Chapter 6

It was a gruelling week. Every night, Hiccup and I curled up in his room, thankful to be away from Kenna, and every morning, we avoided her until we absolutely had to talk with her.

Hiccup was sitting at the breakfast table one day, face in his hands, when his father brought up something that just made everything worse.

"Son – I have to attend an urgent meeting called by Peaeye Nadderslayer, and – well – since we're sort of trying to make peace with them, I told him I'd be there."

"So what?" asked Hiccup.

"Well – it's too long a distance at too short a notice for me to take a ship – or even a normal dragon. We're taking the ten best dragons on Berk, but we need the best of the best, and…"

Hiccup gave a little groan, and put his head on the table.

"Dad!" he moaned. "Do you have any idea how difficult the situation you just put me in is? It's like asking me to give up my arms and legs for a week."

He took a deep breath, and looked up at me.

"You have my permission, father. For the good of the tribe. But only if Toothless consents. What do you say, Toothless?"

I spread my wings halfheartedly.

"He'll go," Hiccup told Stoick, rather miserably. "But you'll be back soon, right?"

"We leave tomorrow morning – it'll take a day and a half a day on the fastest dragon in Berk to get there, and who knows how long Peaeye will detain us there?"

Hiccup sighed, and started to eat his breakfast again.

Under the table, his living foot brushed my living tailwing, and the faint touch said it all. We needed each other. What could we do alone? My wing brushed his foot again, and I tried to communicate to him the resentment I felt at Stoick's request.

He ran his foot over the ridges in my wing.

I don't want you to go either. But hey, he's the chief. What he says goes.

I growled faintly. It was just a slight rumble in my throat, but he heard.

He shrugged. I'm sorry. I wish you didn't have to go - I love you. I'll miss you.

He tapped his foot against my wing again.

Whatever you do, be careful.