Omg guys... I'm tired... Stayed up too late watching the Grammys... *yawn*

Happy Monday anyway. :) Here is the condensed chapter! Well, most of it is condensed anyway. Hope you enjoy!

~~~~~~~~a sexy line~~~~~~~~

The days started to blur together.

Everyday they learned new skills and fought more dragons in the ring. Everyday someone came out on top. Some days it was Ari. Most of the time it was Hiccup.

When it came down to just fighting the dragon, Ari would win. But Hiccup had tricks up her sleeve. She was learning a lot of things from her Night Fury.

They still trained with each other everyday, her and Ari, in the evenings. She was getting better, with both the sword and bow. She could block most of Ari's swings, and she could at least sink her arrow in a large target, though it was nowhere near bullseye. Ari was teaching her well, even if they didn't speak much, not having much to say to one another except 'Again', 'Good swing', or 'Nice aim'. They congratulated whomever won that day in training, but the air felt strained. He knew something was off, something he was missing or that she wasn't telling him, and she could tell he sensed it. She kept as much distance as she could without adding to the suspicion, which was also as much as she could stand. She didn't want to risk exposing Toothless, but she didn't want to lose Ari either. But it's not like she could tell him that she had a pet Night Fury. What was she supposed to do?

He would ask her sometimes, after training when they would walk to the Mead Hall, how she did it. How had she managed it today? "Just tell me," he said one night. "How are you getting these dragons to fall at your feet or back in their cages?"

"I just look at them and I know what to do," she answered, the same thing she had told him the first night she had won.

"But how? I don't see how you can know what to do just by looking at them, let alone without anything but your bare hands or a shield. It doesn't make any sense."

"You're not looking, Ari," she said. The conversation always went in circles. He would vent his frustration of not understanding. She would say the same thing and use his words. It wasn't very fair, she knew. But what else was she to do? She couldn't blatantly lie to him, and she couldn't tell him the truth. She felt terrible about it. Guilt would wash over her whenever she caught him looking at her.

He opened his mouth to say more, but didn't get the chance. They opened the doors of the Mead Hall and Hiccup was swarmed by people, as she was every night.

That was another thing that had changed. Hiccup was the talk of the village. Naturally, people would start to come to watch the teens in the ring once training started getting closer to the end. But since Hiccup had started winning, people started flocking to get a look at her seemingly miraculous fighting skills. It really was a miracle to them. Hiccup, the Chief's daughter, the disaster prone, weak, clumsy little girl who was previously named the Worst Viking Ever, had transformed into Berk's best dragon fighter.

People would cheer her on during training, fight for a spot next to her during meal times, and follow her around the village when she was out in the open. People she had known all her life but had never spoken to, people who previously ridiculed and abused her, would now punch the lights out of the person next to them for a chance to talk to her. She felt like she should enjoy it, but she couldn't bring herself to. They only liked her because of her 'fighting', her tricks. It bothered her. But what bothered her most was the other teens.

They had been giving her way more attention as well. They followed her around and praised her on her latest victory, begging her for tips. They were all being... nice to her. Even Snotlout. He seemed to have forgotten about the bruise at the bridge of his nose and worshiped her just as much as the others, if not more. He had even started a voting pool for what her title would be when she was given one at her coming-of-age ceremony. They included, but were not limited to, 'Hiccup the Dragon Slayer', 'Hiccup the Brave', 'Hiccup the Legend', and 'Hiccup the Very Useful'.

The others treated her similarly. Fishlegs always wanted to go over her techniques while reading the Dragon Manual to discuss statistics of some sort. Ruffnut wanted to hang out, just the two of them girls. Tuffnut in particular was giving her much more attention than she was at all comfortable with.

But it's not because they actually like me, she thought. It's because of what they think I'm doing. That was the truth of it. Berk, and Vikings in general, celebrated and held their strong on their shoulders, while the weak were ridiculed and largely ignored. So that's what they were doing, praising her because they thought she was the greatest dragon fighter they had ever seen. Ari was the only one that wasn't fooled.

When it all became too much, when she just wanted to get away, she would make up some sort of excuse. She forgot her axe in the ring, she needed a nap or a run. Everyday after training, she would high tail it out of there and into the woods toward the cove.

Hiccup went to see Toothless everyday. They were getting closer and closer to full-on flight.

The saddle was the first step. When she first presented it to him and tried to put it on, he, naturally, thought it was a game and tried to run away from her. It took an hour of running, hiding, coaxing, begging, and finally surprise pouncing to get the thing on him.

They flew low over the cove most of the time whenever they attempted flying. The saddle fit well and she sat on it as she tried to control the fin. At first she tried holding a rope in her hand that she had tied to the fin. It worked well enough, but with only one hand on the saddle, it was easy to lose her grip. Plus, one wrong tug would send them both flying.

Next, she tried tying the rope to her boot. She had a better grip on the saddle, but less control over the fin, resulting in more falls and crash landings.

It was clear then that she needed something to help her stay on. Another long night and she finished a harness that attached to her belt and would latch to Toothless's saddle.

It worked well. But the rope, even when tied to one of the stirrups she made, was unstable. At one point, they crashed into a small field of tall, soft grass. Hiccup wondered if it was on purpose on the dragon's part, however. She watched in part puzzlement and the other amusement as her dragon went crazy over the grass. He couldn't get enough of it. He purred and cooed and rolled around, trying to touch it with every inch of his body. This was something that needed to be tested.

The next day in training, Hiccup held a small bundle of the grass in her hand. As the Gronckle charged her, she held her hand straight out. Once the dragon smelt it, he was on the ground right in front of her, completely mesmerized by the small green blades. With a soft laugh, she rubbed the grass against his snout and then moved it over so that the dragon rolled on it's side. Hiccup was declared winner of the day.

That wasn't the only trick she had learned. One day, while fixing a buckle, the sun reflected off the metal, making a small glare on the ground. Toothless spotted it and immediately pounced. Hiccup moved the buckle, the light with it, and Toothless followed. He ran after it and pounced wherever she pointed. It entertained them both for the better part of an hour.

In training, they were introduced to the Terrible Terror. It was the smallest dragon they had ever seen, and they all had a good laugh about it for a few seconds. At least, until it attacked.

"Ha!" Tuffnut exclaimed. "It's like the size of my-" He didn't get a chance to say, and frankly, no one wanted to know. The dragon pounced on his face and he screamed. The others scattered as he fell to the ground, the tiny dragon chewing on his nose. "Ah! Get it off! Get it off!"

Hiccup caught the glare of the sun on the metal part of her shield and pointed it at the ground. It caught the dragon's eye and he jumped off the boy. Tuffnut rolled away, clutching his face and continuing to cry out as the dragon chased the bright spot. Hiccup moved it around, luring him all the way back into the cage. To everyone else, it looked as though she just pushed him back with her shield, again without even touching him.

"Wow," Tuffnut said to Ari as they all watched. "She's better than you ever were."

Hiccup winced as she heard that. She dared look at Ari to find his eyes waiting. He looked away, but she didn't need to read him to know what he was thinking. Hiccup had gotten good. Way better than she should have. But he didn't accuse her of anything. No. He respected her more than that.

She worked on the saddle system every night. Finally, she had almost perfected it.

She ran the line up his tail and to the left stirrup that she adjusted to shift into different positions. It kept the fin open when she locked her foot in place, then moved into different positions each time she clicked the stirrup up or down, allowing him to fly in different ways. Now all they had to do was practice.

They were on the cliffs of the left side of Berk. The wind was strong up there. She tied the saddle to a stump to keep them in place. No more crash landings... They flew in place, testing out the different positions. Hiccup drew a picture of what each one of them did. They were both beaming. They would be flying in no time.

Suddenly, a large gust of wind blew them back and broke the rope. They landed in the grass area behind them.

"So much for no more crash landings..." Hiccup muttered as they both tried to situate themselves. Toothless rolled and stood up, dragging Hiccup with him. She was still attached to the saddle. She tried to unlatch it. No luck.

"Crap." She pulled on it some more. It was no use. The hook had bent and locked them together. She didn't have any sort of tool to bend or cut them free.

"Okay," she said as she tried to think. "Okay, okay, okay..." What could she do? She was stuck to a Night Fury. She had to get back to the village eventually. She couldn't stay out there forever. But what could she do? She had nothing to free them.

There was one solution. She groaned at the thought. It had to be done. There was no other way.

"Okay," she said again. She turned to the waiting dragon. "You up for something crazy?"

~~~~~~~~~a sexy line~~~~~~~~

They had to wait until after sunset, which meant that she missed training with Ari again. She dreaded the next time she saw him.

They landed behind the forge. Hiccup hopped off and steered the dragon around the side. She stopped at the sound of footsteps. She pushed the dragon back and leaned against the side as a night guard walked past.

"Hiccup," he acknowledged.

She waved and tried her best to put on a convincing smile. In reality, her heart was pounding in nervousness. She waited until he rounded another corner, then pulled the dragon around the building and through the door into the dark forge.

Toothless didn't seem very nervous at all, she noted in slight bitterness. At first, maybe. But now he seemed more curious than anything. And he was making noise. A lot of it. He was bumping into things, knocking stuff over with his tail, and tossing stuff around that he got stuck on his snout by sticking his face in whatever it was. She couldn't really blame him. The forge wasn't built for a dragon. But he could at least stop sticking his nose into things. She feared if someone walked by. They would surely stop to see what all the noise was about.

She grabbed a pair of pliers and a hammer and got to work unbending the hook. She had hardly started, however, when she heard a voice that made her blood run cold.

"Hiccup?" came Ari from outside. "Hiccup, are you in there?"

What to do, what to do- She had to act fast. He would come into the forge if she didn't answer him. Then again, he would probably come in if she did. But she was still attached to a Night Fury. She didn't even want to think of what would happen if Ari saw Toothless.

In a flash, she opened the counter window and jumped out, closing it shut behind her. She turned to him. He looked startled and, once again, frustrated. She ran a nervous hand through her hair and once again tried to put on a convincing smile.

"Hey! Ari! Hi, Ari... Uh... Hi." She bit the side of her lip, trying to control her rambling."What uh-" Toothless pulled slightly on the line connecting them. She tried her best to hide it. "What brings you out here?"

For several moments, he said nothing. He just look her over, his eyes narrowing as he did so. "I could ask you the same thing."

"Oh, you know," she responded as Toothless pulled again, trying to act as casual as possible. "Just working on one of my projects, being a blacksmith and all. Just can't stop makin' stuff! Probably won't even work. I'm wasting my time in there. I was just about to turn in for the night." She was rambling again, but she couldn't help it.

He paused again before he spoke. She knew he saw straight through her. He saw the strangeness of the situation. He knew she was hiding something. Anyone else and it might have escaped their notice. But not him. Not Ari. "You didn't meet me for training," he said finally.

"Yikes," she said quickly, "I totally forgot about that!"

"We do it everyday," he retorted. "How could you forget?"

She let out a nervous laugh. "Oh, you know me. I get distracted or get going on a project and everything else just," she swept a hand over her head, "blows right past me."

"I do know you, Hiccup." He stepped closer. She tried to step back, but came in contact with the wall. "I know something is going on with you. You're keeping secrets."

Just a Night Fury that's actually right behind me in the shop... "Secrets? No. I'm a... I'm an open book." Toothless was still pulling, and it was hurting her abdomen.

He nodded. "Yes you are. Others can't see it, but I can. You can't fool me, Hiccup. You're hiding something."

He was definitely on to her. She had to get him out of there, and there was only one way to do that. Her heart ached at what she was about to do. She could only hope that she could somehow repair and save their relationship later.

Her eyes narrowed. "Are you accusing me of something?"

"I didn't say that."

She glared at him. "This is about dragon training, isn't it?"

His mouth formed a thin line. "I didn't say that, either."

"You didn't have to," she shot back. "You don't believe that I could just be getting good?"

"Honestly?" He shook his head. "Not that good. Not that fast."

She took a deep breath, preparing herself for what she was about to say. "You're just mad that I'm doing better than you."

Now he really was angry. He stepped closer to her. "Excuse me?"

"Can't stand getting beat can you, ?" she went on. "You and your stupid pride. Or is it just me? You're getting beat by Hiccup the Useless. For the first time in my life I'm actually doing something right and you can't stand it. You're jealous."

He was right in front of her now, less than a foot separating them. He slammed the side of his fist on the wall, startling her, and leaded in.

"Is that what you really think?" he asked, venom dripping from every word. "I may be competitive, Hiccup, but I wouldn't drown success where it's deserved. But you," he points a finger at her, "I know you're hiding something. You know something about dragons, some kind of weakness or something, and you're keeping it from everyone else. You're the one with the stupid pride. You would actually keep something from everyone in the tribe that could actually help us in the war just so you can look good for the first time in your life, so that people will actually like you. Tell me this Hiccup, when has what other people thought and said ever meant anything?"

There was a low growl from within the shop. Toothless wasn't happy with what was going on. Ari heard it and looked around, but she quickly brought his attention back. "It means everything!" she retorted, her voice raised. "I wouldn't expect you to understand because you've never had anyone say one negative thing about you your whole life. But me? All my life I've gotten it. A good day for me was if I could avoid talking to anyone! My tribe, the people I'm supposed to be able to count on, rejected me, even my own father. Everyone hated me!"

They were both breathing heavily, anger and nerves racing their hearts.

"Not everyone," he said after a few beats.

She shot him an accusing look, real anger building inside her. "Oh yeah? And where were you, then? You say you don't hate me, yet where have you been the last nine years? Maybe you didn't regularly abuse me, but you avoided me just like everyone else!"

"I didn't avoid you, Hiccup! I was always there!"

"Really? Because I don't remember us talking much up until a few weeks ago."

"Maybe you didn't notice, but that's not who I am. I didn't talk much to anyone else either!"

"No, you were too busy training to be second-in-command so I didn't screw things up when I took over. But you took care of that, right? Talked the Chief into putting me into the forge. Well congratulations, Ari! You saved the Tribe!"

She put a hand over her mouth. She hadn't meant that. She had crossed a line. She'd leapt over it. Smashed it. Burned it. Spat in the ashes.

All was silent. Neither of them were even breathing. She removed her hand and opened her mouth to say something, anything, but he beat her to it.

"It's getting late," was all he said. He pushed his hand off the wall and turned away, making it a few steps until Hiccup called after him.

"Ari, wai-" she yelped. Toothless yanked on the line, pulling her up against the window doors, then pulled harder until she was forced inside the shop.

There wasn't any time. Ari was sure to run in. She grabbed the pliers and hammer and hopped on Toothless before they bounded out and into the air, back toward the cove.

~~~~~~~~a sexy line~~~~~~~~

When they got back to the cove, Hiccup had found that she was crying.

She had ruined it. She had ruined everything. He was gone. The one person on Berk who would actually talk to her, who actually kind of liked her, and who actually knew the real her. For the most part, anyway. Minus the Night Fury.

But what was she to do? She couldn't give up Toothless. But she was lying to her whole tribe. She had lost her only friend whom she had just gotten. And if anyone found out, what then? She couldn't hide Toothless forever, and there was still the problem of how she would get food to him and keep him alive during the winter. Toothless couldn't fly on his own.

The dragon had noticed her distress and was hovering over her nervously, clearly upset. "It's all so messed up," she told him. She found herself talking to him a lot. She was sure he understood some of it, and he was a great listener.

She pet his snout. "What are we going to do? It's just a matter of time before Ari figures it out. Even if he doesn't, how are we going to keep you alive this winter?" She sighed and buried her face in her arms. Toothless pressed his snout against her head.

"If only I hadn't injured you," she went on. "If only you could fly on your own."

The sentence made her stop. An idea popped in her head. The wheels started to turn. She lifted her head to look at him.

"If only you could fly on your own."

~~~~~~~~~a sexy line~~~~~~~~~

Ari turned just in time to see Hiccup disappear behind the doors. It was such a strange sight that it gave him pause. But only for a moment. Whatever had just transpired between them, whatever words were said that he would probably realize later weren't meant, he had made a vow to be there for Hiccup. If she was in trouble, he would help her without a second thought.

He jogged back to the counter and threw the doors open. Hiccup was nowhere in sight. He went to the door and walked in the dark shop. He called her name. No answer. Perhaps she just ran out. But he had to be sure.

He walked through the shop and into the back room. He couldn't see anything at all. He felt around for a candle and lit it.

He was in Hiccup's work room. He had never been in there, either. He doubted anyone had. It was a lot like her room, only smaller. Hiccup size. There was a slanted desk and a few shelves with tools as furniture, but how he could tell it was Hiccup's was all the drawings.

There weren't many people. Mostly designs for some project or another. Many weapons. He spotted his axe, new and improved, sketched and pinned to the wall. There was a picture of him throwing it too, some notes written around him with arrows pointing at different parts of his weapon. The others were up there as well, their weapons in hand. It gave him pause, seeing how much time and thought she had actually put into each of them. Even when they never gave her the time of day.

He thought of the pictures in her room. All of those people. Not a single one of her. Even when she drew the group of teens together, she was absent from every one.

Hiccup really was alone. She saw every single person in the Tribe, but no one saw her. No one truly saw her. Even when they were looking, all they saw was a mistake.

"Everyone hated me."

Ari never hated her. He never saw her as a mistake. He saw what she was good for. But, though she was out of line, some of her words had a ring of truth. He never paid much attention to her, either. And now he saw why Hiccup was the way she was.

He didn't forgive her. Not yet. She was out of line, though he gave her the benefit of the doubt in thinking that she didn't mean what she said. But she was still holding something back. The Hiccup that fought with him moments ago was not the real Hiccup. She was lying, in words and attitude, and he saw right through her. She was hiding something, and he was determined to find out what it was.

He looked about the room once more, then suddenly felt like he was invading something very private. Her room was one thing. She had brought him there to take care of him while he was sick. But this, her workshop, was her own private space; a place for her to be free and creative away from judgemental eyes. He turned to leave, but something caught his eye.

A drawing lay on her desk, slightly covered by some others. He felt like he had seen it before, or something like it. He reached forward and pushed the other drawings away.

It was that dragon, the one he didn't recognize. All black, large wingspan, not very big. It didn't make sense. Why would she draw a dragon that didn't exist? There was another drawing underneath it, this one he guessed was something she had or was building. He couldn't tell what it was. A sail? A fan?

The most curious thing of all, though, was the small pile of scales next to both the pictures. Dragon scales, no doubt, black as night. He wondered what dragon it could have come from. A Nightmare, maybe. They had red and black scales. But these seemed much darker than any he had ever seen.

His eyes fell back on the drawing. The scales would match that dragon. But that dragon didn't exist. At least, it wasn't known to the Vikings of Berk. No one had ever seen it before, or it would be in the book. And when would Hiccup have ever seen a dragon like that? One that no one else had ever seen before?

A memory came to him, one from a few weeks ago. The morning of the raid.

He froze. Hiccup couldn't have... She didn't really shoot down that Night Fury, right? No. That's impossible.

Right?

~~~~~~~~~a sexy line~~~~~~~~~

I realize a lot of Hiccup/Ari fans may be mad at me right now...

Please don't hate me.

It had to happen... You didn't think that Ari would all of a sudden be totally accepting of this Night Fury business or that Hiccup would tell him right away, did you? Well... that would have been nice and all but... uh... no. Besides, I have something REALLY FLIPPIN' ADORABLE in store...

Anyway. Snap! Ari is starting to figure stuff out! And what is Hiccup going to do about this idea that just popped into her head? Oh, just you wait...

Okay! Now for a quote from 'In the Eye of a Pirate'! This one is from a new character that isn't in the movie but is in the book series... Camicazi!

"Haha! Have at thee, Pirate!"

Yup. I love Camicazi. She's kind of like a female Peter Pan.

Until Friday!

~StoriesOfAnInsomniac