*Shakes off dust*

Heeeeey there guys, remember me!? Yeah, I told you there'd be one more painstakingly long wait for this chapter and then I'd be back with a new and shiny uploaded schedule.

So, here's the deal, I'll be updating this story on the 1st and 15th of every month, so that's two updates a month! I'm far ahead enough in the writing that I can pull off that schedule even with college so, rejoice!

And for your patience this chapter is ridiculously long and comes with art!

blackrose108 . deviantart art / VikingPunk - Tale - Hiccup - Chapter - 8 - 397316435

Just remove the spaces and blah blah blah, you know the drill. Can't promise that there'll be art with every chapter but enjoy the craptastic splendor of my horrible chapter art!

Happy reading!

Part One: We are Challenging Fate

Chapter Eight: Tested and Dueled, Part 2

Sweat dripped at his brow, his hands grasping and taunt. He panted out before letting out a primal growl, he wanted it…

Astrid could only smile as the metal of her sword clinked at the metal of Hiccup's dagger, their eyes locked for many moments, but even she was spent on how to get out of the grip. They had been dueling all morning, the results seeming more and more off with Astrid's instructions on how to hold a weapon. Right handed firm grip. But it was only this duel that they seemed to be in a proper brawl.

Finally pushing her weight back she slid across the wooded dirt before running back towards him, her sword charging at the prince. He blocked her again, but she kept swinging, going straight for his neck when he tumbled under her, rolling and picking up some leafs among his tunic and pointed his dagger straight into her back, toppling her over by kneeing her just as quickly. Astrid swung her weight, putting every last ounce of momentum she had in one last strike. She turned her head and saw Hiccup's smug smile. He was so sure he had won but instead she lunged her sword forward…and the smile faded as he was pinned to the tree that stood proudly behind him, almost mocking his own pride as he stood with the shoulder of his tunic pinned by her sword so swiftly into the bark of the might tree.

He scowled, but all in good nature.

"Lesson one…?" Hiccup breathed.

"Lesson one." Astrid smiled.

Hiccup's smile returned, in the sleeve of his hand was a smaller knife, and he threw it forward, it didn't pin Astrid but landed at the tree right next to her cheek, a few strands of hair fell to the ground. She could only return his grin, though.

"And lesson three…always have a backup plan." Hiccup laughed. Astrid plucked the knife from the tree and walked over to Hiccup, taking her own sword out from his tunic.

"I don't believe I ever taught you that lesson…" She said. "But keeping extra knifes on you is a good idea."

"I've read a book or two on assassination," Hiccup brushed off some of the dirt from his tunics. His white undershirt hopeless browned with mud and dirt. "Smaller knives seemed to be the preferred method."

"I thought we were dueling your cousin not committing a murder." Astrid cut her eyes. "Something you wanna tell me?"

"I'm just messing around, Alastair." Hiccup patted her shoulder.

Astrid rubbed her shoulder a bit, the injury she received what seemed like forever ago was slowing up, but it still tinged every now and then. She examined Hiccup's grip on his dagger, it was all wrong...

"Hiccup how in the world are you holding that dagger?" She asked.

Hiccup looked down, seeming perplexed.

"It's in the wrong hand and everything!" She continued.

"Oh...well...that's probably just because I have a dominant cursed hand." Hiccup shrugged. Astrid looked down and saw the visual evidence even as he stood. How he favored his left side-a curse it was for any man to be dominant on their left side...it was a curse. But Astrid hardly believed that kind of myth anymore if Hiccup was one of them.

She walked up and took both his hands, they were wrapped around his dagger, and she examined the grip. It was correct, now that she looked more closely, it was just in the wrong hand. She smiled, no wonder he was able to finally pin her...he was using his dominant hand.

Hiccup looked away, distracted, out to the forest. It was mid afternoon, in about three more hours it would be too dark to see. Astrid caught his thought and simply nodded.

"Maybe….we should head back to the palace? I think you're as ready as you're going to get at this point." Astrid suggested, but Hiccup's eyes were still out there. "What are you looking at?"

But that wasn't Hiccup's point. "Do you think my new modifications with Toothless will work…?" Hiccup asked quietly instead of agreeing, the wind rustled over him as he turned to face her again. His eyes were dead serious, and with the muddied stains of his shirt and the determined wrinkle above his brow Astrid swallowed. It was hard to think him the same person when he got so intense.

"Well, I guess we'll find out after the duel." She answered lightly, she knew he didn't want such a light answer to a heavy question, but she wished he would focus on one pride lifting event at a time. Though, it was true, they hadn't gone to visit Toothless that day. Astrid insisted they spend from late morning to dusk practicing his new techniques with his dagger.

He still needed more training. His stance kept shifting and was never the firmest, he still left too many areas of his body open to puncture, but he was quick. His feet were light, and he was stirred on by the high of determination. Commendable in any fighter, in Astrid's opinion.

"We'll go see him after the duel tomorrow…you'll probably want to see him afterwards no matter what the outcome."

Hiccup was still silent.

"Prince Hiccup…?"

"It's just going to bother me if I don't do something about the modifications today…" Hiccup muttered, but Astrid had heard enough. She sighed and slid her sword back into its sheath, turning his shoulder to face her. "We need to head back before it's too dark to see. You know when you go to see Toothless you're there for hours at the least."

"I just need to at least see if it fits…" He bit his lip, looking down at his boots. Astrid followed his gaze and sighed.

"We're going to have to go back to the palace to get them." Astrid finally gave in, and at her words Hiccup perked up, grabbing her arm and pulling a few trees down to a hallow bark. "What's this?"

"We can store the rigging system in here." He pointed to the hallow of the tree beside them.

"Why? We carry the tail." Astrid raised a brow.

"We can store the tail here as well, it's too risky to keep carrying everything back and forth. And after the duel it'll be weird for me to continuously carry around a scabbard and a sword separately."

Astrid chewed on his words…at least he had thought it through, and very rarely did anyone wander this deep into the forest on a routine level.

"Alright…we'll head back to the palace, and carrying everything here. I'll pick up some dinner as well, since I doubt we'll be heading back from the cove before dinner is finished." Hiccup only smiled at her words, and packed away his dagger and spare knife, already running ahead.

He was happy, Astrid smiled.

0o0

Get a wagon and fetch dinner, was Astrid's orders via the prince while he stayed and tweaked the last few screws in the rigging system. He was locked in his smithy and Arte was cleaning up in his room so he was safe, Astrid let out a breath.

She went out to the shed out back and found a few maids hanging up clothes outside.

"Are you going to the duel tomorrow?" One of the woman asked.

"Oh, of course," another cackled. "Why miss such rich entertainment? That weakling prince just keeps pushing his luck."

Alastair glared, none of the women had realized she was there as she walked quietly into the shed behind them, searching for an appropriately sized wagon.

"Did you hear that the prince and that servant warrior have been training every day all week? He's even using that sword he got as a gift from the one of the high islands."

Man, word sure did travel around there. Astrid almost smirked, probably Arte's doing.

"What a waste of a good sword."

"And a good warrior. Alastair's kin to Atlas Hofferson, and his talents are being wasted by pitying that hopeless prince."

She felt her blood boil.

Astrid grabbed a wagon and made no effort to be quiet, coming out of the shed with a tight narrow squint to her eyes and all the women gasped, a few dropped the damp clothes to the ground.

"Warrior Alastair." They all said in unison.

She only regarded them with a frown, not even giving them the time of day to tell then which way was up.

She heard the desperate whispers behind her.

"He really is loyal to the prince…"

"Such a shame he had some much going for him…"

0o0

Astrid entered the room, glad to not have heard too much more gossip in the kitchens as well as in her halls on her way back.

She had some dry food, easy to eat later if needed, and Hiccup peaked out of the smithy, asking her to come in with the wagon even though Arte still cleaned.

"Such heavy labor so close to the evening?" Arte asked, never taking her eyes off of her cleaning.

"Such curiosity for something that's none of your business?" Hiccup opened the door fully as Astrid wheeled in the wagon to the forge. "We have some last minute training to do if you must know." Hiccup ran his finger over his side desk. "And you might wanna hit my desk again, it's dusty."

He closed the door behind them, the room especially dark without the extra light provided by the room.

"How is it looking?" Astrid asked, looking as Hiccup folded the metal at its connecting points and placing it, a saddle, and the tail inside the wagon.

When had he had the time to do all this…?

"Prince Hiccup, you made a saddle…?" Astrid asked, cocking her hip a bit. Hiccup didn't make eye contact as he got a slab of wool to cover the wagon's contents.

"I…might've gotten up in the middle of a few nights to work on a few things."

Astrid's jaw dropped. She must've been more exhausted than she realized if she had slept through him hammering away in his forge in the middle of the night while she was sleeping that whole week. She needed to perhaps keep her door open…? But she had reasons for keeping it closed as she slept, of course.

Still…

She punched Hiccup in the side of his arm, wanting to jab harder but not wanting to risk hurting his arm badly right before a sword duel.

"You reckless little-!" Astrid almost screamed. "Prince Hiccup," she lowered her voice to a hiss. "You needto get your rest, you have to be in top condition for the duel tomorrow."

"I know, I know…I've been sleeping enough. I just don't need as much rest as you." He tried to smile but Astrid wasn't playing along.

"I want you to su—"

"Succeed, I know, I know." Hiccup's shoulders fell. "I'm sorry, alright? Let's just go get this to Toothless to try it on."

Astrid sighed and opened the door, her and Hiccup slipping out despite Arte's glares or anyone else's for that matter. Hiccup looked over at her with question as she was sure he heard whispers of not only his name…but "Alastair's pity".

Meeting with Toothless was a little more in chipper spirits. Toothless ran up almost giddily to Hiccup and he petted the dragon all the same as he always had. Astrid smiled despite her still being a little pissed at him. She was almost tempted to go and be with those two…they looked rather cozy now that they had gotten past whatever hurtle they needed to.

Hiccup quickly connected the tail to the rigging system, the stirrup to the saddle, it was quite the complicated system. Even Astrid wondered if he could pull it off. Though she was reminded of his quick tact and deft that morning while he was practicing fighting with his dagger. It impressed her, to say the least.

Hiccup ran over to her then, going to the wagon and pulling out yet another item she was unaware of him making. A vest of sorts that he slipped on with two dangling connectors at the waist. She corked a brow.

"Prince Hiccup…" She sighed. That boy had everything…

"What? I can't count how many times you nagged me about falling off Toothless, so, now I don't have to worry about that." He slipped the vest on the rest of the way, tugging at the connectors. "See? They connect to the saddle so even if I get dislodged I won't fall off." He looked up to the sky…sparkles of wonder in them "Which will come in handy when we get higher up."

Astrid shook her head at how romanced he had become with flight. The thought of the actual deal, while silently fueling his actions, wasn't at the forefront due to his affair with the sky.

"Can I borrow some paper and a charcoal stick?" He asked as he hooked everything up. Astrid grabbed a piece only to have Hiccup rip it in half and give the other half back to her. She frowned.

"I only need a little," he said. "I've gotta document the positions."

Astrid's frown deepened as she looked up at the sun. It was barely visible behind the trees anymore. Dusk was upon them as the sky shown of purples and reds. "Flying wasn't part of the plan, Prince Hiccup." Astrid nagged, "I thought you said that you were just 'trying it on'?"

"Oh come on, Alastair…just a quick test."

Quick test? Yeah right. Astrid watched as Hiccup messed around with the controls flipping the stirrup until the tail was out and Toothless and the prince were up in the air yet again. She wondered how long it would take for them to fall…?

A loud splash….

Not too long.

Astrid got up and walked over to the lake's edge, looking dully into the water. Toothless dragged Hiccup out with his claws and nudged at Hiccup's side to get him up. Hiccup smiled at the dragon and coughed slightly.

"You might wanna try something different." Astrid offered.

"Hm, like what?" Hiccup kneeled down beside her, Toothless coming up as well. Astrid immediately closed up a bit with Toothless so near, pulling her knees up to her chest.

"Maybe tie a rope to something and figure out the positions while you float…?"

Hiccup blinked a few times and looked at Toothless, the dragon nodded a bit, running off.

"Um, he didn't like that idea?"

"No, I told him to go get some vines from the tree over there." Hiccup stood and rustled through the wagon. "I didn't bring a role long enough so we'll need a little extra." As he dropped the rope as he drew a picture of the first position of the tail. "Position…one." He said to himself.

"How many positions are there?"

"I rigged for six, but I may need to add some more or take some out depending on how Toothless flies." He walked off, going over to Toothless who brought him three extra vines. "Come on Alastair!" He called out. "We're going up to the cliffs over there…we'll give you a lift."

A…lift? On Toothless?

"I'll…uh…I'll meet you there. Go on ahead." There was no way in Hel she'd ride on a dragon.

0o0

It took her a bit of time to climb back up the cliff and make it through the forest to the cliffs they had flown to. The sun was barely peaking over the horizon and half the sky was already twinkling in inky darkness. It was much too late for them to be out, and their dinner was left back in the wagon. But she really didn't have to make it all the way there to the cliffs for as soon as she heard a crash, she rushed over and realized…the prince and his dragon had crashed into a nearby tree.

"Prince Hiccup!" She ran over, both of them were hopelessly tangled in the rigging. Astrid pulled at Hiccup's leg and tugged him forward, but he'd only budge but so much. "What's wrong?"

"I think I made the slip on the connectors too narrow…it's lodged in there pretty good." Hiccup tried to stand, but fell over a bit as Toothless stepped forward with him. "Looks like we're really close friends, now, huh Toothless?" Hiccup tried to laugh it off, but Astrid was two seconds from freaking out.

"H-Hiccup!" She raised her voice. "You are attached to Toothless! And you're laughing about this!?"

"Well…it is kinda funny." Hiccup laughed once more before frowning. He tugged at the connectors a little more desperately. "Okay…I need to get some…some pliers, from my smithy."

Astrid pressed a palm to her forehead. "You didn't bring one with you?" He shook his head. "Great…so I'm guessing I'm going to have to get it?"

"Well I would but, I've gained some extra pounds."

Astrid sighed. She did remember seeing some pliers up on the wall of his forge last night. She turned to them. "Go back to the cove as best you can and start eating the dinner in the wagon, I'll be back as soon as I can." Astrid looked down before taking a few steps towards Hiccup, looking him in the eye was always weird for her, but she felt the need to get the point across clear and firm. Her mind was too cluttered with what happened the last time she left him alone.

"Please stay out of trouble while I'm gone."

He smiled.

"I'm serious, Prince Hiccup." Astrid wasn't smiling. "It'll be night when I get back. You and Toothless stay low and no more flying after you get to the cove."

"Yes mom…" Hiccup muttered and she smacked his arm before walking away.

She practically ran through the forest, praying to Odin that everything would be good until she got back.

Glad that Arte wasn't in the room while she ripped the pliers and another useful looking tool from the wall, stuffed it in her belt and ran back out she was stopped by what she thought was a pole and toppled to the ground.

"Ah, it's Hiccup's girlfriend." The 'pole' spoke and Astrid scowled up at the realization that Snotlout's body must've been as hard as his head. And there he went again with the girlfriend comment…

"Out of the way, Snotlout, I'm in a hurry." Hadis was there as well, the two off to dinner or to the lounging area, no doubt.

"Going back to lick the prince's boots?" He laughed a bit and the same fire that burned when she heard the laundry maids speaking ill of Hiccup came back. He was just so…cocky.

"I'll leave that to you tomorrow after Prince Hiccup beats you." She spoke without thinking. She probably shouldn't be talking Hiccup up so much as she wasn't completely confident he'd win. But anythingto shut that fool up.

Snotlout shook his head. "Alastair, it really is such a shame to see you go this way. Pledging loyalty to some useless prince. Atlas wouldn't be impressed."

Atlas…

Astrid stepped backwards a bit, feeling punched in the stomach yet again. That pang returned every time she was reminded of her slow but steady betrayal to her brother…the reason she was really there. All marred by Hiccup.

"There are more important things…" She rested on, though her strained voice wasn't very convincing.

"I just wish I knew what was so special to make such a bright boy like you steep so low. Did he offer you something valuable? Bribe you with women?" Oh, how she wanted to punch him right in his snotface.

"The prince has done no such thing." Astrid turned her heel. She'd rather go the long way outside the palace than stand around getting worked up over Snotlout again.

Hadis and Snotlout snickered as Astrid walked away, she heard their faint whispers as thought it was second nature. She had been hearing whispers all week, and they rang as loudly as yells in her mind.

"Man, this is gonna be a riot," Hadis laughed a bit. "And with the King coming back soon, it won't be too long before you can finally be the proper heir."

"It'll take a bit of convincing," Snotlout replied. "But this duel came at a good time, once I win that'll probably be all the convincing I need to do to Uncle Stoick to revoke Hiccup's birthright…"

Astrid made a squeak, covering her mouth quietly as she realized she had stopped walking in an attempt to listen. She looked over her shoulder and found Snotlout smirking back at her, there was a demon in his eyes, and, again, it made her want to punch him.

0o0

Making a mad dash back into the forest—Snotlout and Hadis' conversation, about how certain Snotlout was that he was going to beat Hiccup, and about how he'd use that to convince King Stoick to revoke Hiccup's birthright to inherit the throne and give it to him instead—throbbed within her.

She ran faster, needing to tell Hiccup. Maybe it would be the boost he needed to finally focus.

Once she returned to the cove she found Hiccup sitting against Toothless by the lake. He took a few bites of his food while he fished from the lake, every time he got a bite he'd give the fish to Toothless who ate it happily.

It was still the strangest thing, watching those two. But Astrid had to stop and stare every time. A goofy smile on her face as she saw the prince fit in better with a wild dragon than anyone else in his own culture.

She felt almost out of place running up to tell him of Snotlout's conversation. Wishing he could just fly away on Toothless…she knew he didn't belong there. And even though she desperately wanted to believe she was destined for things beyond the shores of Berk…Astrid simply didn't think she was.

What was she? Some maiden who hated being a wife? Some crazy girl passing off a male? Some traitor to her own family? Some odd accessory to Prince Hiccup's crime?

"Oh, hey Alastair." Hiccup turned to wave at her, Toothless till chomping on some fish. "I would come to you but I'm still connected to a dragon, here." He laughed.

Astrid shook her head and went over to the lake, handing him the pliers and the other tool she had brought.

"Great, so as soon as I finish eating we won't be a unit anymore, `kay Toothless?" He smiled at the dragon and the night fury licked his chops as he still ate, but Hiccup cracked up laughing again. The dragon must've said something funny…

Did dragons even have a sense of humor? Astrid wondered…but she couldn't bring herself to ask such elementary questions. Instead she pulled her knees up to her chin, watching the fish Hiccup pulled out make ripples in the water. The reflection of the moon wiggling humorously.

"You're awfully quiet," Hiccup noted without looking at her. "Even Toothless thinks it's weird."

"Does he, now?" Astrid pulled her knees up closer.

"Did something happen when you went back?" Hiccup asked, wrapping the line to the fishing rod, Toothless having a good pile of fish to finish. Astrid's back straightened at the mention of Hiccup's question.

"I guess something did happen," Hiccup said, her reaction probably a dead giveaway. He reached for the pliers, and began to pry at the connectors, still not looking at her while he spoke. "You gonna tell me about it?" He continued. "Was it Arte? Snotlout?"

Her back straightened again, against her will.

Hiccup cut his gaze over to her before returning to his work. "So, it was Snotlout? Let me guess, he was bragging about how he's going to beat me tomorrow?"

Astrid nodded, growing too used to him simply knowing her reactions as a proper response.

"Well there's no reason to get so bent out of shape about that. Isn't him being a cocky jerk expected?" His voice and his grip on the pliers slipped, the tool falling to the ground as Toothless picked it up and handed it back to Hiccup.

Astrid only clamped up more. She really didn't want to tell him exactly what he was fearing.

"But…there's something else, isn't there?" He asked her again with a sigh when Astrid continued to be silent. "What else did he say, Alastair?"

"That…" Astrid finally spoke up, but she trailed. Her voice was so small, so girly. She had to check herself before she continued, clearing her throat to deepen it. "That 'once he wins' he's going to use his victory over you to persuade the king to revoke your birthright." It all came out in one tangled breath, she bit her lip once it was finished, looking hesitantly over at Hiccup as his hand stopped working on disconnecting him and Toothless.

The night fury nudged at him but Hiccup kept his gaze downcast, his bangs falling over his eyes so Astrid couldn't see them. She leaned over to him on impulse, reaching out a hand but Toothless growled at her, probably thinking she caused the pain.

But then…she did.

"I'm sorry," she choked out.

"Don't be." Hiccup said and stood. Taking the pliers firm in hand and broke the connector in one swift motion. Astrid saw his hand shaking, the veins in his slim hands almost popping out. There was a dark shadow over his face and he stood, giving Toothless a gentle pet behind his ear before turning to face her, yet not directly making eye contact.

"Let's go…" he said drolly.

"Are you sure you're alright, Prince Hiccup?" Astrid asked, feeling, for once, like his mother and not being annoyed by it.

"Yeah," he answered simply. "I just need to go home and get some rest. I've got a big day tomorrow…"

0o0

He kept that quiet and focused demeanor for the rest of the night. Silent as they left the cove and stored the flying gear in the hallow tree Hiccup had suggested. Still silent as they walked back home, and not even bothering to snip at Arte's baits as he dressed for bed and placed his dagger right at his bedside.

"Good night Prince Hiccup." Astrid said quietly, blowing out his last candle.

"Alastair," he said as she headed for her own quarters. She looked back into the darkness.

"Yes, Prince Hiccup?"

"What did you say to Snotlout…about what he said?"

It was an odd question to ask in his dark room seconds before bed, but Astrid sighed and answered.

"I told him that there were more important things…" She said, leaving it simply at that before closing the door behind her, the weight of the day denting her shoulders as she slept.

0o0

Hiccup was nowhere to be found when Astrid woke up, a quick note left at his bed that he had gone off to train and eat breakfast alone. Astrid crumbled the paper, thinking it would be just her luck to have something to happen to him when she wasn't there, but before she even had a chance to look for him, the crowd already began to mill around the Kill Ring, she made her way there, already seeing Snotlout.

She looked for Hiccup in the milling of the quickly growing crowd and found him rather easily. Not too hard to find a skinny boy amidst a crowd of brawns.

He had his helmet on, and was holding his sword, and Astrid twitched a brow. What in Odin's name was he thinking of doing with a sword? She hoped that he hadn't gone so off the deep end with learning about Snotlout's intentions that he wanted to beat him with a sword as opposed to his dagger.

Still, she tapped his shoulder and Hiccup practically jumped out of his own skin.

"Alastair…" he sighed. "Don't scare me like that." She saw the grip on the top of his sword tighten and immediately she reached down and covered his hand. Hiccup flinched again as she uncapped his shaking palms before letting go.

"Be calm, My Prince." She said softly, close enough to him so that she could use a smaller voice.

"I know, I know, remember the lessons, don't let Snotlout intimidate me…." He rambled on, though it was hard to get passed his chattering teeth.

"And be calm." She stressed again, grabbing his shoulders urgently and turning him to face her. She kept shaking him as she spoke. "You're not going to win if you're nervous. Conjure up every reason you want to win. Your pride, your birthright, for all the other Hiccups in your family, for Toothless, everything!"

He was silent for a bit, staring blankly forward at Snotlout right across the sparring arena. Astrid followed his gaze he had so many girls, so many friends, so many people all wishing him luck. Hiccup looked back over his shoulder at meet her eyes, the loneliness in them almost pained her. All he had was her there cheering him on.

"For you too…" He said quietly.

"What?" Astrid asked.

"I'm doing it for you too, you know." He smiled but there was a sadness mixing with his gratitude. "You've stood up for me this whole time, I won't let all your talk be an embarrassment to you."

Astrid felt a pluck at her chest. He would fight for his pride, his rights, for Toothless, yes…but for her as well. Or…at least for the Alastair half of her. She looked down at his hand, it was still shaking a bit, and she took it again, bringing it up in front of both their faces and squeezing it tightly, Hiccup took a moment to adjust, but eventually gave in, and squeezed her hand back with a wry smile.

"Go kick his butt for me." She said tartly.

"Will do."

"Hey Your Princeliness!" She heard Snotlout's voice call out. "Come and get it!"

Hiccup's eyes narrowed and he pulled his sword from the sheath, giving one last look towards her before walking out to the Kill Ring.

She had done all she could…

0o0

Hiccup went out into the arena, feeling like the sun was extra merciless that day, a heat sweat adding to his nervous sweat was already making the metal of his helmet smell but he kept a grip on his sword.

Alastair hadn't asked him why he had his sword but he knew that coming out with a dagger in hand was guaranteed to get him laughed out of the arena at first step. Still, he kept his dagger tucked away in a wrist pouch he'd placed under his arm guard. Hopefully Hiccup could go without it, but after hearing Snotlout's post-duel plans Hiccup took a bit more drastic measures. It was dirty play, to hide a dagger, but Hiccup was sure Snotlout would do it in a heartbeat—if he didn't already have one on him as well—too.

Vikings had no dueling etiquette, it was a bloody match of choice, in which the winner had the loser at their complete mercy and could either choose to spare them or kill them. Hiccup swallowed at the very thought of losing, not confident on whether Snotlout would really finish the job or not. Snotlout having him completely out of the question would help with his "plan" to woe his father., after all.

His blood boiled a bit. When Alastair had told him about what Snotlout had said it gave him an odd twinge. He had a hard time devoting total time an energy in the duel when around Toothless. Alastair had always told him he had a 'higher calling' and that he was better than the Viking society, but Hiccup couldn't stomach not inheriting the throne. Not getting back at all those who said he couldn't do it, not showing the entire Viking culture what he was made of. After-all…it was his birthright. Yet being around Toothless was…distracting, though there was something more when he was around the dragon.

A Viking King who not only was a hiccup, but ended the war between dragons and Vikings. The Gods had given him that gift to hear dragons thoughts for a reason, and he intended to use it. But he had goofed off, thought he could skip sleep, only practiced his forms during lessons with Alastair, but now he needed to focus. Every odd was against him, and to even keep his rights he had to beat his cousin….

Snotlout walked into the arena as well, smug and confident as ever. He had his cheerleaders but Hiccup gave one last look back at his own cheering section.

Alastair's hands were clasped together, apprehension in his eyes. Hiccup almost chuckled at how much of a mother Alastair looked like. Still, knowing he had someone rooting for his success despite losing respect for it was freeing in many ways. He took a deep breath and brought his attention back to Snotlout.

"You know the rules." Snotlout licked his lips.

"There are no rules." Hiccup muttered, shaking hands putting his sword in front of him.

"Except try not to cry after I beat you." Snotlout sniffled and took his stance, looking down at Hiccup's grip. "Ha, cursed hand…this fight will be over quickly." The referee banged the drum and off the duel went.

Hiccup faintly heard Alastair calling compliments out to him, but his heart pounded in his ears as the drum bang, everything was spinning as he saw Snotlout lung his sword towards him, he cut around it, barely missing getting jabbed, but on first strike the sword sliced through his shirt, leaving a line of blood on his arm.

Hiccup would've kicked himself if he could. Two seconds into the fight and he was already cut. Snotlout's laughs, and his fan's cheers rang even more in Hiccup's mind. His wrist seemed too stiff to make a formidable strike. Dodging and curving around the blade was his mode of dueling, something that gave him boo's and laughs. But they all registered as ringing.

Snotlout took another jab, and Hiccup locked his blade with and underhanded block, his wrist twisted while the dagger that lay beneath his arm guard stiffened his movement a bit, but he pushed through it. Snotlout's resistance was strong and he could feel the lock on his blade slipping.

What parts of his body were open? Hiccup thought quickly, his brain adjusting to the adrenaline and finally thinking of Alastair's suggestions during lessons. If he lost his lock on Snotlout, he could go for his stomach or his legs. Hiccup used the weight of Snotlout's push and lunged himself back a bit, and, of course, Snotlout came charging. He blocked every blow, each time metal hit metal, and the pound left his teeth over sensitive and chattering within him.

He had to make some strikes if he was going to leave the duel with any dignity, Hiccup thought. But Snotlout wasn't as forgiving as Alastair in lessons. And a sword was so harder to maneuver than a dagger. Without realizing, Hiccup missed a block and the sword whipped right passed his nose, taking off a thin layer of skin and even a few hair strands from his bangs fell in front of his eye, he gasped, and Snotlout simply laughed again, another roar of praises to Snotlout rumbling through Hiccup's body.

His brain pounded with his heart as he looked for good places to strike. Know your target, Alastair would say. Snotlout kept his stomach guarded, his legs always moving, his arms always in a good movement with his sword. Everything checked off, he certainly was more skilled in proper form than him. There were small areas of open, but nothing Hiccup could get at with a sword.

He twisted around Snotlout's blade again, going directly behind him and trying to swing his sword around and maybe catch him off guard, but he was met with similar results as anything else. Blade met blade again, and more cheers from the crowd.

His hands began to shake again as he begin to feel the watery blood on his nose leaking down to his lips, trying to get out of his mind that he was tasting his own failure.

No…Hiccup told himself. None of that talk. He couldn't afford losing the battle, if he did he might as well just be dead.

He tried so hard to remember Alastair's words, every word he had told him about dueling, about being calm, about conjuring up all of his motivations and releasing them through his weapon. He took a wild jab forward, barely missing Snotlout's lower arm, but at least he almost made contact. Another wild stab in the dark, not even trying to have proper form and not caring how desperate he looked at that point. A gangling little prince taking wild jabs at his dueling opponent was probably enough to entertain anyone, but, again, he couldn't think like that. It was win or die…those were the only options.

"Just give it up." Snotlout breathed out, blocking all of Hiccup's rouge strikes like it was all child's play. They locked blades again, and Snotlout smirked. "The crowd can see you're just desperate now…."

Hiccup's eyes widened, the words came as no surprise, but for some reason they still left a dent in his stomach, and push in his ribs. They lunged back and ran at each other again, blade hitting blade every few seconds, wild circles, metal, blood, and sweat circulating everything. Hiccup only saw spinning at that point, but he kept lodging anyways, letting out sorting groans as he did so.

"Getting angry?" Snotlout breathed out a laugh. Hiccup willed himself not to listen, it was just bait, but his ears opened to it, and all the crowds hecklings ran through his listening range. He missed the pound of his heartbeat compared to hearing all the discomforts of the crowds cheers in favor of Snotlout, and all the insults directed towards him.

His legs buckled as he ran towards Snotlout again, sword first, and took one swing as his legs gave out. Snotlout gave a round of his blade, bringing it back and almost twisting Hiccup's wrists back before he felt his grip slip completely. He let out a million curses in his mind as his hands felt naked without the sword in them. Naked and surely dead.

He lost his footing on burnt out legs, falling forward and meeting straight with Snotlout's blade.

Defining moment…face to face with his cousin's blade. His own sword too far away for him to make a run for it without getting stabbed. He looked up at his cousin, nose still bleeding, arm still bleeding, helmet askew, and eyebrows knitted tightly together. Almost daring Snotlout to just finish him.

"Finish him off!"

"Put Berk out of it's misery!"

The crowd yelled. And yet among them was one encouraging scream.

"Don't listen to them, Prince Hiccup, you know what to do now, I know you can do it!"

Hiccup felt the stiffness under his arm guard, His dagger was still there. Being at that angle, Hiccup began to see all the openings he could go for, and smiled a bit.

"Can't make up your mind, Snotlout?" Hiccup probed and Snotlout looked caught off guard with the question. "Allow me to make it for you," Hiccup took the dagger from his guard and took a knee up off the ground, running past Snotlout and slicing him with the dagger. The contact of skin to blade, make his stomach churn, though, eerily reminding him of his first encounter with Toothless. He swallowed. He couldn't get soft now, he had to follow through, just this once…

Snotlout looked at his cut shoulder, the crowd growing even more silent at a loss for words, before he saw the wild fire burn in Snotlout's eyes. Being embarrassed wasn't something Snotlout knew how to handle, and he ran towards him, sword ready to swing before Hiccup locked it against with his dagger, unlocking it and moving his wrist down quickly around to get one of the smaller openings, jabbing at his shoulder.

His dagger went in a deeper than he thought, and Snotlout let out a scream, rearing back. Hiccup removed the dagger quickly, and stepped back as well. Snotlout's arm dangled a bit and he dropped to his knees…the fire in his eyes burning like hel but his panted in exhausting. He stood again, running towards Hiccup but his grip was sloppy, the shoulder Hiccup had punctured bleeding heavily. Hiccup turned around the blade, a few strands of hair falling again, but he took a sly step, coming right up to Snotlout back accidently and throwing caution to the wind, he turned the dagger at its side, the flat end of the dagger against his injured shoulder, The bone felt tender, and Snotlout let out a hiss of pain while Hiccup took the opportunity to knock him to lock an arm around his neck and hold the dagger against the thick flesh. Snotlout gagged a bit as Hiccup held on so tightly it was making him light headed, but he knew any looser a grip and Snotlout would break away in a heartbeat.

The crowd went completely silent. The odds were in Hiccup's favor, and now he had the choice.

Snotlout panted, Hiccup could feel the anger pouring out of him, and sweat collected against his arm as Snotlout's anger intensified.

"Can't…" Snotlout choked. "Make…up your mind…Prince Hiccup?"

Hiccup breathed out. The thought of slitting Snotlout's neck didn't appealed to him, not even then. He deicded…killing wasn't how he would want this to end.

He tightened his grip, turning to Snotlout. The confidence he felt boiled a fire within him. He stood proud and tall, the sun on his back hot and thriving. "I won't be made a fool by you anymore…" he told Snotlout. "And I won't let you take my birthright. I suggest you keep being a warrior duke and learn your place towards your superior."

And with that, Hiccup let go of his cousin, and he dropped down on his knees, gripping his injured shoulder.

Hiccup went up and grabbed his shoved aside sword, and placed his dagger back in the wrist pouch.

The crowd was still silent as Hiccup walked away, and he went right up to Alastair, not knowing whether to smile or wait for a response. Alastair's eyes were wide, but he looked proud.

He just stood before him, not knowing what to say or do either. Together they just fell in stride, walking back to the palace as the crowed thinned out to let them pass.

And if Hiccup finally telling Snotlout to learn his place and beating him at a duel wasn't good enough, the look he saw on Arte's face in the crowd was enough to make him smile.

0o0

Alastair took Hiccup back to his room, sitting him on his bed while he went out to get some medical supplies. Hiccup took off his shirt, and sighed, removing the wrist pouch and leaning back on the bed. The raw pain and his aching muscles finally settling in. All the blood felt like it was rushing to his cuts, his head pounded and his arm throbbed. But…he had won.

Hiccup still laid on his bed, a immovable smile plastered across his lips when Alastair returned. There was the still a thick silence as Alastair cleaned off the cut on Hiccup's arm, but Hiccup's smile remained.

"I'm glad you're happy." Alastair finally said, cutting through the first thicket of silence. Hiccup still didn't answer right away though. "You arehappy, right?" Alastair cut a little deeper in the silence.

"I am." Hiccup said, yet it wasn't as enthusiastic as his tongue prepared. He hissed while Alastair pressed at his cut with a hot towel and looked up at him, Alastair bit his lip, a million thoughts running across his eyes.

"I hope you can handle all the attention you're going to get…" Alastair said, instead of asking all the questions Hiccup anticipated. He chewed on the words. The Kill Ring was silent as he left, only the steps of people going to assist Snotlout pattering. But people were swingers. Going to whichever side benefitted them, whichever side was on the good edge of the things. No one ever wanted to be the one who stuck up for the losing side…except for Alastair, of course.

"Thank you." Hiccup said, disregarding Alastair's other statement.

"You're welcome." Alastair answered instead of the anticipated 'for what?' "Lesson number one, right?" Alastair smiled, finishing up on bandaging Hiccup's arm and taking the hot towel again to move to Hiccup's nose.

"Yeah…" Hiccup laughed a bit, though swallowed when Alastair leaned over him, and scrubbed at his nose with the hot towel. He hissed again, but didn't squirm.

"You lodged him pretty deep in his shoulder…" Alastair said. "Snotlout probably won't be able to use it for a while."

Hiccup frowned. He remembered how unsettling it was just jabbing at Toothless when they first met, hearing the dragon in the hall that night get stabbed and carried off. But there was nothing worse than feeling the blade of his dagger sink into Snotlout's shoulder, one wrong move could sever something, drag right through to the other side…it made him want to yak, but his stomach settled when he looked up at Alastair smiling at him.

"Still…I'm proud of you." Alastair reminded him, dabbing his nose with an herb, it stung and Hiccup hissed again.

"Geez, Alastair…" Hiccup's nose burned at that point, and he could feel the chai of it sinking into his taste.

"Stop being a baby, the cut on your nose isn't bad, I put a remedy on it to protect it for a few hours and help it close up."

"You just know how to do everything, don't you? You're like a warrior and a mother all wrapped up in one." Hiccup laughed, but Alastair simply closed up the medical supplies. He never really took too much favor to being called a mother, but Hiccup couldn't really help but feel more like he had a parental figure following him around than a warrior at that point.

He leaned back against the pillows, letting out a sigh of relief and his smile returned. He felt sore yet empowered and even though all his body told him to do was rest his mind was reeling for feeling the high of exhilaration.

Alastair stood, putting his gloves back on and Hiccup sat up, lifting a brow.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"We're going to see Toothless now, right?" Alastair asked nonchalantly, tinkering with the ending threads of his gloves. Hiccup's lips curved more upward and jumped up and headed for the door, going outside, before Alastair called him back in.

"Your shirt," Alastair reminded him, throwing his tunic over to him that he had ran out and forget he wasn't wearing.

"Oh," Hiccup blushed. "Right."

0o0

The evening was young but dark shadows began to paint the forest as Hiccup and Alastair made their ways to the cove after gathering the flying apparatus from the hollow tree.

Hiccup couldn't help but smile at how Alastair knew he was going to go see Toothless. Though it was beginning to get dark out, Hiccup couldn't pass up a celebratory flight. And Toothless probably wouldn't think he was such a weakling if he knew he'd won a duel.

'Toothless!" Hiccup called out once reaching the bottom of the cove, both in mind and audibly. Toothless rested underneath the shade of the tree, blinking an eye open when he heard Hiccup coming. Hiccup could still tell that the name Toothless gave him a slight annoyance, but it was growing on him, that was for sure. And he would answer to it, now, with no hesitation.

::Your mood is better than last night,::Toothless noted, seeming calmed by that fact, himself.

::Well…I won the duel!::Hiccup could barely stop smiling, trying to seem stronger than like a little boy excited by an accomplishment, but there was really no tricking a dragon who could read his mind.

Instead, Toothless just gave his congratulations, and nudged against his arm. It was tentative, the shows of affections, but despite the ability, Hiccup had to remind himself that Toothless was still a dragon…an animal. Animals didn't smile proudly at their friends, or give them a slap on the back. They touched, the nuzzled, and even though so much contact was always unsettling to Hiccup with just about everyone, it was simply something that would help their bond grow stronger.

He could only laugh to himself again, not knowing any other human that had to deal with such thoughts. Still, that boost of confidence still pulsed through him, and Toothless seemed to sense it.

::You think that I'll consider you stronger because of this?::The night fury asked. When Hiccup had first mentioned his duel, Toothless had a strong doubt in his mind, though of course the kinds of 'duels' Toothless was probably used to were more or less tooth-and-nail to the death kind of battles. But the question wasn't really a mock, it was more of a true question.

Hiccup swallowed. ::Well, I guess I had a hope you would. I know you still think I'm just a weakling.::

Toothless was silent, his mind too quiet for Hiccup to read.

::But…:: Hiccup just continued. :: I'm glad I got to prove myself, not just to you but to a lot of people. I'm not sure how things will turn out, but at least people know what I'm capable of…::His mind trailed off as he communicated, and Toothless sat, listening intently.

::Your heart is strong,::Toothless chose to say after a few moments of silence. Hiccup's eyes widened. His heart…? He supposed that was a dragon's form a compliment, for he didn't feel any spite in the comment itself. He pet Toothless head gently and smiled.

::So, how about we go flying?::Hiccup asked, already pulling out the rigs.

::As long as we don't spend the night attached again.::Toothless snuffed.

::Oh, come on, it wasn't that bad.::

::It was when your friend put you through such horrible thoughts.::Toothless turned while Hiccup attached the saddle and rigging, but he paused when he realized the nature of what Toothless was saying. He remembered when Alastair told him of Snotlout's plans, how Toothless growled at him when Alastair reached for him. He was too bogged down in his own self pity to really pay attention to what Toothless was thinking, but he knew that if depressing thoughts were so turbulent in his own mind, what must it have been like for Toothless.

::I'm sorry,::Hiccup felt it right to apologize. ::I didn't realize that me being depressed had an effect on you too.::

:In many ways we're just one mind in two different bodies.::Toothless added. ::But the bodily difference is a wide chasm.::

::More dragon philosophy…::Hiccup thought more than he tried to communicate to Toothless, though he knew the night fury heard it anyways. It was getting easier to decipher Toothless's thoughts into a dialect he could understand. Going by hearing other dragons, their words and sentences were choppy, elementary. And although Toothless's intelligence was always a one up from the other's the more they spoke, the easier it was to create their own language that fit them both.

Hiccup finished the rigging, checking to make sure the connectors were at least secure. He hadn't had time to really fix the problem with the connectors since he went straight to bed the previous night, the connectors were loose, but he wanted to fly. He'd deal with a problem if one should arise if it arose.

The sun was sipping lower and lower, and Hiccup knew a good half hour of flying was probably all they could squeeze in before he had to head back to the palace. But as long as he got his flyer's high out of the way, it was fine.

He mounted Toothless and looked back at Alastair, who quietly watched them at a careful distance by the pond.

"Alright…position four." Hiccup muttered to himself as they took off, willing himself to work with Toothless long enough so that they at least wouldn't fall.

The wind whipped through his hair and nose as usual, though the wind washing in his ears and lips was beginning to become a common state for him. They leveled just over the trees and he switched gears, gliding gently over the tree tops. The wind wasn't too violent, and it was easy enough to just ride the current.

::We're doing much better.::Toothless noted as well, a little flip of joy in his words. Hiccup could feel him holding back, trying not to seem too excited, though he knew that for Toothless—or any dragon for that matter—flying after being on the ground so long was probably more freeing than…Hiccup defeating his cousin.

They had been so focused on practicing, they hadn't really flown. Toothless probably flew all through the clouds, over the water, higher than the stars when he was free. A pang of guilt went through Hiccup, and he looked up at the clouds, lit at the bottom yet being bathed in night over top, he knew all the positions, and their bond was getting stronger, it probably wouldn't be too much of a disaster to at least try an actually fly that didn't involve step by step easiness.

::Do you think we're ready for that?::Toothless asked, referring to Hiccup's want to go into the clouds.

::We'll never know until we try, and all this easy gliding must be boring for you, right?::

Toothless mulled over the thought a bit, but Hiccup could already feel the longing within him to fly as he used to. It was still a bother for Toothless, having to rely on Hiccup to fly, being grounded until he could get to the cove, being a pawn in Hiccup's little plan to end the war. The dragon's engraved pride was crumbling, leaving him feeling like a tool rather than a free agent.

Hiccup frowned tightly before looking up into the clouds, still being covered in the night but he switched to the third position.

He felt a gust whack his neck and he immediately closed his mouth as they reared upwards. Hiccup dug his palms into the reins of the saddle, and made sure his legs were secure while they hoisted. It was a workout to say the least. He had to keep his legs bent, his bottom elevated from the saddle as he couldn't just sit, but Toothless's wings seemed to flap in a strong rip while elevating. The wind called to him, and Toothless's tongue wagged out in a high of finally getting that breeze of flight flowing back through his nostrils.

Hiccup felt it too, it was newer, to feel it through himself yet through Toothless at the same time. He switched back to the first position and they leveled out, gliding over the currents. They were more turbulent higher up, a flow that went up and down and the jostling made it hard for Hiccup to get his stomach to level…

::A weightless gut is common…::Toothless mentioned, cutting his eyes up to Hiccup while he swerved a bit.

::Thanks for the update:: Hiccup's throat expanded before shrinking again, his stomach—as Toothless said—did feel weightless, like it was just hovering in him and it wouldn't stay in place until they were down on the ground. Hiccup looked down…the ground was so far down, a little too far down. He gulped but decided to stare forward instead.

They almost leveled before a loud caw sounded in Hiccup's right ear. He grid his teeth as a bird shoved its wing right passed his face, the bird spiraled and before Hiccup could even contemplate what a bird was doing flying so high up he felt himself being pushed back too far in the saddle. The weight of his head cranked his neck back, and his spin seemed to buckle under the pressure.

The connectors on his vest went taut and Toothless tried to level on his own, but his fin was still locked in ascending position. The flight seemed to slow mid-ascend, and while Hiccup was dangling back on moment he was cast up, looking at Toothless below him as he was dislodged.

He could only imagine what Alastair's nagging would be: "You should've fixed the connectors before you flew!" Hiccup wished he had.

He fell in a completely similar yet more terrifying rush of wind. Toothless let out a screech, not being able to get his body under control. It was a frustration more than a fear, but the way Hiccup's heart pounded irregularly as his body flipping and twisted through the clouds made him want to let out a yell himself.

"Oh Gods! Oh Gods!" Hiccup called out over and over, flipping to try and grab hold of Toothless wing when it was in his reach, but he only hit the side with his face. His cheek and jaw slacked as the whack just sent him spiraling down even more.

::Get it together.:: Hiccup kept hearing Toothless say, though it was never directed towards him. It was always Toothless chastising himself. Any thoughts regarding Hiccup were always one and the same. ::Get it together…so you can save your human.::

His human.

Hiccup wasn't sure why he felt the need to smile. To waste such valuable time smiling over a dragon being possessive of him. But he did. His heartbeat slowed, his body calmed, and instinctively so did Toothless's. They fell into a deep dive, head first, but they were side by side, catching a glance mid-turn in the air. Hiccup looked at Toothless, smiling, and the night fury did something extraordinary.

He smiled as well.

All gums.

Hiccup reached out as Toothless spin, narrowly missing being whacked by his wing to grab hold of his saddle and he whipped his head over, throwing it against the heavy current of the wind. His neck ached but he was able to twist himself to get back on.

Though their time was gone, and rocky entrance to the water was coming right at them, and there was no way to turn quickly enough to avoid its wide expanse.

::Time to see what we're made of…:: Both Hiccup and Toothless thought together, their minds were one…now they had to see if they could transfer that into riding…

Or else they'd both die.

0o0

Toothless had given Hiccup some wise advice that day.

::Don't observe when you're flying…feel when you're flying.::

Something without eyes can fly…so Hiccup let his instincts take over. His instincts to trust Toothless's natural ability of flight to lead them through the thick of rocks. Toothless knew which way to bank, which way to twist. If he was independent, a rock forest would be more of a work out to him.

Hiccup was weighed down with that responsibility, to rely and be able to have that channel open enough so that they both could fly. He couldn't use his eyes, even as the rocks seemed to be so close, he couldn't think with his vision, he had to think with connection. Their connection.

West bank. East spiral. Ascend. Rear back. East bank.

Hiccup relied, his foot moving on a candle flicker.

Position three. Position two. Position Three. Position four. Position six.

And the next thing Hiccup knew…the weightlessness in his stomach was settling. It dropped heavily into him and he felt the need to hurl, turning his neck so that it landed—somewhat—in the ocean.

Toothless would've complained more if his own nervous gut didn't yak as well…though, of course, Hiccup meet firsthand what a dragon's nervous habit was. Fire.

He looked up and whipped the side of his mouth, seeing a ring of smoke and fire in front of him, and soon it was all over his face.

0o0

::Well your droppings got on the side of my wing, so you shouldn't be that angry.:: Toothless tried to reason, but Hiccup's face was too numb for him to let it slide.

::A bit of throw up on your wing doesn't equal the same type of damage as you BURNING MY FACE!:: Hiccup yelled, his stiff lips feeling stretched and too raw as he screamed.

::I didn't do it intentionally:: Toothless snuffed, almost with an innocence, Hiccup simply chewed the inside of his cheek. His face felt bloated and chewing made his molar gums feel a bit more in use.

Another catch wiggled on his line and he lifted it up, placing the fish in the pile of Toothless's dinner. They had to catch fish outside the pond whenever possible…or else the fish count in the cove would go down…

Another screech sounded and Hiccup almost snapped up in the bitter reminder of the bird that had ruined their flight, only to see that it was much worse. A small pack of wild terrible terrors flew in, smelling the pile of fish and surrounding Toothless and Hiccup.

Hiccup bit his lip, but Toothless simply growled. He considered them as children. Annoying children.

::Searching for food for days…give us!:: The terrors demanded.

::There's a whole ocean beneath you, have a feast.:: Toothless answered.

::Come on Toothless, give them a little…:: Hiccup sighed.

::I do not submit to such younglings…:: Toothless hissed, but Hiccup just rolled his eyes. Grabbing the fish he was cooking and threw it at a terror.

It ate it happily and Toothless sighed a bit, sliding over three fish to the smaller dragons. They all gnawed happily.

::This consideration isn't a normal tact for us.:: Toothless reminded.

::I know…but you're with me, you've got to practice a little bit of human tact too.::

Toothless didn't answer, but the thought seemed to both annoy him and intrigue him.

The terror Hiccup had fed first burped out a little fire before meeting his eyes. Terrors were simple dragons, their thoughts primal, their loyalty reliant on circumstance and sensory. The terror immediately connected Hiccup with food and happily snuggled at his side, sleeping soundly with a full belly.

Hiccup stiffened a bit as he realized he was completely surrounded by dragons, and yet, he was still alive. In fact, he felt more accepted right at that moment than he'd ever had among humans.

It was a funny thought….

"Prince Hiccup!" Hiccup heard a boat bang into the shore, and Alastair hurriedly got out from it, knees scrapping on the hardened shore.

Hiccup grinned when Alastair dropped to his knees before him, panting.

"Prince Hiccup!" Alastair gasped again and Hiccup still let a laugh rumble behind his lips. Alastair was always quite amusing while worried. The boy reached forward but stopped himself and simply sat on his feet.

Alastair must've seen them falling and went after them. Probably expecting to find them stranded in the ocean somewhere.

"Before you freak out, me and Toothless are clearly fine. We've just got a full house here" He said, referring to the little band of eating terrors around them, one completely asleep against Hiccup's side. He picked up the extra fish he had cooking over the fire and handed it to Alastair. "Here, have a fish."

Alastair looked at the food for a second, still looking like he wanted to nag, or yell but instead Alastair took it and sat down, across the fire, looking intently at the scene before him as he ate.

::Is there something wrong with the sun-haired one?::Toothless asked as he chopped on some fish, looking over at Alastair, but instead of looking away like he usually did, Alastair just looked right back at him, still staring. ::I can't tell what your friend is thinking….::Hiccup noted the frustration in Toothless's voice. He'd probably gotten too comfortable being around him so much, it felt odd not to see a human and immediately know them like he did with Hiccup.

"What's the matter, Alastair?" Hiccup asked. "You're making Toothless nervous."

::Nervous isn't the phrasing I'd use…::Toothless snuffed.

"I'm making him nervous?" Alastair laughed a bit. "He's not a snake, that whole 'they're more afraid of us than we are of them' thing doesn't apply."

"Okay…" Hiccup shrugged it off, not going there. Alastair chewed on the fish a bit more.

"I think…you can end this war." He finally said, and Hiccup raised a brow to him.

"You always say you believe in me, Alastair." Hiccup said, not meeting his eyes. But the fact that he could say so in such casualty made Hiccup a little happy.

"I know, but, seeing you two together…seeing you right now…with all these…I thought this would just be a deal, but you're really becoming friends. You're really…meant for this."

Hiccup's eyes went wide. But then he looked over the day that was now setting over the horizon. He'd work up with a pit in his gut and everything to lose. But now he'd won the battle against Snotlout, he could continue with his plan, he could fly on Toothless with agility. He now had everything to gain.

::What did she say?::Toothless asked, confused at Hiccup's expression, even when his eyes softened and he smiled.

"It just boggles me every time…" Alastair continued. dragons are supposed to be monsters…"

Hiccup gulped, knowing that Alastair meant his brother.

"Well, that's why we're doing this…so nothing like that ever happens again." He smiled at Toothless. "All three of us…we're all going to end this."

::…as friends…:: Hiccup finished.

Toothless's ears perked up, and as he gnawed on another fish, his throat vibrated, making a gagging noise. Hiccup reared towards him, not knowing what to do about a choking dragon. Luckily, he wasn't choking…but unluckily Hiccup discovered a new way dragons showed affection.

He tried to keep an appreciative attitude as Alastair chuckled, and Toothless beamed at the regurgitated fish head he had plumped in Hiccup's lap.

::Eat up, human friend.:: Toothless said happily.

Okay that was probably one of the cutest endings we've got in this story. Which makes up for this 11,000 word mess you just read.

Anyways, someone returns the next chapter, and he's missed a whole lot of change.

Review Reponses:

92firedemon: Thank you!

Daughter of sea and wisdom: Oh yes, Toothless definitely knows. You really can't hide what gender you are from a dragon cause they just operate on a entirely different level of sensory. And I don't know if that's because I planned well or just because I'm a horribly long winded person. Either way it translate good into writing, so, I'll take it.

2400shadow: Yeah, a dagger isn't a preferred choice of weaponry on Berk—more like back up—but Hiccup's just more skilled at using smaller objects. He would've won a lot more quickly if he had just used the dagger right at the start, but his pride got in the way. And yep, Toothless knows. That'll be interesting to deal with in future chapters.

PrayerGirl: I'm a long-winded person, so I can't completely promise that some parts won't be dragged out and I might not even notice it. Just lemme know if something is going on for too long.

Teen Nightfury: Well this chapter is just as pleasantly (or perhaps painstakingly) long. And haha I went with both the left handed thing and the knife thing. Hiccup's just only got the natural talent to deal with smaller weapons, he's not naturally gifted with a sword. He'd need a really good teacher for that. But it wasn't much of a "discovery" that he's left handed…cause he's been left handed his entire life. But back in the day it was kinda of like a "curse" if people used their left hand as the dominant hand, it was considered an omen or something.

Ferdoos: Thank you! And yeah Toothless is onto Astrid, but patience, young grasshopper, is a viture.

BlackWingedAngle26: Glad you like the story! Sorry it took soooooo long for an update but I finally got onto an update schedule so it'll be better.

Guest: Well I really can't say too much about the "big reveal". It's not really a spoiler that eventually Hiccup will find out, but other than that I don't wanna ruin the surprise. It won't be like you're expecting, though, I can assure you that. And, haha, I like Hiccstrid as well, but clearly nothing too romantic is going on right now—at least on Hiccup's end—since he thinks Astrid's a boy. And yeah, Hiccup/Toothless is the relationship that'll probably have the biggest arch in the story so it's a slow build, but it's fun messing around with those two being able to talk in a movie-verse setting. And I'm soooooorry the updates are so far in between but I'm on a schedule now, so you get chapters twice a month. Yay!?

Maguffium239: Thank you!

Probus1701: You're actually not the first person to tell me that my writing kinda sounds like Rick Riordan. I actually haven't read any of his books completely, but I've skimmed them and I guess…kinda. Only I kind hate writing in first person so, haha. But being compared to a professional writing is always a lovely compliment! And yeah, this story will actually be more in tandem with DoB so…double surprises!

Hpnarutardsjedipirate1234: You're wish has been fulfilled.

Kist: Thank you! You can wait no more!

Chris5668: Noooo this story is nowhere near over. I'm just a slow joe and it took me forever to find time to get a schedule together and get these chapters done.

Hiccupsgirlfriend: The next chapter is right here, and thank you!

Deadlynadders: Astrid will get her action later, trust me.

Guest: Hiccup's 14, Astrid's 15, Snotlout's 17….I don't really know how many other characters you want. Arte's probably in her mid-20's. I have nooooo clue how old Toothless is. In dragon-years he's probably an older teenager/young adult…but I don't know the dragon years to human years equivalent yet XD

Wow guys, thank for the ton of reviews. Glad to know you all still pay attention this dusty thing that I pass off as a story. See you on the 15th!

Next Chapter: Honored and Entertained