling. "Trader Johann, help me!"

Johann scowled at the twins. "Would you two please let go of him? I'll thank you not to manhandle my cabin boy. Are you alright, master Klaus?"

"I'm fine" Klaus answered, moving well away from the twins.

Hiccup wasn't too pleased with them either. "Okay, that's it. You guys were just supposed to search the ship for anything suspicious" he reprimanded the pair.

"Uh, and a scruffy boy hiding below deck isn't suspicious?" Ruffnut scoffed.

"I was not hiding. And I'm not scruffy!" the teenage boy protested, indignant.

"Alright!" Hiccup cut in quickly. "Ruff, Tuff, is there anything on board that could harm us or the dragons?"

"Nope. No blue oleander, no grimora, no dragon root, no crates full of bones."

"Good. I think you've done enough. Leave, please. Now." He glared at them until they got the hint and went off to find wherever Barf&Belch had gotten to. Hiccup turned back to Klaus, who eyed him warily, and offered a conciliatory handshake. "Sorry about them. Nice to meet you, Klaus. Welcome to Berk."

The boy looked at his outstretched hand as if it might be holding a spider, and then gingerly shook it. "Name's Hiccup, this is Toothless" he introduced himself. Klaus' eyes widened at the sight of the dragon; he took a step backwards in alarm, and swiped his fingers over his chest in a cross, mouthing something. "That's…that's a…"

"Don't be scared" Hiccup said reassuringly, or so he hoped, "He won't hurt you."

"Daddy, look!" he heard Helena say happily. Hiccup looked around for her, and when he saw her his heart nearly stopped. She was waving around a small hatchet. "Just like mummy!"

"No! No, no, no, no, no" Hiccup cried, rushing over and pulling the hatchet out of her grasp, holding it out of arms reach. "Helena, this isn't a toy. You mustn't ever play with weapons like this" he said sternly. She pouted. "Oh, please don't look at me like that. It's for your own good, Helena. I don't want you to hurt yourself. You might cut your fingers off by mistake, and take it from me, losing bits of yourself isn't fun. Are all your fingers still there? Let me count them."

"I wanna count 'em!" she insisted, making two fists and holding her fingers up one at a time. "One, two, three…four…uh, five…um…"

"Six" Hiccup prompted.

"Daddy!" she squealed reproachfully. "Six…um…seven….uh…eight…nine, ten!"

"Yes! Well done, Helena. That's my clever girl!" Hiccup cheered, hugging her.

Behind him, he heard Johann clear his throat. "And a clever girl like you deserves a nice toy. Tada!" He held out a polished wooden stick, with a Spike-Tail's head carved at one end, and a pair of stiff cloth wings painted blue with yellow splotches halfway down. "It's called a hobby horse – uh, dragon, rather. You put your leg over it and pretend you're riding your very own Nadder" he explained, before adding "They usually have horses heads on them. You should have seen the look on the woodcarvers face when I asked for a dragon!" (2)

"I can imagine. Look, Helena, it looks like a Spike-Tail! That's a much better way to be like mummy" Hiccup said encouragingly. "What do you say to Johann?"

"Thank you" she said dutifully, taking the toy and trotting over to show it off to Toothless. He sniffed at it politely and nuzzled her, licking her cheek and making her giggle. Klaus watched with an open mouth, amazed to see the little girl petting the dragon as if he were a dog.

Hiccup smiled, then turned back to Johann. "Thanks for that. But listen, maybe next time you could make sure that there aren't weapons in reach of children?" he suggested with a pointed stare.

"Oh! I am so, so sorry Hiccup. Klaus, I thought I told you to put those away?" Johann scolded his cabin boy – since when did he have a cabin boy? – with a disapproving frown.

Klaus wasn't listening though. He stared at Hiccup and exclaimed "It's you! You're Hiccup Haddock, the Dragon Whisperer!"

"Ah. I'm guessing Johann told you about me. Good things, I hope?"

The boy shrugged. "Unbelievable things. I least I thought they were, but…" he trailed off and eyed Toothless, before finishing, "now I'm not so sure."

"I am sorry about the hatchet being in Helena's reach. I assure you, it won't happen again" Johann insisted. "I mean, I didn't think she'd go near it…"

"She is Astrid's daughter, too."

"Speaking of Chief Astrid, is she well? I don't suppose she might drop by?"

"Astrid's fine, thanks for asking. She might come and say hello before she leaves; she's going to the Shivering Shores for the treaty signing" said Hiccup.

Klaus gave them both strange looks. "Your village leader is a woman?" he asked with a dubious frown. "Women can't lead" he protested.

"Says who?"

"Says God. Father Oliver says it's in the Bible."

Before Hiccup could protest, he realised there were more people trying to get on board Johann's ship to trade. "Well, anyway, we'll get out of your way. Nice seeing you again, Johann. Come on, Helena."

Helena quickly got the hang of her new toy, and went 'flying' up and down the docks, shouting "Whee! Faster!" Everyone stepped aside as the rambunctious little five year old barrelled past them. Toothless and Hiccup simply took to the air and cornered her at the bottom of the slope. She was barely even out of breath; wind and sky, she had a lot of energy.

She beamed happily at them, standing astride her 'Spike-Tail'. "You like your new toy, then?" Hiccup asked with a grin of his own.

"Yes!"

They both looked up at the sound of wingbeats, and Helena's little face lit up. "Mummy! Mummy, look!" she squealed, running over and jumping up down, the Spike-Tail head on a stick bouncing with her. It looked funny, and Hiccup had to bite back a laugh as he walked up behind her.

Stormfly and Selena landed; Astrid dismounted, and then Ebony jumped down from Selena's back. The hatchling was a year old, and the size of a small dog; she could already walk and run on her own, and small fangs were starting to bud through her gums. She took one look at Helena's toy and whined fearfully, instinctively hunching down and snarling.

"Bunny?" Helena asked worriedly, pouting. "What's wrong?"

Her parents quickly realised what the problem was. "I think your toy upset her a bit" Hiccup explained. "I think she thinks that, uh, it's a real…" he trailed off, not sure if he should say 'a real dragon's head on a stick'. Helena filled in the gap herself and giggled. "Silly Bunny! It's not real, it's a toy! See?"

Stormfly, who had been tipping her head to the side to get a better look at the hobby dragon, squawked indignantly. *Is that supposed to be me?*

"Where did you get that from, darling?" inquired Astrid.

"I got it from Mister Johann" Helena told her. Ebony's curiosity had gotten the better of her, and she was now sniffing the toy. Satisfied that it was just an oddly shaped bit of wood, she opened her jaws and tried to bite the stick. "No! No chewing" Helena scolded, pulling it away.

Ebony whined. "Here, Bunny, chew on this" Hiccup offered, picking up a nearby stick. The little hatchling's ear-flaps perked up, and she crooned grateful, taking the stick and settling down to gnaw on it happily.

Astrid turned to her husband and asked, "What did you give Johann for it?"

His eyes briefly widened and then shut as he mentally berated himself. "Oh! I forgot. That's my bad. I'll make it up to him. But err, he asked if you were gonna say hello – or goodbye, I suppose - before you left."

"I will; I came down to buy an offering – I mean, gift for the Chief of the Shivering Shores" Astrid explained.

Helena suddenly giggled, grinned mischievously and asked, "What's his name?"

"You know his name."

"What's his naaaame?"

Astrid sighed. "Old Bogey" she replied. Helena shrieked with laughter.

The chief and her husband made their way to Johann's ship, daughter and dragons tagging along behind. Johann was pleased to see Astrid; when they got there, he was engaged in an animated conversation with Skulder. "Ah, Chief Astrid! The most beautiful chieftain in the archipelago. I assume you're here to peruse my wares in search of a peace offering for our old friend Chief Baugi? I have a very nice collection of hatchets" Johann rambled.

"Thank you, Johann, but I think we've given that man enough weapons as it is. I'll just have a look around" said Astrid, jumping down onto the deck.

"Of course, be my guest. And shame on you, Hiccup, for not telling me Skulder was here!" Johann mock-scolded, clapping his fellow traveller on the shoulder.

"Sorry. And uh, I didn't realise I'd forgotten to pay you for Helena's toy…"

Johann waved a dismissive hand. "Oh, don't worry about that. Consider it an, erm, early birthday present. Since I won't be here on the day in question."

"Oh. Wow, thanks Johann. That's really generous of you."

"Quite! Uh, just to be clear, it's only Helena's gift that's free" Johann added.

"Of course."

Skulder gave a sigh and remarked, "I wish I had something to trade…well, I do, but I just can't bring myself to give them away. Oh, but don't mind this old man's nostalgia. I don't really need anything, anyway."

Hiccup suggested, "You could always trade one of my dad's wooden carvings. He's got loads of them. Mom says he's all but filled their bedroom with the things. He's always liked whittling, but ever since he retired he's been…kind of obsessive about it. But don't tell him I said that."

"Babe, you are the last person who should be complaining about someone obsessing over a hobby" Astrid reminded him as she came back ashore, a bottle of wine in her hand. "Let your dad have his fun. Johann? What will you take for this?" she asked, brandishing the bottle of wine.

"Ah, now that is one of the finest of wines! Why, there's a fascinating story behind that bottle; it all started on the shores of Normandy in a quaint little fishing village called…" And on he went, oblivious to the fact that nobody was really listening. Astrid tuned him out and went over to Stormfly, rummaging through her saddlebags and pulled something out.

"How about this?" she suggested, holding out a necklace of turquoise and amethyst scales and small fangs. "I made it myself; Thunder, Rain and Lightning were shedding" she said by way of explanation.

"That will be perfect, Chief" Johann nodded, taking the necklace from her. "Oh, but since we're trading anyway – Klaus? Can you fetch the flask of pure squid ink for master Hiccup, please?"

"Aye, sir!" The boy scurried off, and soon returned with a bone flask. Hiccup took it from him and dropped four gold coins into his hand. Klaus looked at them in amazement, wondering what the man had done to be so wealthy.

"That better not be from our reserves" Astrid said warningly, seeing how much he was paying with.

Hiccup shook his head and replied, "No, it's from my share of Eret's last haul. I'm glad he's going to be coming up soon, I'm running low."

"Alright. I'd better get going, I'm gonna be late. D'you think you can keep Berk in one piece until I get back?"

"Well, I can promise to try."

"It's only four days, I'm sure you'll live. Helena? Mummy has to go now, darling" said Astrid, crouching down to hug her daughter, who pouted.

"I wanna come!"

"Sorry, sweetheart. You'd just be bored." Astrid hugged her tightly, peppering her face with kisses. "I love you soooo much! And I love you…"

She straightened up and pulled Hiccup into a kiss. Helena covered her eyes and stuck her tongue out. When they broke apart, Astrid winked at her husband, and then swung herself into the saddle. "I miss you guys already. See you in four days! Let's go, Stormfly" she urged. Stormfly rattled her spikes eagerly and took to the air, wheeling about and heading due east.

"Where's Astrid going?" a passing villager demanded of Hiccup.

"To the Shivering Shores…y'know, for the treaty signing? It's sort of an annual thing…" Hiccup would never understand how Berkians could recall family feuds from before he was even born, but not remember things that happened every year. Or even every week; Gobber, for instance, had a habit of 'forgetting' about Laugurdagur – or rather, what happened on Laugurdagur. (3)

"Does that mean you're acting Chief?"

"Err...hey, Klaus! How'd you like a personal tour of Berk?"

The teen hesitated. "Um, I don't think…I'm very busy helping Trader Johann…"

"Nonsense!" the ageing trader exclaimed with oblivious cheer, "I can manage, master Klaus. You should go and enjoy yourself!"

"B-but the dragons…"

"They won't bother you, especially if Toothless and I are there" Hiccup encouraged him. "It won't even take long. This isn't really a big island."

Klaus only agreed to the tour to be polite. He stuck close to Hiccup's side, so the man was between him and that black dragon that followed him around. He held tight to the small cross, just two smooth wooden sticks, in his pocket, thinking of prayers to ward away the devils that had made their home here in this strange, unnerving, pagan Northern Island.

He was soothed by the thought that he, at least, was a good God-fearing Christian, and that the Lord Almighty would surely judge this island of infidels and sinners who fraternised with dragons. All his young life, Klaus had been told that dragons were dangerous, creatures of the devil sent to plague mankind with a taste of the fires of Hell, who trespassed in God's domain.

Yet even Klaus could see that the dragons here were…surprisingly tame. They seemed to respect Hiccup and his Night Demon, bowing to them and moving aside as they approached. Klaus remembered Trader Johann telling him that Hiccup Haddock, the infamous 'Dragon Whisperer', practically had dragons eating out of his palm. In fact, Klaus saw him do just that with a Flaming Wyrm, even though the dragon could have easily bitten off his hand. (4)

Klaus didn't know if that should make him more wary of the man or less. Hiccup was far too pleasant for someone who had such an unnatural affinity for dragons, demons on Earth that they were. He warned away the dragons that came too close with firm but gentle words, reassuring Klaus that he was safe and that they were only curious about him.

"There's a lot more to dragons than meets the eye" he remarked at one point. "Believe it or not, they can even understand human speech. They're telepathic. Isn't that right, bud?" he asked the Night Demon. The creature nodded its head, and all of Klaus' protests that Thou shalt not bear false witness died on his tongue, he was so surprised. Had the dragon really just – surely not!

"So, Klaus. How did you end up being Johann's cabin boy? He's never had one before" Hiccup inquired. They were in the armoury, away from the hubbub of the village streets. He'd introduced Klaus to Gobber; the boy had looked a little unnerved by the large blacksmith, not helped by the fact that Gobber had a saw attached to his stump. Gobber had gone back to working at the other side of the forge, but Hiccup heard him dismissively mutter "Mainlander" as he went.

Klaus perked up. "He came to our village and was asking for a cabin boy to help him, cause he's getting old, and I volunteered" he explained. "I had to. I'm the oldest, and my dad's dead and my mum, she's trying to look after my brother and sister. I was just another mouth to feed. When we go back there again, I'm gonna give everything I've earned to her" he said dutifully.

Hiccup smiled. "That's good of you. Family is important" he nodded, before gently saying, "You must miss them. I'm sure they miss you."

Klaus frowned. He didn't want pity, but it would be rude to not reply. "I suppose" he said vaguely, before inquiring, "Can I ask you something?"

Hiccup resisted the urge to say 'you just did'. Instead he merely replied, "Sure."

"Why…" Klaus trailed off. He wanted to ask why Hiccup let himself be corrupted by the Devil, but Trader Johann had told him that the Dragon Whisperer didn't like it when his way with dragons was questioned, and Klaus didn't want to anger him. So instead he asked, "Why is your…tribe leader a woman? Is it only because she's the daughter of your former Chief?"

"Ah, no. That would be yours truly. Err, son, that is, obviously."

This was surprising. "But then, why aren't you Chief?" Klaus demanded.

"Well, I was going to be, but there was a change of plans. Now, Astrid leads our people, whist Toothless and I lead our dragons. The arrangement has worked out very well so far." Hiccup paused, and then asked, "Do you really think women can't be leaders? Just because a book said so?"

Klaus frowned. "You know about the Bible? And it isn't just a book, it's the Holy Word" he insisted.

"You're a Christian, right? Sorry, I don't mean to…I only know a bit about your religion, stuff I picked up from Johann and other travellers I know." (5)

"Yes, I am, and Father Oliver - he's our priest – he says that the bible says women aren't supposed to lead men, they lead children and the home" Klaus recited dutifully. A sudden urge came over him. "It's not too late, you know. It's never too late to repent. God will forgive you, if you just confess your sins and accept his son Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. If you do that, you'll be rewarded. God will welcome you into heaven" he said earnestly.

At first Hiccup looked confused, then sort of upset. Now his expression was guarded. "What, err, what does the Bible say about dragons?" he asked casually. Klaus hesitated, looking nervous. "I won't be mad. I've probably heard worse. Just tell me" he prompted.

"…Dragons are demons" Klaus answered at last, keeping his voice down. "In the beginning, when God made the world, he made Adam from dust and Eve from his rib, and they were living in paradise, but then Satan, the Devil, he took on the form of a dragon to sneak into the Garden of Eden and tempt Eve, and corrupt her, so she and Adam would sin and be banished. Then God sent Satan to Hell, but Satan used the last of his powers to create dragons to wreak havoc on the Earth, and breathe the fires of Hell. (6)

"All mankind is tainted with that original sin, but it's okay, because God sent his son to sacrifice himself for all our sins. All you have to do is believe in him, and renounce all…this" Klaus declared, gesturing around at the village and the dragons there. Then he remembered who he was talking to and cringed, but Hiccup didn't look angry. He just looked sad.

"And if I don't?" he asked.

"Then…you'll be sent to Hell. To be tormented forever. And I – I don't want that. You're nice, even if the Devil has corrupted you. It's not too late. There's still time!" Klaus insisted desperately.

Hiccup was still looking at him with that same sad expression. "So, let me get this right – if I believe in your God, and stop loving dragons, I'll go to heaven, to paradise after I die…but dragons can't go to heaven, I'm guessing?"

All these questions were catching Klaus off guard. Nobody ever asked things like this back home. "W-well, I – I don't think so. They're creatures of the Devil. They…they go to Hell. They have to."

Hiccup looked at the Night Demon he called 'Toothless', and rested a hand on the dragon's snout. It crooned at him. He sighed and turned back to Klaus, who looked confused and hopeful and scared. "I know you won't believe this, but Toothless is my soulmate. I'd rather suffer forever with him than be in paradise without him" he declared solemnly.

Klaus' mind was reeling, but before he could protest or question or say anything, a Flaming Wyrm with a bald, long moustached man in the saddle landed outside the armoury. "Hiccup! There you are, I've been looking everywhere for you!" Sven exclaimed in relief. "You've gotta help! Some of the younger riders tried ta take me sheep for a dragon race practice run, and they went and got me prize black sheep stuck down an old well."

"I'll be right there, Sven" Hiccup assured him, swinging into the saddle. "Sorry, Klaus. Duty calls. But err, good talk. It was really...interesting." Then both he and Sven were flying away on their dragons. Klaus resolved then and there to pray for Hiccup…and as an afterthought, the rest of Berk…to see the light and be saved, before it was too late.

Sven was only the first of many Vikings expecting Hiccup to deal with a myriad of problems that had cropped up during his talk with Klaus. Naturally, a lot of them could be solved with a bit of teamwork, or ingenuity, or even just common sense. Toothless had remarked ages ago that it was a bit odd to call it 'common' sense when it was, apparently, not really all that common.

The villagers of Berk had gotten out of the habit of figuring out their own problems, because first his father and now his wife, perfectionists that they were, had gotten their people into the mindset of 'the chief will sort it'. They said it kept them busy; Hiccup refrained from pointing out that Stoick was much happier nowadays, when he could spend all his time with Valka (when she wasn't spending time with the dragons. Even after seven years, she was still a bit more comfortable with them than with human people).

At some point, Hiccup went to find Klaus again. He came across him and Johann in the Great Hall chatting to – or in Johann's case, talking at – Fredrick and Agatha, of all people. "Ah, master Hiccup! How good of you to join us. I was just regaling your charming in-laws with the tale of the time I nearly fell afoul of Varangians in the fabled city of Mythras. I had to do a lot of fast talking to keep my head from ending up on a pike!" Johann laughed.

"Yeah, yeah, that's great Johann. Oh, Fredrick, err, Gobber was wanting to see you. Something about your sword…" It was a bald faced lie, but fortunately the Hoffersons caught on, and gave him grateful looks as they departed. Hiccup got straight to the point. "Klaus? Can I talk to you in private for a minute?"

The boy stood up and followed him to a quiet corner of the Hall. "Um, so listen, I've been thinking about what you said, about the dragons, and err…"

"And you're going to repent?" Klaus asked hopefully.

Hiccup winced. "Not…not really, no" he admitted, and the boy's face fell. "I mean, I can't really repent if I don't feel like I've done anything wrong. I just…" Hiccup sucked in a breath and decided to just come out and say it. "I think you ought to stay on Berk for a few days. Just until Astrid comes back. Just to give you a chance to see that dragons are more than you've been told they are. I think it'll be good for you, y'know, broaden your horizons."

Klaus looked surprised. "I, uh…what about Trader Johann? He'll be leaving once he's restocked his ship. If I don't go with him, I'd be stuck here." He looked distressed at the mere thought.

"I figured he could go to the other tribes nearby and come back for you. Besides, our nearest neighbours have made peace with the dragons as well" Hiccup revealed. "You…you don't have to stay if you don't want to. I just thought I'd make the offer. If you do stay, and you still think dragons are demons afterwards, that's up to you" he shrugged.

Klaus looked a bit thoughtful. The idea of spending more time on this peculiar, sort of frightening island didn't seem appealing at first…but then, one of the reasons he had gone with Johann was to see new places, to get away from the drudgery of life in his little fishing village. Maybe…maybe if he stayed, he could spread the good news, help bring these heathens towards the light. Father Oliver always said that infidels were just stray sheep lost from the flock.

"I think…maybe you're right" he said at last. "It's only for a few days, right? And if I stay to learn about your beliefs, then maybe I can teach you about mine?"

"Sure! See, it's a win, win. I'm glad you're willing to try this, Klaus" Hiccup smiled broadly. "A lot of people wouldn't be so open-minded."

Later that night, when everyone had gone to bed, Toothless took the opportunity to ask something he'd been wondering about almost all day.

*Hiccup?*

*Yeah, bud?*

*What is a…* He tried to remember what the word sounded like. *...What is a Christian?* he asked.

*Someone who believes in Christianity.*

*What is 'Christianity'?*

*A religion from the mainland.*

*What is a religion?*

*Why are you asking so many questions?* Selena teased him.

Hiccup chuckled. *Not everyone believes in the same gods we do* he explained. *Christians like Klaus believe in a single God, who apparently has a son called Jesus Christ. Get it? Christ, Christianity. Of course, there's probably more to it than that.*

*And he believes that dragons are evil demons who wreak havoc, and if you don't repent – whatever that means – and believe what he does, you'll go to Hell after you die* Toothless complained. *Which reminds me – what is Hell? Is that like…what's it called…Helheim?* he inquired.

Selena cocked her head curiously. *Helheim? What's that?*

*It's one of the nine realms; and from what I gathered, Hell is kind of a cross between Helheim and Muspelheim. It's where sinners, bad people, go after they die – at least that's what Christians believe – and it's a realm of fire. Which is okay for me, cos I'll just hide between your wings. You're fireproof* he smirked at Toothless, teasing.

*But you're not a bad person! Does Klaus really think you are, just because you like dragons and he thinks we're evil?* Toothless demanded, snarling a bit in frustration. Hiccup reached a hand out, and the dragon pressed his snout into it, seeking comfort.

*I don't think he thinks I'm a bad person. I think that's why he tried to get me to convert; he's trying to save me from eternal torment. It's not his fault he was raised to believe that anyone who isn't Christian is going to Hell. It's like how back during the war, if you asked kids here on Berk how to deal with dragons, they'd just say 'kill on sight'. It's what they – what we – were all taught. But we changed. And the first of us to do it were my friends and I, when we were teenagers like Klaus. If there was hope for us, then there's hope for him.*

*Is that why you wanted him to stay? Isn't expecting people to think like you why Isak was angry?*

*Well, that's why I asked him first. I'm not expecting him to stop being a Christian; what he believes is his own business. I just want to give him a chance to change his mind about this one thing. I mean, what harm could it do?*

*I have a feeling that isn't why he agreed to stay.*

*Toothless, he's just a kid. I'm sure whatever his motives are, they're not too nefarious* Hiccup rolled his eyes. *Besides, I don't mind why he agreed. I'm just glad that he did.*

"Daddy?" Helena's voice piped up, and he looked over to see her standing in the doorway, clutching her toy Spike-Tail – the stuffed one his mother had made for her, not her new hobby dragon.

"Yeah, baby girl? C'mere." He beckoned to her, and she trotted over, climbing up onto the bed with him.

"I miss mummy" she pouted, snuggling into his side. Hiccup held her close and pressed a fond kiss to her hair.

"I know. I miss her too. But she'll be home before you know it."

(1) The whole 'traitor Johann' debacle never happened in the HBS continuity. I may or may not write a one-shot about this, but basically, not long after getting back from Myrkr, Hiccup wondered if Johann had told him that story on purpose knowing he'd be put in danger. They confront Johann, who confesses that he's been watched and manipulated by various enemies (Mildew, Dagur, the hunters etc.), and wanted to ask for help, but was scared of the consequences getting worse for not only himself but the Berkians as well (but mostly himself, he is kind of a coward).

(2) Hobby horses (or hobby dragon in this case) were a legit medieval toy. It's not quite the right time period but it's close enough.

(3) Look, I'm using real Norse words! Real life Vikings had a bath once a week – which was more often than most people in those days – on Saturday, or Laugurdagur, aka the day of washing.

(4) Night Demon? Flaming Wyrm? Well, it occurred to me that the names that the Vikings gave to various dragon breeds aren't necessarily what people in other countries and cultures or religions would call them.

(5) This is my headcanon explanation for why Stoick calls Toothless 'devil' and Gobber says 'I'm in heaven' in that one episode – they've picked up bits and pieces of stuff about Christianity from various traders.

(6) Even in our world, dragons are a cross-cultural mythical creature. One has to assume that in a world where our favourite fictional fire-breathers are real, they must have greatly influenced the cultures and belief systems of many civilisations. Most opinions aren't too positive, though…