So I come back from my Science Bowl Tournament, and suddenly BAM, I see eight reviews and all these favorites and follows. YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING! Thank you all for everything!
So, this is not an episode. This one seemed better alone. It is shorter, but hopefully more eventful.
NOTE: I reposted this, thanks to a great number of reviews letting me know that all my paragraphs were bunched together . . . sorry about that.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything. Thanks for asking.
Snotlout stood up.
He was shaking. He desperately tried to stop it, but he couldn't. The feeling was so foreign. Snotlout did everything with confidence, but this . . .
"Erm, Hiccup?" he asked.
Hiccup didn't need any further prompting. He stood up and immediately walked into the room on the side, Toothless hot on his heels.
He could feel his father's disapproving stare as he walked into the room after him.
"So, uh, Hiccup. I - Well, I saw - thought - that maybe, because of . . ." he trailed off, looking at Hiccup hopelessly, hoping he'd understand what he meant as easily as Hiccup had known in the hall.
No such luck. Hiccup only looked at him blankly, and Snotlout thought maybe he was glaring, but couldn't bring himself to meet his eyes.
What are you doing, Snotlout?! YOU are the superior one here!
With sudden strength, he looked directly into Hiccup's eyes. "I need you to train my dragon."
This did not have the effect he wanted it to have. Hiccup burst into loud, sarcastic laughter. "Oh, Snotlout," Hiccup wiped away a tear from his eye. "Why would I do that?"
This struck Snotlout temporarily dumb. "Well, you did it for Fishlegs."
"He gave me a reason. You-" Hiccup looked at him with disdain. "You never gave me any reason to do anything for you."
"What do you mean?"
"What do I MEAN? What do I MEAN?! WHAT DO YOU THINK I MEAN, SNOTLOUT?!" Snotlout cowered back from him, sure that the others could here Hiccup from the theater.
Hiccup dropped him voice to a hiss, which, in some ways, was worse, and it was definitely more terrifying. "12 years, Snotlout. You can't just come in and ask something of me, when you don't deserve it."
Hiccup turned to leave.
Snotlout felt a sudden impulse to just -
"Sorry!" he blurted.
Hiccup whipped around. "What did you say?"
Snotlout gulped. Had he done something wrong? "I - I'm sorry. I'm sorry for bullying you and for hurting you and - I'm just sorry, okay? Don't make me say it again. 'Cause I won't."
Hiccup's face remained neutral. "I don't expect you to. But how do I know you're being sincere?"
Snotlout was taken aback. He'd just apologized, and Hiccup was asking if he was sincere?!
But apparently, Hiccup was no longer that trusting. So Snotlout did the only thing he could do at that point - he talked. Not his strong suit, but Snotlout was frozen there. What else was he supposed to do, when every single action he could think of seemed useless?
"You were always smaller than me and I saw you as a good target. And I thought it was cool, and it was really great when the twins were there too, and I never really considered what you might think. I know you always looked so upset and hurt later on, but I didn't really think . . ." Snotlout sighed, and then continued. "But I understand now. I do and I can see how it feels and I don't think it's right anymore because you are a human, and you are probably a better person than me, and I know now that I am not the best. And I won't ever say it again, or to anyone else, but I can say it now because Hiccup - Hiccup . . . Because I think you deserve to hear it after everything I've done to you. So I won't apologize again, and now it's your choice to forgive me or not."
Snotlout gathered what remained of his shattered dignity, and stood with his head held high as he wait for Hiccup.
But it didn't take Hiccup long at all. His face softened, and he said, "Snotlout . . . thank you. Now, what did you want me to do?"
Cries of dismay were heard when Snotlout walked in with his Nightmare, Hookfang. Hookfang had already set him on fire, twice, but Snotlout seemed . . . happier now.
Spitelout groaned in disgust. What had his son sunk to? A mindless, dragon worshipping fool?
When his idot - no, he wasn't his son anymore. When Snotlout and Hiccup finally settled down, everyone stared at the screen, but nothing played. The screen remained blank.
Confused murmurs rippled through the room.
They were interrupted by a manic yell at the back of the room.
Everyone's heads turned, to see a boy with a shiny helmet and blue diagonal facepaint gripping a sword at the back of the room.
Dagur.
As they stared, the sword suddenly disappeared from Dagur's hand.
"Wha- what?" he said, before turning to them murderously. "You! I knew it! WHAT DID YOU DO?!"
"Dagur." Stoick said sharply. "We have not done anything."
"And I'm suppo- What've you got there?" Dagur grinned maliciously, his eyes landing on the group of dragons around Hiccup, Snotlout, and Fishlegs.
"Dragons," Hiccup said lightly. "What's it to you?"
"What's it to me? Well, I've been thirsting for a dragon to kill! And my dad is so boring . . ."
"No. You won't be killing any of these dragons." Hiccup said sharply, and Dagur's grin melted off his face, replaced with an ugly look.
"What did you say?"
"I said no." Hiccup glared right back at Dagur. They held each other's gazes, until Dagur turned away to look at Stoick.
"Well? He's your son!"
Stoick sighed heavily. "Without weapons, we can't do anything. And," Stoick shot a venomous look at Hiccup. "Hiccup is not my son."
Dagur glared at everything, before marching over to Hiccup - or attempting to. As soon as he had gotten near the dragons, they immediately reared up, and even Dagur knew it was a hopeless case. He stepped back carefully.
The twins laughed silently. Dagur looked at them harshly, before looking down and muttering. "I'll get the girl first." Tuffnut immediately stopped laughing, and his eyes focused on Hiccup.
"Where do I sit?" he grumbled. "And what are we doing here?"
The floor at the front, right next to the teens, opened up, and revealed a chair close to black, but was tinted enough that it could pass for grey - it wasn't even close to Stoick's, but it was far better than Mildew's, which surprised everyone.
No one said anything, however, and Dagur did not ask about the multi-colored chairs.
Voice's voice echoed around the room. "Dagur, you are here to watch videos from the future. You will not move from this seat, and there will be no physical violence. Understood?"
Dagur nodded grudgingly, and asked, "Who are you?"
"It's not important right now, and will never be important." Her voice faded away, and no matter how many questions Dagur asked, she would not respond.
When everyone had quieted down, they looked eagerly at the screen. When it did not play, the Vikings eventually connected the dots, and groaned. Who else was going to get up and eventually get their dragon?
Tuffnut, it seemed. And this surprised everyone. They didn't have a reason to be - but they were.
It was not as if they could do anything, and so they watched as Tuffnut, Hiccup, and, of course, Toothless, walked into the empty room, leaving behind a very confused Ruffnut.
Tuffnut turned to look seriously at Hiccup, who stared right back. "Hiccup, first I want to say that I'm sorry. I know we were really mean to you when we were younger."
Hiccup nodded, confused at Tuffnut sudden maturity. He would have doubted his sincerity as well - but the sudden seriousness was enough to convince him that Tuffnut was for real with everything he was about to say.
"But now, Hiccup, I really need you. I need you to train our dragon."
"But why?" Hiccup asked. He could guess for Fishlegs, and for Snotlout, but Tuffnut was so sudden in his decision . . .
"Did you hear Dagur, Hiccup? He said to himself that he'd get Ruffnut! We laughed at him because he was being stupid-" Hiccup rolled his eyes as Tuffnut grinned suddenly. "-and he threatened her. I can't have that, and I need something to protect us - her." Tuffnut's grin melted away, and Hiccup looked into his dead-serious eyes.
Hiccup smiled at Tuffnut, not saying anything. He was glad, really, that there was something - someone - that Tuffnut cared for so much. And that was enough to make his decision on the spot.
Hiccup nodded slowly. "We'll need your sister."
Once Toothless had returned with both the Zippleback and Ruffnut, Tuffnut turned to his twin. "I asked Hiccup to train our dragon."
"What? Why?" Ruffnut exclaimed, looking at the dragon nervously.
"Because I need to keep you safe." Tuffnut said, his eyes boring into hers.
"Oh yeah? Well, I need to keep you safe! I'm not as stupid as you are!"
"What do you mean?! Besides, I'm older!"
"No, you're not! I am!"
"Well, I'm smarter!"
"No, I am! I'm older and smarter, AND cooler!"
"When did coolness come into this?! I'm definitely older and cooler!"
"Then I'm smarter!"
"Guys!" Hiccup said sharply. "Do you want me to train Barf and Belch or not?"
"Yes!" both said in unison, Ruffnut following it with, "I have to protect my stupid brother!" and Tuffnut with, "I have to protect my younger sister!"
Both glared at each other, but instantly stopped and stared in awe when Hiccup, who decided being straight would make this faster, brought over the Zippleback.
When everyone was finally settled - now there was a small group of dragons and people in the center, Astrid had scooted farther away from them, and none of the Vikings could stop themselves from glaring at Dagur, and he couldn't help himself from glaring back - the next video started up.
PLEASE review. I'm not exactly sure of the quality of this chapter . . .
