Disclaimer: can be found in the first chapter
Chapter 3: Haven't any of you ever had a dream?
"Man, my sympathy…" Flynn shook his head.
"But… I thought the forger – Gobber? – was your father!" Hiro wondered. Jack, however, was positively incredulous.
"How can you possibly be related to that hulk of a person? I mean, no offence, but he's… and you're… Uh, that sounded bad."
"No, don't worry, I stopped taking anything personally long ago." Hiccup assured. "Now we can get back to the movie, huh?" The others nodded.
EXT. VILLAGE - UPPER PLAZA - CONTINUOUS
The escaped Nadders fly past with sheep in their clutches. The raid is over. The dragons have clearly won. The murmuring crowd eyes Stoick, awaiting his response.
HICCUP
(SHEEPISH) Okay, but I hit a Night Fury.
Hiccup himself face-palmed. "That was a bad idea!"
Stoick grabs Hiccup by the back scruff of his collar and hauls him away, fuming with embarrassment.
HICCUP (CONT'D) It's not like the last few times, Dad. I mean I really actually hit it.
The boys raised their eyebrows – the last few times? Meanwhile, Hiccup face-palmed (not from embarrassment as the other three thought).
You guys were busy and I had a very clear shot. It went down, just off Raven Point. Let's get a search party out there, before it-
STOICK
-STOP! Just... stop.
He releases Hiccup. Everyone goes silent, staring expectantly.
So did the boys, and with no little concern. Well, not Hiccup himself anyway, he determinedly stared at the floor.
STOICK (CONT'D)
Every time you step outside, disaster follows. Can you not see that I have bigger problems? Winter's almost here and I have an entire village to feed!
Hiccup looks around. All eyes are upon him.
HICCUP
Between you and me, the village could do with a little less feeding, don't ya think?
A few rotund Vikings stir self-consciously.
The three had opened their mouths for sympathetic comments, but a few chuckles escaped. This particular Viking was big on sarcasm for sure…
STOICK
This isn't a joke, Hiccup! (EXASPERATED) Why can't you follow the simplest orders?
HICCUP
I can't stop myself. I see a dragon and I have to just... kill it, you know? It's who I am, Dad.
(To be perfectly honest, this scared them a bit. But the look on the actual Hiccup's face gave the three hope.)
STOICK
You are many things, Hiccup. But a dragon killer is not one of them.
Sting. Hiccup looks around to see many nods of agreement.
STOICK (CONT'D)
Get back to the house. (TO GOBBER) Make sure he gets there. I have his mess to clean up.
Stoick lumbers off in the opposite direction. Gobber leads Hiccup through the walk of shame. They pass the teen fire brigade as they snicker.
TUFFNUT
Quite the performance.
SNOTLOUT
I've never seen anyone mess up that badly. That helped!
Cue displeased grunts. The Viking, however, looked up at the screen again. Sure, these things were painful, but he'd gladly give everything to return to being nobody if that meant keeping Toothless safe.
HICCUP
Thank you, thank you. I was trying, so...
Hiccup avoids Astrid's glare and heads up toward a large house, standing prominently on the hill above the others.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
I really did hit one.
GOBBER
Sure, Hiccup.
HICCUP
He never listens.
GOBBER
Well, it runs in the family.
"Gotta agree here…" Flynn mumbled to himself.
HICCUP
And when he does, it's always with this... disappointed scowl. Like someone skimped on the meat in his sandwich. (MIMICKING STOICK) Excuse me, barmaid.
The three's jaws dropped.
I'm afraid you brought me the wrong offspring. I ordered an extra large boy with beefy arms. Extra guts and glory on the side. This here. This is a talking fish bone.
His voice wavers at the end.
Jack nudged the downcast Hiccup. "No, you're thinking about this all wrong…"
GOBBER
You're thinking about this all wrong.
"That's what I said!"
It's not so much what you look like. It's what's inside that he can't stand.
"That's not what I said!" The others snickered despite themselves.
HICCUP
Thank you, for summing that up.
They reach the doorway.
GOBBER
Look, the point is, stop trying so hard to be something you're not.
Hiccup SIGHS heavily.
HICCUP
I just want to be one of you guys.
Gobber eyes him sympathetically. Hiccup turns and goes through the front door.
Flynn leaned past Jack. "Oh, Hiccup, this is so-"
And straight out the back door.
"-aaand there he goes again."
Hiro rolled his eyes. "You know, I get what Gobber and your father meant with 'stay put'."
He hurries off into the woods, determined.
INT. GREAT HALL - DAY
A noisy din of PROTESTING VOICES leads to... STOICK, glowering in the firelight. Surrounded by his men.
STOICK
Either we finish them or they'll finish us! It's the only way we'll be rid of them! If we find the nest and destroy it, the dragons will leave. They'll find another home.
He sinks his blade into a LARGE NAUTICAL MAP, spread out on the table... the blade
pierces the middle of an uncharted corner, swirling with painted sea monsters and dragons.
"Is this all of your geographical knowledge?" Hiro asked but Hiccup waved him off.
"Later, I want to see the meeting." The black-haired boy blinked.
"Why?"
"Because I wasn't there."
"Oh."
STOICK (CONT'D)
(DECIDEDLY) One more search. Before the ice sets in.
VIKING
Those ships never come back.
STOICK
(MATTER-OF-FACT) We're Vikings. It's an occupational hazard. Now who's with me?
Stoick throws up his fist. No one follows. The crowd shifts in restless silence. Head scratches. Eyes averted.
Jack smirked, then announced in a singsong voice: "Heh, awkward!"
VIKING
(FEEBLE) Today's not good for me.
VIKING (CONT'D)
(EQUALLY FEEBLE) I've gotta do my axe returns.
Cue snorts and eye rolls.
STOICK
Alright. Those who stay will look after Hiccup.
Hands jut into the air, volunteers galore.
Hiccup's jaw dropped, he only managed an offended "Huh?!"
Flynn scoffed angrily. "Oh, now they're just being mean."
Enthusiastic murmurs of prep and packing fill the room.
PHLEGMA THE FIERCE
To the ships!
SPITELOUT
I'm with you Stoick!
STOICK
(DRY) That's more like it.
"That's more like it…" one of the boys muttered to himself but it couldn't be determined which one exactly.
The Vikings rush for the door, leaving Gobber and Stoick alone. Gobber gulps back the contents of his tankard attachment and scrapes back the bench.
GOBBER
I'll pack my undies.
STOICK
No, I need you to stay and train some new recruits.
GOBBER
Oh, perfect. And while I'm busy, Hiccup can cover the stall. Molten steel, razor sharp blades, lots of time to himself...what could possibly go wrong?
Hiccup threw his hands in the air exasperated. "What is wrong with you people!"
Stoick sinks onto the bench beside Gobber, his brow burdened.
STOICK
What am I going to do with him Gobber?
"Train him with the others." Hiro suggested practically.
GOBBER
Put him in training with the others.
"There you go."
STOICK
No, I'm serious.
GOBBER
So am I.
Stoick turns to him, glaring.
STOICK
He'd be killed before you let the first dragon out of its cage.
"Gods, thanks."
Hiro patted the displeased brunette's shoulder.
GOBBER
Oh, you don't know that.
STOICK
I do know that, actually.
GOBBER
No, you don't.
STOICK
No, actually I do.
GOBBER
No you don't!
STOICK
Listen! You know what he's like. From the time he could crawl he's been...different.
Cue eyerolls.
He doesn't listen. Has the attention span of a sparrow. I take him fishing and he goes hunting for... for trolls.
The three turned to the Viking. "What?!"
He raised his hands defensively. "Blame Gobber!"
GOBBER
(DEFENSIVE) Trolls exist! They steal your socks. (DARKLY) But only the left ones. What's with that?
STOICK
When I was a boy...
The four huffed as one and grumbled simultaneously. "Here we go."
GOBBER
(GRUMBLING) Oh here we go.
Cue snickers.
STOICK
My father told me to bang my head against a rock and I did it. I thought it was crazy, but I didn't question him. And you know what happened?
"You got a headache." They spoke together again.
GOBBER
You got a headache.
Now it was full-on laughing.
"You should know that he's one of the best people I've ever met!" Flynn managed in-between snorts.
"Yeah!" Jack agreed, then an idea hit him. "Um, Arwen? Tauriel?" he called to the ceiling. Two heads popped from behind their seats making them jump.
"You called?" Arwen grinned at them, her sister mirroring her expression.
She then added: "You were right, being stalker-ish is so much fun!"
"I know, right! Anyway, what can I do for you, Jack?"
A little put off by the 'stalker-ish' comment, the Guardian asked: "Can't this Gobber join us or something?
Arwen's grin grew. "This is one of the bes-"
"No." Tauriel cut her.
"Why?" her sister whined. Tauriel shot her a look, then directed her attention to the boys again.
"Sorry, no can do, guys, we can't afford to deal with sarcasm overload. Keep watching."
Then the two sisters exited the room; faint arguing still could be heard. ("But it will be-" "No." "But-" "No, sis." "But-" "No!")
"Bummer." Hiro grumbled and un-paused the movie with the remote that had unexplainably appeared.
STOICK
That rock split in two.
Their jaws dropped.
It taught me what a Viking could do, Gobber. He could crush mountains, level forests, tame seas! Even as a boy, I knew what I was, what I had to become. (BEAT) Hiccup is not that boy.
GOBBER
You can't stop him, Stoick. You can only prepare him. (BEAT) Look, I know it seems hopeless. But the truth is you won't always be around to protect him. He's going to get out there again. He's probably out there now.
"Oh, you have no idea." Flynn laughed.
ON STOICK, as Gobber's words hit their mark.
EXT. WOODS - DAY
ON AN OPEN NOTEBOOK
A drawn map of the island, covered in X's. Hiccup looks up from it and peeks over a gorge, expectantly. Sees nothing. He adds another 'X' to the page, then scratches his pencil over the whole map in frustration.
"Hey, you're a leftie!" Flynn suddenly exclaimed, "So am I!"
Hiccup grinned at him.
He snaps the book closed and pockets it.
HICCUP
Uggh, the gods hate me. Some people lose their knife or their mug. No, not me. I manage to lose an entire dragon.
All four boys snickered. Honestly…
Hiccup WHACKS a low-hanging branch. It SNAPS back at him, hitting him in the face.
"Ouch!" they winced collectively. But Jack still snickered.
He looks up to see a snapped tree trunk. His eyes follow it to a long trench of up-turned earth.
A collective "Wow…" was heard.
He follows it to a downed, black dragon,
"AH!" three voices yelled surprised. As for the off-screen Hiccup, he drew a sharp intake of breath.
Its body and tail are tangled in a bola. It appears dead. Hiccup approaches, beaming.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
(IN SHOCK) Oh wow. I did it. I did it. This fixes everything. (ELATED) Yes!
He strikes a victory pose, planting his foot on the fallen Night Fury.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
I have brought down this mighty beast!
It suddenly shifts.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
Whoa!
"AH!" the three yelled. Again.
Hiccup springs back, terrified. He turns his blade on it. Rattled, Hiccup creeps along the length of the weak, wounded dragon, dagger poised to strike. As he reaches the head, Hiccup finds the Night Fury staring coldly at him.
All four of them jumped a little. "Oh my…" they drew in awe.
Hiccup tries to look away, but he's drawn back to its unnerving, unflinching stare. With the dragon safety tangled in the ropes, Hiccup jabs with his dagger, puffing himself up with false bravado.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
I'm going to kill you, Dragon.
No, the three boys thought, don't!
I'm gonna cut out your heart and take it to my father. I'm a Viking. (BEAT) I am a VIKING!
They jumped a bit.
Hiccup raises the dagger, determined to prove his Viking-ness. The dragon's labored breathing breaks Hiccup's clenched concentration. He opens an eye, uncertainty leaking through. The dragon holds the stare. Something profound is exchanged. Finally, the Night Fury closes its eye and lowers its head, resigned to its fate. Hiccup tries to go through with it, holding the dagger aloft...
The three averted their eyes – none of them wanted to witness the dragon's death. This might've been a glorious moment for Hiccup, but they wouldn't watch. They shied away from him.
fighting himself... until finally lowering it with a frustrated sigh.
Three pairs of eyes shot back up to the screen.
He looks over the dragon's chaffed rope wounds.
HICCUP (CONT'D)
(Muttered, ashamed) I did this.
He turns to leave. Pauses. And glances back at the dragon, chest heaving. Hiccup GRUMBLES. He checks over his shoulder to ensure that no one is watching... then hurries back to cut the ropes.
"Ha-ha, that's my guy!" Flynn yelled in glee.
The Night Fury's eye shoots open. With the dragon watching his every move, Hiccup hurriedly saws through the bola ropes. As the last rope falls free, the Night Fury suddenly POUNCES!
"AH!" they all yelled. AGAIN.
In a blur, the dragon is upon him, pinning Hiccup down, grazing his neck. Looking like it's about to kill him. Hiccup is paralyzed. The dragon's breath ruffles his hair. Hiccup opens his eyes to find the Night Fury's wolf-like stare boring into him.
Wow, the three thought in awe.
The exchange is intense, profound. The dragon draws a deep breath, as though it's about to torch him, then lets out an ear-piercing scream instead. It turns and takes flight, flapping violently through the canopy of trees. It bashes against a nearby mountainside, recovers, and drops out of view some distance away.
The four let out relieved sighs. Hiro though squinted at the dragon. Something was off about it…
Winded, Hiccup struggles to his feet, staggers a few steps, collapses to his knees, and faints.
Original A/N: There, one more chapter – this one specially for PFT3000.
Now don't kill me… This was actually ready Thursday evening. Sorry.
Just so that people stop asking me, I'm not planning on abandoning this story until all four boys are back where they belong; it's just that the updates will be sporadic and chaotic.
Tauriel's a bit sick so she's just waving from across the room.