Hey guys

Thanks for all the great feedback you've been giving us so far

Here we have a new chapter from a new perspective. I've been getting some great ideas on the board from my fellow collaborator Zyonzillia with this story so I hope you all like where this is going.

Last time - Gustav and Vali Larson encountered a terrifying stranger in the middle of town. Now we switch to the Great Hall at the same time.

Enjoy!


Part 2 – Victory Speeches

"Well? What do you think?" Stoick asked, his face full of expectation.

"It's...well...it's..." Gobber looked at the parchment in his hand, up at his friend, back at the parchment then back to his friend again, a very uncertain look on his face.

"It's what?" Stoick began to frown, annoyed that his hard work was obviously going to be criticized.

"Do you not think it's a bit...much?" The blacksmith asked tentatively.

"What do you mean?" Stoick replied impatiently.

Gobber set the page down with the chief's speech on it. Stoick said he had put all his chiefing duties aside for the day to work on composing it for Hiccup's graduation fight tomorrow and he wanted the opinion of his best friend and Hiccup's mentor on it. Stoick was beginning to regret that decision.

Gobber scratched the back of his neck as he spoke; obviously not wanting to rake up the awkward relationship issues he knew existed between the chief and his son. But this time he felt he had no choice in the matter.

"Well...Stoick...the thing is...the boy's not really used to receiving praise at the best of times...I mean you saw how quickly he vanished after getting mobbed by the crowd in the arena this morning...never seen him move so quick in his entire life...!"

"What are you getting at Gobber?" Stoick didn't want another lecture on his lacklustre parenting skills.

"I'm just saying it may put him off!...Distract him, you know?" Gobber elaborated, his stone tooth rocking in his mouth as he flexed a smile.

To calm the now visibly aggravated chief down Gobber lifted up the speech and started quoting passages from it to prove his point

"Look...If you go from scolding him in front of the entire tribe to calling him 'the pride of Berk'...and...'living proof that the Haddocks are descendants from the mighty gods themselves'...then he has to fight off a Monstrous Nightmare?...he'll be worried enough without having to live up to such a...grand opening like this!"

"I don't care Gobber!" Stoick interrupted forcefully, chugging down a tankard of Meade, a wide smile breaking across his face. "It's about time Hiccup got some praise for something and the fact that it's dragon training of all things. It's almost too good to be true! Sometimes I think I'm dreaming and when I wake up, things will be as they were with that boy destroying more of the village than those damned dragons! I can finally make a fuss of him without having to worry about it going wrong!"

"You know the lad does have skills besides dragons training!" Gobber urged, slightly dismayed at his friend's misguided pride, "he may not look it but he's a whizz in the forge!"

"Aye!" Stoick nodded before refilling his tankard as he spoke with even more energy, "but he can't be stuck there forever! If he does well against the Nightmare, I'll be able to start him back in his chief training properly...teach him what he needs to know...take him on more visits to other tribes...get him back to combat training so he'll have more meat on his bones...mould him into the heir and chief he should be!"

Stoick leaned back as he revelled in the glorious new future he could see unfurling before him and marvelling at his own cleverness while Gobber looked at his friend, his jaw becoming slacker as Stoick pressed on.

"And to think all it took was a firm hand, a strong word and a deal between father and son", Stoick smugly intoned, "It's amazing Gobber! I should have done it years ago! Once he's done with the dragon training I'll get him to throw out all those fanciful inventions he wastes his time on and get him back on the path to be a true Viking!"

At this point Gobber winced at the enormity of what he was hearing. He had seen how Hiccup responded to Stoick's forceful tactics in the past and it never ended well for the boy. Hel, even forcing Hiccup into dragon training had nearly gotten him killed a dozen times over, so forcibly removing something that made Hiccup who he was, seemed insensitive bordering on cruelty.

"Do you not think that's taking it a little too far?" The blacksmith inquired incredulously, "I mean sure he's gotten great at dragon training but he's still Hiccup. It's gonna take a lot more than just your say so to get him to change, We're Vikings after all! We've got ...stubbornness issues."

"Nonsense Gobber!" Stoick waved dismissively with his hand, enraptured by his new found breakthrough, "now that I know how to handle him it'll be easy! Granted, he may not like it at first but he'll learn to love it and then he'll finally start acting like the son of a chief!"

Gobber snorted derisively before taking a slug of his Meade and pushing the speech into Stoick's face.

"Well before you start cementing 'the great haddock legacy' let's get tomorrow over with first! Just tone down the fanciful language, keep it simple!"

"Like how?" Stoick really thought his grand speech was perfect.

"Just say how proud you are of how well he's done" Gobber urged "And that he'll make a fine Viking. That's all he wants!"

"Really?" Stoick's eyebrow raised. 'Was it really that simple?'

Gobber sighed as he went on "Hiccup said to me all he wanted was to be one of us! That will be enough for him and everyone else...at least for now."

"I suppose that will do" Stoick sighed in agreement before his eyes sprang to life again, "once I give it the old Haddock flair!"

"The old Haddock Flair? Oh great!" Gobber groaned sarcastically, "If you say so chief!"

"I do!" Stoick slammed his tankard down effectively ending that particular part of their conversation turning his mind to more practical matters. If he couldn't show off his son with his words then maybe he could do it in another way.

"...now how are you going to set up the arena? I want the place looking the best it's been in years with banners featuring the Haddock crest and torches and...!"

"Don't worry old friend" Gobber interrupted smiling, already seeing Stoick's enthusiasm begin to take over again, "I've already got the preparations well under way. The place will look perfect for the Hiccup to..."

"CHIEF!"

The voice rang across the great hall like a clarion bell disturbing everyone with its volume and urgency.

"What is it?" Stoick snapped out, his ears open to hear, his mind ready to analyse and his body tense, ready to react at a moment's notice.

"You need to see it for yourself sir!" The warrior called, seemingly afraid to leave his post at the great hall doors, "One of the villagers has been attacked and they're down in the village now, babbling something! It looks bad sir!"

"Like what?" Stoick bellowed in annoyance, already rising from his chair along with other Vikings who had been disturbed from their own business, curious at the strange news.

As Stoick approached, he took in the sheepish guard's clueless expression and scoffed. Clearly this man had nothing really to tell him and he hated not knowing what he might be facing. However seeing his vast chief get closer the guard seemed to regain his tongue and blurted out.

"I don't sir! I was just told to come and get you...I think...it's one of the children...that's all I know sir!"

"Children?" Stoick froze.

'Oh Gods! Hiccup!'

Stoick's agile mind leapt like a coiled spring.

'It could be another accident with one of his new-fangled contraptions or perhaps he was attacked by a rogue dragon! '

Stoick fought hard to keep his imagination in check despite bitter experience showing him that disaster seemed follow his son around like a sickly shadow.

"Alright let's get down there and see what's going on!"

And with that Stoick, Gobber and a dozen Vikings dashed out of the great hall, the wake of their passing scattering the many pages of plans for Hiccup's final trial all across the floor.


There you are guys

I hope you like it.

As always, reviews PM's and feedback are always welcome.

Until next time, take of yourselves and each other.