Disclaimer: I do not own "How to Train Your Dragon" or any of the characters in the movie presented by Paramount and DreamWorks Animation, or in the novels written by Cressida Cowell.

Note: Sentences in italics indicate Stoick's inner thoughts.

Many thanks to Ochie for her love, support and comments.

Chapter 3: Getting Ready

"We sometimes congratulate ourselves at the moment of waking from a troubled dream; it may be so the moment after death." Nathaniel Hawthorne.

After the meeting, I returned to my home on top of the hill overlooking the village. It was late afternoon. I opened the door.

"Hiccup…"

Hiccup was missing, again. I sighed, knowing that even though the lad was trying desperately to fit in, he didn't have the strength and willingness to not only survive as a Viking, but lead. I truly believed I was trying everything I could with Hiccup to make him into a Viking leader.

I noticed the smoldering remains of a fire in the central pit. I placed two logs on top of the fire. Popping, sparks, and crackling sounds from the logs were the only signs of life from within the house.

I proceeded to open a duffel bag and began to place items inside for the trip. I would be going with the Vikings to instill some confidence thinking that if the "Chief of the village was willing to take the trip then maybe it isn't as bad as everyone said it would be." I stuffed things that would be needed for a short trip of a few days, maybe a week at most; foodstuffs, a change of clothing, small daggers, and rags to wipe things down such as knives and swords. I opened a chest in one corner of the house near the kitchen and inside was a collection of swords and hammers collected for my own personal use.

Dinner was the usual: roast mutton, flat bread, lättöl.

It started to get dark outside, evening already, and I began to feel drowsy. This was always the time of day I dreaded. I went over and sat in my chair to rest…

It always started the same way... I saw Valhallarama taking my hand as we took our vows as husband and wife. Those days were filled with such joy. The dream would show us in our home, passionately in love with one another. I would be overjoyed as she placed both of her hands on my face to tell me that she was with child. We would take long walks together, laying out our plans for our family. Then she would go into labor and I would cry out for the midwife while carrying her back to the house, cradled in my arms, and placing her on our bed. I would be kneeling next to her, holding onto her hand as she was wracked by the pains of the labor. The midwife was concerned that I was there but I told her that I wanted to be there for the birth of our child. The midwife consented. When the time came for the head of the baby to crown, Valhallarama screamed in agony from the effort to give birth. I could only cringe; giving her comfort in the only way I could by holding her hand.

I saw the birth of our child, a son. A smile graced Val's lips and I could only say, "I love you Val so much…We have a son." She replied to me with the last words I wanted to remember, "I love you too, Stoick." As it was, this dream always ended tragically. Valhallarama's next statement caught me and the midwife by surprise, "I can't see." She said this with calmness and candor. That's when she went into convulsions and the midwife forcefully tells me to leave, now. Then the dream, or in this case, nightmare ends.

I would then wake up, still not able to understand why she had to die.

I would then recall every detail after that moment. All I know was that I was left with a newborn son to care for. Gobber found me wandering from the house in the general direction to the docks. He looked at me.

"What's wrong Stoick?"

"Val's dead."

"May Odin help her and see her in Asgard! … HOW?"

"She just…died! Gods, Gobber, what am I going to do? I have a son but I don't know how to care for him, I don't know how to raise him, I don't know how to take care of a house, I don't know…"

"Stoick…Listen to me…LISTEN…TO...ME…YOU are alive. YOU know a lot. YOU will make this work. YOU have the smarts and the wisdom. Settle down and THINK. I am there for you, NOW. And I will help you…"

I wept on his shoulders for the longest time.

"Stoick, no matter what you do, you have to remember that you're a Viking, our Chief, and you have to act like one, especially now." Gobber said.

"I know, Gobber, I know." I sighed deeply, my hands shaking from the emotional trauma.

We started back to the house where a crowd was beginning to gather. Apparently they heard the news.

"Stoick, I am so sorry for you loss…"

"May Odin help her at this time…"

"You'll survive this, Stoick…"

"We'll help you with this, Stoick…"

It was comforting to know that I had the support of the village but there was a hole in my heart that could never be healed. I also realized that I had a new responsibility in my life, my son, and I had to find ways to take care of him immediately. Fortunately, there was a family in town, Ingríðr and Spaki Hofferson had a new baby, a girl named Ástríðr. The family owned a flock of about five hundred sheep kept on the eastern side of town on the top ridge. I went to their house and asked for their help. I can still remember Ingríðr Hofferson's words.

"Yes we can help you Stoick, but please help us and our daughter." Spaki said.

"How can I help?"

"By betrothing your son to Ástríðr", Ingríðr Hofferson replied.

Those words caught me by surprise. "I…I don't know what to say. You and I know that families wait until the children are older."

"Yes we know, but we're not as well off as we would like and this arrangement surely would provide her with a better life. I am willing to do what I can to save your son by taking life giving milk from my daughter. It's the least that you can consider." She exclaimed.

I thought about it and unfortunately I didn't have any alternatives. It was this or my son would die. I made one condition. "No one outside of this house must know of this until they are of age. Otherwise the deal is off. Do we have an agreement?"

Ingríðr replied, "Yes, we have a deal."

I called the midwife to the Hofferson household. She was holding my son in her arms when she came in the door. I explained the situation to the midwife, "Miss Hofferson will wet nurse my son for the foreseeable future."

The midwife understood and handed my son over to Ingríðr.

"Does your son have a name, Stoick?" Ingríðr asked.

In the chaos, shock and grief that followed it occurred to me that I didn't have time and had forgotten to name my son. "I'll name him after my father, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock Junior. So his name will be Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third." It was the least that I could do to honor my father in bringing an heir into this world, no matter how sad. Tradition holds that the father is given the honor to name the newborn child as soon as it born. I hoped nothing befalls Hiccup because of my delay.

In the days that followed, I placed Val on a funeral pyre ship and after setting it afire, had it towed out to sea where it took sail. I received various well wishers; other women in the village showed me what I needed in order to maintain a house, as if I needed more work for myself. Cleaning, even washing was simple enough. Mending and darning I would have to leave for the tailor. The hardest thing was learning how to cook. Aside from roasting lamb or a goose, I was at a loss for cooking vegetables or even bread. It soon became apparent that I would lead a bachelor's life and diet of the same food each and every night. I didn't mind that and found the routine quite comforting.

Hiccup initially stayed with the Hoffersons for which I was grateful. I understood that feedings were required around the clock, even after midnight. After six months, Hiccup came back to live in my house. I noticed though he really hadn't put on any weight. This was a concern, plus I noticed that he cried a lot. Colic they said. I really didn't know what was needed to take care and nurture the child. It was expected that the women would do that. Even though we had several thousand people in the village, most had their own families to consider and care for. Those few women who were available for marriage really didn't appeal to me.

I would continue to take Hiccup over to the Hoffersons during the day or they would come to my home, it depended on whether I was out and overseeing the village. One thing was for sure, with my needing to care more for Hiccup I had to change how I managed the village. Before Hiccup entered the world, I would conduct business in the Great Hall. Afterward, I would do business from my house. The villagers understood and allowed it.

Even though I honored my father by naming my son after him, it was at this time I wished that he and my mother were still in my life. I knew I lost a reasoning voice in Valhallarama and that was something that I was just beginning to understand in my marriage. I saw that same type of support my parents had for each other before they were taken by illness prior to my marriage to Val. I had to raise Hiccup by 'trial and error' using what I believed were the same techniques used by my parents. It was something that I had to do as Chief.

The village became my mistress where I allowed the responsibilities of governing to overshadow my personal life. It was a way for me to deal with my grief, to not allow my self to experience another loss, and to deal with my inability to effectively raise my own son. Granted, I should have done more to be involved in his life but I found that we just didn't have the same interests. Values and morals we shared, but interests, no. I was a doer, he was a thinker. I was a Viking and I wanted him to be a Viking, he…I didn't know.

Hiccup continued to grow and as a toddler learned how to take care of himself. I found though, that he still was smaller than the other youngsters. People said he'd grow out of it. He also had a habit of saying "NO" that I didn't like or understand and I would handle that contrariness by ignoring his whining and crying and continue to perform my work as needed. I got very good at that.

When he was five he said that he was tired of having the same food every day. I replied, "Okay, so what do you intend to do about it?" Hiccup said he wanted to become a bread maker. Fine, I was able to talk to the Hoffersons about having Hiccup learn about baking. Ingríðr said that she should be able to teach Hiccup the basics. I thanked her and had Hiccup start that afternoon. He was so excited. He came home that night and said he learned so much and that he wanted to try different things. Maybe this would turn out better than expected, until I tried some of Hiccup's first attempts.

"What's this, Son?" I cautiously asked while holding the black mass of goo in my hands.

"I call it dirt bread," replied Hiccup.

"And what's in this…bread." I was beginning to have doubts as to whether this was a good idea.

"Well, I put yeast and flour and salt and water…and oh yeah…dirt", Hiccup said.

"Son, you realize that people, especially Vikings, can't eat dirt," I countered.

"Oh, well I know that Ingríðr said that you need at least the first three ingredients to make bread and so I wanted to add something special," Hiccup said.

"Well you did add something special but I don't think this will work," I replied.

"Yes, it will." Hiccup was insistent.

"Okay, son then why don't you eat some of your bread." I was going to make this a teaching moment.

Hiccup took a bite out of the bread he made, made a face and spat it out. "Ugh…bleahh…bleahhh…That's bad."

"I figured as much, son." I chuckled.

"Well maybe I can try something different," Hiccup said.

"Okay, son but if you do want to create something new, you'll then need to try it out first. Okay?" I placed my hand on his shoulder. I didn't want him to think that this was a mistake.

"Okay, and thanks Dad!" said Hiccup.

"You're welcome, son." I replied.

Hmmm? I wonder if that's where he caught a glimpse of what he wanted in his life when he wanted to be a bread maker. Maybe Gothi was right when he said he liked to experiment with things. I just wished I wasn't the initial test subject. Well at least we were able to eat different 'edible' breads after that initial foray.

I continued packing the duffel with items for the trip. It was now early the next morning, pre-dawn light beginning to show in the sky through the smoke hole in the roof. I placed another log on the fire while I allowed my self to continue with my thoughts.

Hiccup, maybe to gain acceptance, developed a strong interest in dragons, too strong. When he was nine, he wound up outside during a night raid where I found him looking up at the creatures flying in the moon lit sky. Even though his eyes were wide as saucers, he didn't see the Gronckle standing in back of him, but I fortunately did. The bulbous, brown skinned, overgrown bumblebee with fangs sniffed at Hiccup who turned around and shrieked. That got my immediate attention as I saw him carried off by the monster. This meant I had one shot at freeing Hiccup. I flung my hammer directly at the head of the dragon, hitting it squarely in its face directly above Hiccup, releasing the boy who was able to dash underneath a staircase and use it for cover. I on the other hand found myself unarmed and facing an annoyed Gronckle that didn't appreciate getting whacked in the head with a hammer, my hammer. I too had to find cover, quickly. Nearby was a house with an unopened door. I bolted for the door hoping whoever inside was willing to have visitors. Behind me I could here the thrumming of the beast's wings as it prepared for a shot.

There was only one thing to do, go through the door. "WHOOM" I heard directly behind me. I dove for the ground hoping that the blast would pass over me. It did, blasting a hole in the door I was trying to get through. I had a very short time when the dragon would be able to blast again. I got to the door, opened it and got inside before the next blast could strike. No one was inside. So far, so good as I stood off to one side of the door waiting for another blast. Apparently, one didn't come and I could hear the thrumming subside. I peeked outside the doorway and found that the Gronckle left on its own accord.

I cautiously stepped outside, scanning the skies for any more raiders. Apparently none were present so I exited the house, shutting the remains of the door behind me. I glanced over and saw Hiccup curled in a fetal position.

"Son, are you alright?" I ran over to ask checking to see if there was any injury.

"Dad, I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have been out." Hiccup knew he was wrong.

"Why, son? You know the dangers. It's not like we're making this stuff up. You could have been killed!" I shouted.

"Dad, I'm really sorry. It's just the sounds of the battle were exciting and I wanted to see what it was like," Hiccup replied.

"Exciting? EXCITING? Son, people DIE because of stunts like this. We can't afford to have children like you running about during a raid. You'll end up dead or I'll wind up dead trying to protect you." I could feel the beginning of a big headache come upon me.

"Dad, I just wanted to know what it was like so I could be more like you." Hiccup said.

"Hiccup, there is a time and place for everything and now is not the time for this. Right now, you have to listen to what I say and abide by it. Do we have a deal?" I distinctly remember rubbing my face with the palm of my hand when I said this.

"Yes sir," replied Hiccup.

"Right, now get back to the house. I have to see much damage there is." I then walked off in the general direction of the town square.

From that point on Hiccup had a strong desire to get back at these animals.

Retreating from my thoughts, I made breakfast for myself: flat bread, hard boiled eggs and tea. I took the pail located in our kitchen and poured out some fresh water to clean myself. I splashed water on my face and rinsed my hands before wiping off the excess moisture with a clean towel on a stand nearby.

Where is Hiccup? He should have been home by now!

I started to get concerned with the fact that it was early morning the day after the raid. My son was nowhere to be found. Unfortunately, this was not the first time he pulled this stunt and I, unfortunately, allowed it. I continued to pack with the belief he would return shortly, allowing my thoughts to continue. Considering I was leaving on a trip and left in the past, he knew at least how to take care of himself. Gobber was good at keeping tabs on him also.

Hiccup though was still small for his age when compared to the other children and lacked the body strength needed for performing duties that we assigned to children at this time. At this point, he became the brunt of jokes and ridicule. In the case of children interacting with one another, size did matter regardless of stature within the village.

I came up with an idea and asked Gobber if he could help by having Hiccup as an apprentice. A blacksmith is an important job within the village and an apprentice position was highly prized. He was initially reluctant to do so since he was only twelve years old at the time. I told Gobber that Hiccup needed to build his strength and this was an opportunity for that to happen. In addition he could properly learn how to handle weapons, how they were maintained and that through this activity he could maybe channel some of his desire to fight dragons.

I found that even though Gobber accepted Hiccup as an apprentice, I didn't realize how quickly and how well it worked out for both of them. Hiccup was fascinated with the forge and became a model student. Gobber in turn, not only showed the basics of working with iron but also some basics working with leather. They also developed a bond that was evident even to me. I was not envious, Hiccup needed someone he could talk to and I trusted Gobber in that regard.

Needless to say his fascination with dragons and his desire to fit in overcame his willingness to listen to me or even follow common sense. So, regarding the decisions that I made today, allowing Hiccup to attend dragon training with other teenagers around his age of fourteen; the more I thought about it, it seemed to be the right thing to do. He said he always wanted to kill a dragon and at least this would give him an opportunity to learn how to survive against these beasts.

I was jostled from my thoughts by the sound of the front door quietly opening and closing, a gust of wind touched the back of my neck, followed by padded footsteps trying to climb the staircase behind me.

"Hiccup…" I said.

"Dad! Uh, I have to talk to you Dad," Hiccup replied with some concern in his voice.

"I need to speak with you too, son…" I said.

"I think, it's time you learned how to fight dragons. What?" We voiced our concerns simultaneously.

"Ehh, you go first" I said.

"No, no you go first" replied Hiccup.

"Alright, you got your wish…" as I clasped my hands together, I took in a deep breath and said, "Dragon training, you start in the morning."

Hiccup's eyes became wide as saucers.

"Oh man, I should have gone first, because I was thinking, you know, we have a surplus of dragon fighting Vikings. But, do we have enough bread making Vikings or small home repair Vikings?" Hiccup was becoming very agitated with the prospect of entering dragon training.

"You'll need this…" I gave Hiccup one of my training axes.

"I don't want to fight dragons…" Hiccup emphatically declared.

"Oh come on. Yes, you do." Hiccup was probably joking with me.

"Rephrase…Dad, I can't kill dragons," Hiccup exclaimed.

"But you will kill dragons," I replied.

And he'll learn how starting in the morning.

"No, I'm really very extra sure that I won't," said Hiccup.

Now I was getting annoyed. "It's time, Hiccup."

"Can you not HEAR ME?" Hiccup pleaded with me.

"This is serious son," I replied forcefully. "When you carry this axe, you carry all of us with you. Which means you walk like us, you talk like us, you think like us. No more of…this!"

"You just gestured to all of me." Hiccup whined.

I don't have any more time right now for this…

"Deal?" I replied.

"This is turning out to be pretty one sided," Hiccup complained.

"DEAL?" I repeated.

"Deal." Hiccup sighed, resigned to the outcome.

I took my duffel and hoisted it onto my shoulders. "Good. Train hard. I'll be back…probably."

"And I'll be here…maybe," Hiccup replied.

I closed the door to the house and as I was walking to the dock to assist in the preparation of the voyage I had time to think of what Hiccup said.

I don't want to fight dragons!

Yes, he did say that. Why?

For the last five years all he said is that he wanted to fight dragons, to be like one of us.

I get him enrolled and then what, he says NO? Sigh…

I'm going to have to talk to him when I get back.

Author's hypothesis: Valhallarama died from a ruptured brain aneurysm due to the strain of giving birth. As far as Hiccup's size, my conjecture is the enzymes present in the mother's milk did not agree with him completely. This is what gave him the perpetual colic and hampered his physical development.

Happy Valentines to my wife Ochie. This chapter is devoted to those who know love and do what they can to build upon it.

Reviews are appreciated.