Act I Sc III

It almost looked comical perched on the hill, towering over every other house in the village. He was sure that this was Stoick's house with the structure on the roof that looked eerily like a wood-carved severed dragon head. Hiccup shivered.

He made his way up the long set of steps as the sun peeked out from behind the tall, teetering rock formation that made the island recognizable from above. He hoped Stoick was awake. Were Vikings awake at this time of day? Hiccup wasn't sure. Astrid was always awake when he came to visit at night.

Ohhh no, that means Stoick won't be up. And that means I'd be waking him up and that means he won't be happy and we would not be off to a good start, oh gods, I should have come up with a better plan!

Heart racing, he knew he needed to cool down. He slowed his pace and did his best to consider the daunting situation before him rationally. Before and after he had met Toothless, the skills he'd learned from Valka had made him into "an excellent leader" as she often said. His intelligence and patience had served him well in his diplomatic dealings. He liked to think of himself as an ambassador to dragons. He, Toothless, and the dragons led a group of thousands!

Of dragons, he reminded himself, Not people

He was already at Stoick's door. Hiccup reminded himself to stay positive. Stoick was the man who took Astrid in after her parents were killed in that attack. Thoughts of her sly smile gave Hiccup the confidence to push open to door and cross the threshold.

Hiccup stood in the doorway not really sure what to do. This was the first time he'd ever been in a house before. It was a lot darker than he'd imagined it would be. Light came only from the fireplace. It was a shame these people didn't get along with dragons because their houses seemed to have enough room for one. Hiccup could imagine Toothless jumping from beam to beam in the rafters…

"Hello?" called a deep voice from within. A massive man with an impressive beard descended the stairs. This must have been Stoick. When he saw that there was indeed a stranger in his house, he reached for the nearest axe hung on the wall. "Who are you and what are you doing in my house?" Stoick whispered dangerously.

Hiccup gulped. He had expected roaring and blustering but this was much more intimidating. If Hiccup had the choice between a herd of Changewings or Stoick the Vast, he would choose the Changewings.

"Hello. Uh—are you Stoick? Well-uh—my name is Hiccup," He could already feel himself turning red.

Stoick snorted. "Hiccup? Learn to knock, will you?"

Hiccup wondered if that was slang for a type of sparring. Was this a joke about his size? Maybe both? Now that this man was at the foot of the steps, he towered over Hiccup. If Stoick hadn't intended to make him feel small before, he certainly was now. Doing his best not to allow the Viking chief to succeed in this endeavor, Hiccup continued his spiel, sticking to the few details he'd altered in his story to Astrid.

"I'm from the North—"

"Oh? Are you from Freezing to Death?" Stoick asked.

"Ehm, no. But where I come from, I'm known as a sort of apprentice to the uh—" Hiccup struggled to find the right word for his mother's title in the dragon world without revealing their opinions of dragons as Stoick looked him up and down.

"—to the blacksmith?" Stoick asked, gesturing to Hiccup's metal leg.

Valka had taught him all the skills he needed to make the iron mechanics in Toothless' tail and his own prosthetic leg, so for the sake of argument, Hiccup could agree to that. "Sort of, I suppose."

"If you're further north than Freezing, what are you doing this far south?" Stoick asked, taking a seat. Hiccup tried to conceal his relief. Until that moment he hadn't realized how much real-life Stoick lived up to his dragon world expectations with the snarling and the cold stare. It was an enormous improvement to be relatively at eye-level.

"Well, funny you should ask," said Hiccup with much more confidence, "the thing is I didn't mean to come here. A few months ago I was—sailing south to build a new map and I came across this lovely place. I crashed-wrecked near the woods on the far side of the island. I befriended one of your villagers. Her name is Astrid."

Stoick's grip on his axe tightened and shot daggers with his eyes.

Hiccup changed his tactic to self-preservation and sped through the last bit of his story. "So anyway, we've become pretty close and she told me you're her guardian. And when I asked her to marry me—"

"What?!" roared Stoick, jumping to his feet and advancing towards Hiccup.

"But but but she insisted that I tell you first. So, nice to meet you, but I really should be going—"

"Oh no, boy, you're not going anywhere."

Hiccup backed away. "Now I—I—I know this may not be very— traditional—"

"Traditional?" Stoick roared, "Ugh!" The chief paced about the room. He threw down the axe which eased some of the tension. "Gobber was right. I should have known. It all makes sense. You must be Bigfoot," Stoick muttered under his breath. He collected himself. His eyes softened.

"Alright, young man," he continued skeptically, "what excuse do you have? How would it be beneficial for my ward to marry you, someone who shows up out of the blue, just when she's about to become chief?"

"So she is about to be chief?" Hiccup asked.

Stoick's eyes narrowed and the icy stare returned. "Wouldn't you like to—"

"No reason!" Hiccup held up his hands as if in surrender with a nervous laugh, "She just mentioned that that might be a possibility!"

Stoick sighed. "Listen, I'm the chief of the tribe," he paused, "what did you say your name was?"

"Uh, Hiccup, sir," Hiccup said. Strange. People didn't usually forget his name.

"Here's the thing, Hic-cup," Stoick continued, collapsing, "I'm the chief of this tribe. Astrid might have told me you need my permission, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. For argument's sake, say that I did agree to such a union."

Hiccup's heart leapt.

Stoick continued, "As husband to the chief, you'd have to be prepared to lead the people. Can you name any qualifications you'd have for such a task?"

Hiccup's time had come. "Well, funny you should ask." He stood a little taller. "Where I come from, I'm known as a revolutionary. A leader. I'm known for my innovative ideas and thousands of dra—people have followed my lead. I've settled disputes and saved lives. But these people are not mere subjects; I am proud to call them my friends. And I assure you that if I married your Astrid, the future chief of Berk, I assure you that I would—"

Stoick seemed as if he could hold in his amusement no longer. He roared with laughter. "A leader? Oh gods! Your subjects as your friends? Hiccup, Hiccup, Hiccup, you're a blacksmith!"

Hiccup's heart sank. "Right," he remembered that as the cover for his lack of a proper Viking profession, "That… Sir…if I may—"

"Hiccup", Stoick cut him off, returning to his senses, "you are not fit to lead these people."

"No, you're right," Hiccup admitted, "I'm having a hard enough time trying to convince you, to be frank. But leading the people, that wouldn't be me, Stoick. That would be Astrid's job."

Stoick sighed. "Has Astrid told you that I was married?"

"No, she didn't."

The Viking chief turned away and diverted his gaze to the fire. "Well, I was…for a brief time…until I lost her… Even before we were married, she was my counsel. She was support for the chief and therefore support for the people. She was as much the chief as I was, Hiccup… and I should have let her be."

Hiccup figured a way he could direct the conversation back to his qualifications to marry Astrid. "You loved her, didn't you?"

"Aye," Stoick whispered solemnly. His tone changed. "Don't try to tell me you know what love is, boy."

Hiccup mentally cursed.

"Exactly how long have you and Astrid been seeing each other?" Stoick asked, towering over him once more.

"Uhm…about uh…a few months…"

Stoick laughed much more heartily this time. Hot anger welled inside Hiccup. Who did this man think he was? Hiccup knew very well that he was unqualified to lead the people of this village but he was nothing if not intelligent. He hadn't come there to ask to be chief! This was about Astrid! He merely wanted permission! He would not be treated like the runt of the litter! He bubbled over and cried out in frustration.

"Can you not see how important she is to me?" Hiccup burst, "You may not think a few months is a long time but I can assure you that I love this girl! I love Astrid! And this has nothing to do with leading a tribe or status or anything like that, no. It's –it's –it's a special bond we have. It's like a connection I've never felt before. Sir, this is about the depth of our feelings for each other. How can—how can you apply the simple matters of state to a matter that's strictly of the heart?"

"Ah, my boy," Stoick interrupted, "but it's not a matter of the heart. It's a matter of state. When you discuss one, you should not discuss the other. Never during my time as chief have I ever mixed the two, which I may say has helped me greatly."

"But it shouldn't be about that—" Hiccup protested.

"Enough," Stoick held up a hand, "even if you'd lived on this island your entire life, I still wouldn't have said yes. I admit I have to admire your stubbornness. And your bravery. But you don't qualify to be a Viking leader. You don't what it takes, Hic-cup."
Hiccup burned to tell him just how qualified he was. "But I know what it is to—"

"That's enough," said Stoick calmly.

"—Sir, you have no idea what I can—"

"Enough!" Stoick boomed.

Hiccup sighed, dejected. Stoick put a hand on his shoulder. It was nearly twice its size. It made Hiccup feel small, worthless even.

"Look, Hiccup, you probably have a big heart but that won't be enough for the people of this village. I'm sorry. Now if you'll excuse me," said Stoick, patting him on the shoulder with enough force to knock him to the ground, "Duty calls." Stoick crossed to the door as if seeing him out. It seemed Hiccup's time was up here.

The boy slumped his way out the door. With a sigh and a groan, he murmured under his breath, "What am I gonna tell Astrid?"

Stoick stopped him. "Oh, one more thing—you're not to see my ward ever again." He slammed the door in Hiccup's face.

Dejected and all hope lost, Hiccup shuffled back to Raven Point. He figured he'd best find Toothless and fly back to the mountain.