Little announcement guys!
My mom's birthday is tomorrow and the whole family's going on a road trip for about two days. Updates will resume on Monday I suppose. Till then, read and review
Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD and all rights go to DreamWorks Animation.
Chapter 10: Da-Da-Da, We're Dead!
I was sketching a picture of me and Stryka when I heard my parents come inside the house. I quickly hid my paper and charcoal under my pillow as they came up.
"Mom, Dad, you're back!" I tried to sound genuinely surprised when they came up to my room and cheerfully hugged them. Of course, I really was happy to see them back and both in one piece.
"My precious gemstone! We've heard from everyone else. We're so proud of you, Zenna!" my dad laughed, ruffling my hair.
"Heard about what?" I asked, confused.
"Your exemplary performance in Dragon Training along with Hiccup. You two have quite a way with those beasts!" my mother smiled.
My heart sank when they told me about tomorrow's upcoming events.
"Tomorrow will be the trainees' last day before the Final Exam. They'll all have a chance to prove themselves before Gothi chooses the one who'll kill the dragon in the ring." My father told me.
I nodded but inside, dread was filling my insides.
What if I was chosen? I don't think I could ever use my sticks again to kill another dragon! I glanced at my battle worn sticks leaning against the wall, my heart clenching as I guiltily recalled the eight dragons I had killed.
"But…" my mother's voice made me focus on her and dad again.
"It's just that…your father and I have been thinking of pulling you out of Dragon Training. After all, you've always been a natural at fighting them. Perhaps there's no need for you to take that Final Exam. What do you say, love?" mom told me and waited for me to answer.
I could hardly believe my ears.
My parents were actually allowing me to drop out!
While I felt relieved, I was worried too. I was at a crossroad…
If I dropped out, what would everyone else think of me? But if I stayed, would I ever be able to handle harming another dragon again?
"…I'll think about it…" I said carefully. Mom and Dad nodded.
"Here…We have something for you." My father handed me a shield, beautifully painted violet with a black lightning bolt painted in the center. For some reason, it looked…familiar.
"It used to belong to Elias. I'm sure he would want you to have it." My mother smiled at me.
It all came back to me.
This was the very shield my brother had received when he graduated from Dragon Training. I remembered how happy he was when Gobber gave him that shield. It was bigger than him and really heavy but he held it up high with pride.
I smiled a little. "I love it. Thank you." I said, giving my parents another hug.
As soon as my parents went out my room, I got my drawing out again. I looked at it, my battle sticks, Elias' shield and then, my eyes landed on our family portrait.
"What do I do, Eli…? I'm in a rut here…" I sighed. 'Maybe a nightly stroll will help me clear my head…' I thought.
Unfolding the ladder at my window, I climbed down. I don't really know why, but I brought Elias' shield with me. Whistling, I wandered around the village, greeting anyone I met.
My feet led me to the forge, where I bumped into Stoick the Vast.
"Good evening, Chief." I said politely. Stoick smiled and surprisingly, patted my head.
"You've been teaching him well. Thank you for that." He said and then left.
I stood there blinking in confusion. Did he think that I've been the one helping Hiccup improve? My thoughts were interrupted when Hiccup came out of the workshop with a helmet.
"Uh…So did you two have a talk or something?" I asked Hiccup.
Hiccup shrugged. "He caught wind of my…improvement. And…he was actually proud of me for once…" he mumbled, sounding rather surprised as well as he put on his helmet.
"Congratulatory gift?" I grinned. "A hat made from half of my mom's breast plate." Hiccup replied.
"That's nice…and kind of gross." I grimaced. "Yeah, I know…Hey, isn't that Elas' shield?" Hiccup pointed at the shield in my hand. "I had no idea my mom and dad kept it." I said.
Then my expression turned serious.
"Is your dad coming to watch us tomorrow?" my question made Hiccup bite his lip. "Yeah…" he said quietly.
"I've been thinking, Hiccup…Not really sure yet but…" I took a deep breath.
"I'm thinking of dropping out." I blurted. "What? Why?" Hiccup asked in shock, his eyes wide.
"I can't do it again, Hiccup. If I kill another dragon, my conscience will kill me!" I said in a slightly loud tone. Hiccup stared at me for a few seconds in shock.
"Look…I'm sorry. But tomorrow, I won't be there in the arena with you and I can't really protect you from the stands. I know I promised I'd look out for you…But I just can't do this anymore. I don't ever wanna kill another dragon ever again…" I waited for Hiccup to call me a bad friend.
Instead he said, "It's okay, Zenna. I understand."
"You do?" I said in surprise.
Hiccup gave me a crooked grin. "You've been looking out for me for seven years. I think it's time I cut you some slack."
It took a minute to process this before I smiled gratefully. "Just promise me you'll be careful not to get killed by the dragon or Astrid." I joked. Hiccup laughed. "Promise." He told me.
We fist bumped and left for home.
That night…I had another dream.
I was in the Cove playing with Stryka and Elias was watching me.
"Come on, Eli!" I laughed as Stryka tackled me and began nuzzling me in my ticklish spot-my tummy!
"Ahahaha! No…! Stryka…! Bwahaha! Eli…little…help here…! Hahaha!" I giggled as my dragon began to blow raspberries on my belly, making me laugh even harder.
Elias laughed and helped me up. "Like I told you, Zen…you're a natural. A natural at befriending dragons." He told me.
"Oh, so that's what you meant." I wanted to tell him so much about everything! About Stryka, Toothless, Hiccup and all our good times together.
But then Elias took me by the shoulders and looked into my eyes, seriously. I gulped. I knew that look. He had something to tell me.
Something very important.
"I'm glad that you and Hiccup are picking up from where I left you, Zen. In fact, this is all you two. I tried but you're the ones who really did it. I'm glad about that…But Zenna…you and Hiccup have to be careful. By befriending two dragons, you two pretty much broke every known law in Berk related to fighting dragons. You two chose the right path…but it's a dangerous one. That's why you have to keep both eyes open. There's danger afoot…and you have to be ready." Elias told me, softly.
I nodded. "That's my little sister." Elias smiled before hugging me.
"I wish this dream never ends…" I sighed longingly. "All nightly dreams have to end when you wake up…But that doesn't mean they can't become reality." Elias whispered to me before there was a bright flash of light…
And I woke up.
"Keep both eyes open…You got it, Eli." I looked at my family portrait and smiled.
It was already morning so I got up, got dressed, had breakfast with my parents and we headed out to the arena. The other teens were already there. Hiccup caught my eye and nodded sympathetically. I stopped at the gates while the rest of them went into the ring.
"Well, Zen what're you waiting for?" Gobber grinned at me.
I looked at my parents, Hiccup and finally, my battle sticks and shield.
My mind was made up…
I joined my parents in the stands to watch.
'Let them all stare for all I care.' I ignored any Viking who gave me weird looks. Even Stoick eyed me from time to time.
I dropped out of Dragon Training and that's that. Call me a coward, a pacifist, weak and I won't give a damn about it.
No way, absolutely no way, will I ever kill another dragon.
Hiccup chose to stay and I was okay with it.
'This could be his only chance to prove himself to his father…He needs it so badly…' I looked at Hiccup, awkwardly smiling at his dad, who was beaming with pride.
I could tell he didn't want to do this anymore as well. But I had a feeling he had another one-sided conversation with his dad last night and didn't have much of a choice.
They were facing the Gronckle, hiding behind small barricade walls while trying to avoid being blasted. One by one, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruff and Tuff were eliminated until it was only Hiccup and Astrid left.
I cringed. 'Please Odin, Thor, Freyr, Freyja, Loki, Magni, Baldr and all the Gods and Goddesses in Valhalla…Please don't let the elder pick Hiccup…' I prayed as I watched.
But today my prayer wasn't answered because the Gronckle had zeroed in on my unlucky best friend.
"YAAHH!" Astrid jumped over a wall and began charging towards the dragon with her axe, only to find it lying on its side next to Hiccup.
He probably used dragon nip.
I groaned and buried my face in my hands. There was no going back now. Hiccup was gonna be chosen to kill the dragon for sure.
"No! Son of a half-troll! Rat-eating munge bucket…!" I flinched slightly as Astrid let out a couple of curses. Hiccup tried to sneak his way out but Gobber stopped him.
"I'm kind of late for…" Hiccup managed to say before Astrid approached him with the curve of her axe at his throat.
"What?! Late for what, exactly?!" she snarled.
Yep, she's really pissed off now…
"Alright, quiet down. The elder has decided." Stoick boomed, standing up.
The whole arena went silent.
I looked at Gothi and desperately hoped she'd pick Astrid instead. Gobber put his left arm over her and Gothi shook her head. I inwardly groaned along with Hiccup when Gobber put his other arm over his head and Gothi smiled and nodded.
The whole ring burst into wild applause.
I politely clapped but deep down I was scared. What was Hiccup gonna do when the time comes and he couldn't do it? What was gonna happen next?
I had no idea…
The teens (except Astrid, of course) were now hoisting Hiccup up Fishlegs' shoulders, cheering for him.
"I am so excited! I am so…" Hiccup nervously laughed.
But I knew Hiccup well. I knew that the instant this crowd left and everything went back to normal, I knew what he was gonna do next.
"…leaving! We're leaving!" Hiccup hoisted the basket up his shoulders as we walked into the Cove.
"Let's pack up! Looks like you and me are taking a little vacation. Forever." He called out to Toothless.
"Are you sure you're gonna be okay just by yourself with him? Stryka and I can always come with you." I had accompanied him as soon as we got out of the arena and even packed myself a few supplies.
"No. If you disappear, there'll be more trouble. Just…come up with an alibi or something." He told me.
"You mean tell the Chief you were captured by pirates? Or Outcasts?" I cocked my head at Hiccup.
"Whatever works fine. But the 'captured by Outcasts' story seems more believable." Hiccup said, absentmindedly checking his stuff, before fixing his gaze on a boulder-that Astrid was sitting on.
We jumped back in surprise.
"Wh-What're you doing here?!" Hiccup stuttered. "How did you…? When did you…?" I spluttered in shock.
Oh Odin, of all the people who could discover our secret haven why did it have to be her?!
Astrid finished sharpening her axe and got down. "I wanna know what's going on. No one just gets as good as you do. Especially you." She said, taking a step towards Hiccup with her axe pointed at him. Hiccup backed away but Astrid caught him.
"Start talking! Are you training with someone?" she asked suspiciously. "Uh…training?" Hiccup said uneasily.
"It better not involve this!" she hooked Hiccup's riding vest and he stammered out, "I know this looks really bad, but you see…this is, uh…"
"Astrid, just leave him alone. And for the record, he has been training-with me." I spoke up when a sound from the brush caught Astrid's attention and she tossed Hiccup aside.
"You're right! You're right. I'm through with the lies. Yep, I've been training with Zenna and I've been making…outfits." Hiccup said quickly going over to the suspicious shield maiden before she got too close.
I could've done without the 'outfits' part but hey, we were desperate.
Desperate to make Astrid leave before she discovered our 'little secrets'
"So you got me. It's time everyone knew. Drag me back. Go ahead. Here we go." Hiccup placed Astrid's hand on his arm and began to make her go the other way.
But Astrid wasn't budging.
Instead, she grabbed Hiccup's hand, twisted it and his arm behind him and forced him to the ground!
"OW! Why would you do that?!" he howled.
To which Astrid replied, "That's for the lies!" with a kick to the shin.
"And that's for everything else!" then she bounced the handle of her axe on Hiccup's stomach.
Okay, that tears it!
"For crying out loud, Astrid just leave him alone!" I yelled before she jabbed the axe handle into my stomach!
"OUCH! Mother of Thor, that hurt!" I wheezed, clutching my stomach and falling flat on my back.
Then I heard a soft growl and turned my head in its direction.
My heart leaped into my throat.
Toothless and Stryka were just a few feet away from the three of us.
And Astrid had spotted them.
Hiccup had staggered to his feet before Astrid yelled, "Get down!" and tackled him to the ground-again.
I would've been amused, if our dragons hadn't gotten the wrong idea and charged!
"Run! Run!" Astrid yelled, raising her axe.
Quickly, I jumped to my feet with Hiccup and we both tackled Astrid to the ground shouting, "No!"
I wrestled the axe out of Astrid's hands and flung it away while Hiccup tried to calm the two enraged Night Furies down. I quickly joined him.
"Whoa there! Easy you two! Easy!" I waved my arms at Toothless and Stryka, helping Hiccup calm them down.
"No. It's okay! It's okay…she's a friend." Hiccup said soothingly. Stryka and Toothless took a look at Astrid and then gave us a look that clearly said, 'Oh, so killing her is out of the question?'
"It's alright. I disarmed her. She won't be able to harm you." I said calmly.
Then Hiccup and I faced Astrid who was now standing up, gaping at us.
"It's okay. You just scared them." We both said.
"I scared them?!" Astrid yelled at us before asking, "Who is "them"?"
"Astrid, Toothless and Stryka. Toothless and Stryka, Astrid." Hiccup and I made the introductions, hoping that something good will come out of this madness.
Astrid looked at our Night Furies who growled at her then back at us…and took off.
Should have known…
"Da, da, da! We're dead!" Hiccup deadpanned.
"Like really dead-dead!" I sighed.
Toothless and Stryka didn't seem to care. Heck, they even did a mild shrug and rolled their eyes before turning tail and began to leave!
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Where do you think you're going?!" Hiccup hollered after Toothless.
"Stryka, if we don't get to Astrid before she reaches the village we'll all be in big trouble!" I told Stryka.
They finally let me and Hiccup get on our backs and we flew out of the Cove.
We had a Viking to catch!
For those of you who are wondering, I still wanted Hiccup to have the most important role in the story so I had Zenna voluntarily drop out of Dragon Training. Also, Zenna can no longer handle her conscience (since she had already killed eight dragons) and doesn't want to kill dragons anymore.
Don't worry, she and Stryka will be fighting alongside Hiccup and Toothless in the final battle ;)
Till next chapter!
-GuardianDragon98