New chapter! Hope y'all like it!

Hiccstridlover13: Hope I met your expectations!

Nightfire7000: I'm glad you do!

Chapter 3

Hiccup paced back and forth in the Great Hall, Toothless sitting off to the side, staring at his rider with worried eyes, while Stoick sat on a bench facing his distraught son. Valka had taken Astrid to the house to vent out while Stoick stayed with Hiccup. The Chief sighed loudly and ceased his pacing for a moment to look at his father.

"I'm being reasonable about this, right?" He resumed his pacing again, the distinct step, click echoing throughout the Hall. "I mean, she can't possibly believe that I'd let her move away at fifteen… right?" Stoick sat quietly, listening to his son rant about what had just occurred a while ago. This had been going on for a good ten minutes, Hiccup's never ending pacing starting to worry the father and dragon that he might end up digging a trench in his distress.

"She's fifteen! There's no way she can go up against Viggo and his Hunter's! Add the fact that she just got her dragon two days ago, the whole concept is just ridiculous!" Stoick took this moment to jump in.

"You were fifteen when Alvin came around, remember that." Hiccup looked up for a moment, then back down to the ground, watching his foot and peg-leg moving.

"That's beside the point."

"That's exactly the point." Stoick stood up and rested a hand on Hiccup's shoulder, pulling him over to the bench he was occupying. The two sat down and Stoick sighed. "Hiccup, what's really going on?" Hiccup sighed and rested his elbows on his knees, bent over with his head in his hands.

"I- Dad, I can't lose her… Her leaving, besides the fact that she is still too young for that, it means that, that she…" Stoick nodded, now realizing were this was headed.

"You think if she leaves, she won't need you anymore." Hiccup solemnly nodded his head. "Hiccup, do you remember when you first found the Dragon Eye, and came to the council about leaving to explore outside the Archipelago?" Hiccup nodded, sitting up to look at his father. "I'll admit it, I was scared." Hiccup gave him a confused look, urging him to continue. "I was scared, that if you left, you would find something better, and not want to come back. I was scared that you'd never need your old man again. But now look; You're the Chief, a husband, a father, and yet here we are, having this conversation." Hiccup thought for a moment, then nodded in understanding. "No matter what happens, a child will always need their parents, whether they notice it or not. Hazel will always need you to lean on, but you have got to let her explore, and enjoy being a teenager, before life decides to bring her back down from the clouds."

"And yes, the age thing does matter, but remember, you were her age when you started giving me near heart attacks." The two men chuckled at that. Hiccup shook his head slightly.

"I get what your saying, I really do, but think about it. She's fifteen, still needs to be trained in combat with, or without a dragon, I-I mean, if she's on a completely different island with no training, how is she going to survive?" Stoick thought for a moment, then smiled.

"Then train her."

"What? Dad, I just said-"

"I mean, train her on the Edge." Noticing his confused look Stoick continued. "Train her, train all of them. Doing it on the Edge means keeping the Dragon Eye safe, while also keeping Hazel and her friends safe." Hiccup went to interrupt, but Stoick stopped him. "Hiccup, I think the real question you need to ask yourself is, what is best for your people? Staying here? Or listening to your daughter?" He watched the contemplating look in his son's eyes, waiting for his answer.

"If, and that's a big if, I decide to listen to Hazel, what about the village? I'm the Chief for Thor's sake! I can't just leave them without a leader!" Stoick smiled.

"You have the answers to your questions, Hiccup. Your just afraid the answers are correct." Hiccup sighed, then nodded. Stoick continued. "My solution is this; I can be acting Chief while your gone, remember I've done it before, and every couple of days you can come back to check up on us. We can send Terror mails, keep in touch, and if there's ever a problem we can't handle, we will let you know. It won't last forever, son. Hazel needs to do this, take initiative, be put in a leadership position for practice if she wants to be a fantastic Chief, just like someone I know." Hiccup smirked and looked at his father. "She said so herself, think of it as Chief training."

"Well, what about you? Are you sure you can do this? I thought you were retired?" Stoick nodded and rested a hand on Hiccup's shoulder.

"I'm positive. And besides, I've got Val, who I'm sure would be able to help out around the village." Hiccup sighed again and looked down.

"I know… I know what she's suggesting makes sense, but I… I don't want to put her in the same danger me and the other riders went through…" Stoick shook his head fondly.

"How do you think I felt every time you went off and did something stupid and reckless? Just like how you feel now. I know your worried Hiccup, anybody in your position would be, but she's got Haddock blood, and Hofferson blood running through her. You know she won't put this to rest until you do something about it." Hiccup thought for a moment then nodded. "Now, you know what the right thing to do is, so go protect your people, and your daughter." Hiccup smiled and stood up, making his way over to Toothless, who up until now, was sitting patiently, listening to the conversation.

"Thanks Dad. Now all I have to do is find her, and I have a sneaking suspicion I know where she might be." Hiccup hoped onto Toothless' saddle, the two making their way out of the Great Hall, and into the sky.

0o0o0

Hazel was running through the forest, as fast as her legs could carry her, trying to spread as much distance between her and the Great Hall as she could. She had been running for quiet some time, her legs moving her in their own direction, until she finally noticed where they took her. Of course…

The Cove.

The Cove where her father and Toothless' relationship had started.

Great. 'cause they'll never find me here. Hazel rolled her eyes at the sarcastic thought. She made her way down from the edge of the clearing, down to the small opening covered by a rotting shied. Her father had told her many stories from the times when he trained Toothless, one of them being why the shield was there in the first place. As she made her way over to the edge of the lake, she let out a long sigh and sat down, leaning against a rock that was resting a few feet from the water. Only then did she let the tears fall.

She was responsible enough! Why couldn't her father see that? Why couldn't he see that she was trying to protect the village? Isn't this what she was meant to do? Protect the village? Better to learn how to now before she becomes Chieftess.

Hazel stiffened slightly at the sound of wing beats, trying in vain to remove the tears flowing down her cheeks. She brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, listening to the dragon now land in the Cove. Why did her have to come here now? Couldn't he have wai-

"Hazel?"

Hazel's thoughts came to a halt as her name was called out, and not by her father's voice. Henrik. She sniffed slightly, but other than that, stayed silent, waiting for what he was going to say next.

"Hazel, we need to talk…" Hazel sighed and pulled her legs to her chest tighter.

"Go 'way. I don't want to talk." She managed to say past the sniffles that she was trying oh so desperately to cease. She heard Henrik sigh, then footsteps as he grew closer to her. She glanced up slightly to see him, a grim look on his face as he sat down next to her, bringing his own legs up against his chest. They were silent for a couple minutes, the only sound being Hazel's sniffles, and the occasional Razorwhip croon by Spike. Finally, Henrik spoke up.

"What… what happened back there? Why were you so upset about what he said?" Hazel took in a breath and let her legs drop down into a crossed position, never lifting her gaze from the ground.

"It's not so much what he said, so much as it was his tone… I-I've never seen him so angry with me… I j-just froze! I can't remember us ever having a fight that was that bad before…" Henrik nodded, encouraging her to continue. "I, I know he's worried, but… to the extent that he doesn't even want to let me out of his sight?" Henrik sighed and brought his legs down as well. He rested a hand on Hazel's knee, causing her to look up at him for a moment.

"Hazel, you… you have no idea what it was like…" Hazel narrowed her eyes in confusion, but before she could ask, Henrik continued. "You were missing for three years Hazel… The village was a mess, we were a mess, but most of all your parents were devastated. They had lost there only child, and Heir to the island. I can't even remember a time that I saw the two smile until they found you again." Hazel looked down, not wanting to meat his gaze. "Look, I know you don't like remembering what happened, but you can't pretend it didn't."

"I-I know…" Hazel mumbled.

"Yeah, well, maybe you need to start thinking about what your father was thinking when you mentioned leaving the island." Henrik moved slightly so he was turning in towards her. "He doesn't want you to leave because he's worried he'll never get you back. Hazel, think about this from his point of view." The young teen looked up to see Henrik's eyes staring at her. And boy, did she wish she hadn't look up. His eyes, bright green, they held such a strong emotion as if they were burning a hole into her soul. She could see anger, sadness, but most of all… fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of not being able to do anything… fear for her. At this, Hazel stopped scanning, dropping her gaze back to the grass, picking the green blades and twirling them in her fingers. In being occupied, she didn't here the sound of a dragon landing on the mossy ground, or the distinct sound of her father's step, click gait.

Henrik looked up to see Hiccup walking towards the two of them, a sad expression on his features. He nudged Hazel slightly causing her to look up. The girl's eyes widened in surprise, before lowering back down quickly, her back going stiff. Henrik looked back at Hiccup, who was standing behind the rock now. The Chief nodded, Henrik returning it before he turned back to Hazel and squeezed her hand. He stood up, and mounted Spike, flying away from the Cove to let the father and daughter talk it out.

Hiccup looked up as he watched Henrik make his leave, then moved his gaze back down to his daughter. Sighing, he went around the rock and sat down in the spot Henrik had just occupied. He took a deep, calming breath.

This should be interesting…

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