Dara was having a rather 'normal' morning, she mused. It was strange and, in a way, funny; six months ago she would have thought that walking to a well in the middle of a small village with little 'modern' technology to be a most 'not-normal' morning, yet here she was. Carrying a large wooden bucket over to a stone well with a wooden roof as though she had been doing this every day of her life. She nearly laughed as she pondered the matter.

She quickly came to the well only to find Hiccup already there. "Good morning Hiccup" she said.

Hiccup started and looked up quickly, "Good morning Master Dara" he replied with a smile.

Hiccup had just finished collecting the water he needed for Toothless and was about to walk away when he bumped bodily into Mildew. Hiccup's water spilling all over the nasty old git. Dara didn't appear to be paying attention, drawing her own water. But she was actually still keeping all of her senses alert. Especially since she knew of Mildew's hatred of the Jedi, Dragons, and seemingly, Hiccup.

"Sorry Mild-" Hiccup began, and Dara could easily sense that Hiccup, one of the kindest and most forgiving souls she had ever met, was sincere.

That, however, was not good enough for the cabbage farmer.

"Eh, look what ye done ye useless runt!" snarled the old man, who must have been less careful to hide his hatred today, for he then shoved Hiccup back with enough force to make the teen stumble.

It wasn't the potential bodily harm that Mildew could have inflicted that set Dara off inside, though that was still enough to appall her. But the emotional shift she sensed in Hiccup when Mildew yelled at him, especially around the words "Useless" and "Runt".

"Hey!" said Dara, loud enough to make her feelings clear to Mildew, yet quiet enough to keep this among the three of them.

"Touch him again and deal with me." Dara finished, interposing herself between them.

Mildew sneered and almost said something that she knew he'd probably be quick to regret, when he saw the sun glinting off her double-bladed lightsaber. As-always clipped to her belt. This reminded him how dangerous she, and for that matter, all the Jedi were. Even if she knew that she'd never use her lightsaber to solve a simple argument, she had more self-control than that; but, for now, Mildew might as well not know that.

The karking jerk of a sentient huffed once and then walked off, seemingly without fear of her. But Dara could tell he was really fleeing with his tail between his legs. This brought a small smile to her face.

She then turned to Hiccup who was standing wide-eyed behind her, having regained his balance several seconds ago.

"Are you alright, Hiccup?" she asked, placing a hand on his right shoulder.

Hiccup started slightly, having seemingly been stunned that someone stood up for him that way.

Or, at least that's what Dara gathered from his emotional signature and body-posturing, for right now he had his eyes screwed shut, almost as if possessed with a feeling of terror.

"Hiccup?" came her voice again.

"Um, what?" asked Hiccup, opening his eyes suddenly.

"Come over here." Dara said as she guided him to a small stone bench that sat beneath a rocky outcrop, out of the way and somewhat private, though not suspiciously so.

Hiccup sat down heavily, Dara gently lowering herself onto the bench beside him.

Dara could sense Hiccup's tornado of emotional turmoil as if it were a siren announcing a Separatist bombardment.

"Hiccup?" she began again.

Hiccup looked to her, almost like she was the only object of stability in a whirling storm in his mind.

"Hiccup…" Dara said a third time, placing a hand on his shoulder and willing calming waves of the Force into him.

Almost instantly his breathing slowed, and she could sense his emotional maelstrom subsiding. That, in-and-of-itself, was good. Now she just had to figure out what had created it in the first place.

"Hiccup" she said a fourth time, "What happened back there? You had some sort of panic attack, is something wrong?"

Hiccup was now scarlet faced with shame, something that she could readily see and feel. She realized easily why this was the emotion he felt, being born into a warrior society where you were supposed to not show 'weakness'. She practically groaned internally at the rampant stupidity of the notion.

"Hiccup, there's nothing to be ashamed of." she said, somewhat startled by his reaction.

His eyes locked onto her with a blaze of hope like she had never seen. It worried her. For what kind of emotional trauma must he have gone through to trigger reactions like these?

"Hiccup… panic attacks are expressions of latent emotional trauma." She began to explain, "Force knows I've seen a lot of people with them during the Clone Wars. It's nothing to ever be ashamed of… but if you want to talk about it, I'll be more than happy to listen."

Hiccup looked stunned, driving her worry even higher. As though he never knew that other people had similar reactions to his. This formed so many questions in her mind, ones whose answers were disquieting to think about.

"I felt you tense up when Mildew said the words 'Useless', and 'Runt', to you. Do you have a history with those words?" she asked.

Hiccup looked at his feet, well, foot. Several silent moments passed and Dara thought she might have to prod again, but then Hiccup spoke, softly. "You see… I was born small and, well, runty. Even my name is used in our society as a byword for the smallest and weakest of a group.

Mom died when I wasn't even a year old. Things went downhill from there."

Hiccup paused, Dara however was filled with anger and slight dismay, for if things went downhill from his own mother dying?

But she let Hiccup continue to say his piece.

"I was small as a kid, but not unusually so. It only became apparent that I wasn't going to be big and strong when I was about eight. That's when Snotlout started to call me 'Hiccup the Useless', I guess it caught on."

Dara's horror increased.

"I was practically an outcast, everyone shunned me. All I got were remarks about how weak and pathetic I was. The other tribes called me 'Stoick's little disappointment', the other heirs liked to beat me."

If Dara's skin weren't always pink, it would have become cherry red by now…

"No one ever showed me kindness, not until I shot down Toothless and he became my friend. That's when I showed Berk I could amount to something. Thing have gotten better… But, well. Master Salak's been talking to me and helping me with this, but… well I haven't been this… open yet."

Dara mentally made a note to talk to Salak and to thank him for what he was doing, even if Hiccup was his padawan and not hers.

"No one talks about it. I mean, I know that this is how our people think and that it's how we've been forever but." he paused, "No one ever even apologized, I guess they just thought I was over it."

Hiccup stopped abruptly and kicked his prosthetic against his remaining foot, then quickly added, almost with panic, "Please don't tell anyone!"

Dara's heart was being pulled in at least ten different directions at once. But now the strongest was near heartbreak. For how scared he sounded.

"Can I at least talk to Salak and Terrwyn about it?" she asked, for while she was a Jedi, she wasn't the best at this kind of healing. That was more up Terrwyn's alley, and Salak was Hiccup's master.

Hiccup frowned in thought for a moment, then said "Ok"

Dara let loose an internal sigh of relief, then went back to the task at hand, "Hiccup" she began, "I'm not sure about exactly how someone should feel about their 'childhood', being at the temple since before I can remember, but I do know that what you went through is not normal. At least where we come from, actually if you asked most Jedi, well, we'd be appalled beyond belief at how much you suffered.

I'm going to tell you right here, right now, that what happened was wrong. No one, no one, should be treated like that. I can understand to an extent that that's been drilled into you all for generations, but that doesn't stop it from being wrong. I can also tell you that I can speak, not only for myself, but Terrwyn and Salak as well, when I say that we can help you deal with this; and, if you ever want us to, talk with the village and make sure they understand this too."

Hiccup gave her a smile, such a smile, full of hope and joy, that she had no recourse but to smile right back.

After several moments she motioned with her head and they both stood up, Dara handed him a full bucket of water and he went on his way, but far happier than before.

Yes, far happier. She thought, as she filled her own bucket. She could sense it.