Winter's Flirting

That same evening…

Each year on Berk, winter would begin to sneak in at sundown. The days would seem mild, but the darkness would grow progressively colder until the daytime finally gave up and agreed it was time for winter. And then, day or night, everyone's chest would hurt when they breathed.

That evening, as he left the forge once the sun had set, the air was clear enough that every star in the heavens shone at once.

And, in Hiccup's opinion, they were all saying, unanimously, "Why are you outside? It's cold!"

Winter was once again flirting with Berk.

The change of seasons had not made much difference to Hiccup before Toothless. But now, he met the changes with disappointment. He had always liked Snoggletog and appreciated the peace that came to Berk once the ice held the ocean in stillness and lessened the likelihood of attack, but winter now meant less freedom. Shorter days and winter storms meant less opportunities to fly. And it meant slower flights when he could leave the ground, since he and the other riders would have to wear a lot more layers.

But winter also meant bigger fires in the great hall, with half, if not most, of the village warming the air with stories and songs - and increasingly drunken versions of both as the night progressed.

Hiccup wasn't feeling entirely better, but he didn't feel like sleeping, either. He wasn't feverish, and though he coughed a bit, especially in the cold and almost painful air outside, he was well enough to attend that evening's council meeting with his father.

To Stoick, Hiccup suspected, the freezing of the ocean meant freedom, but also great worry. Once the ice froze, Stoick's job focused on Berk and keeping everyone within it alive and safe. But in the weeks before the freeze, he was unstoppable in his concern and attention. The meeting had been entirely focused on fishing, late harvests, and on storing food for winter. How many ships could go out before the ice arrived, and how many days did they have left before they were locked into harbor? Was there enough dried fish this year?

Hiccup had been attending these meetings for two years, but he never had much to add. He sketched and listened, and sometimes wrote down observations to share with his father later, such as the time he'd noticed Olaf's brother, Stafgaard, glaring at Stoick through most of the meeting. Stoick had paid him a visit afterward, hoping to eliminate any threat of a challenge from Stafgaard's family, and learned in that conversation of a number of problems they'd been unwilling to bring to his attention for some, in Hiccup's opinion anyway, rather stupid political reasons.

Hiccup's strength in those meetings, or so he thought, was that he listened, and watched, but rarely spoke. Being the chief was his father's job, and his father was so perfectly suited to it, Hiccup didn't think there was much he needed to do. Stoick remembered the sequence of life in Berk perfectly. He knew what needed to happen when, and he kept the village running so that for the present and immediate future, things were safe for everyone - as safe as Vikings typically were, anyway. Hiccup didn't have much to add to his father's expertise.

So it was a huge shock to him when his father turned to him and asked, "How many days do you think until the ice sets?"

Hiccup blinked at his father, and felt the eyes of everyone on the council turn to him. That feeling of wanting to shrink never fully went away, even though those who were looking at him weren't angry at him for yet another mishap, and hadn't been for years.

An answer was expected, but Hiccup knew his father would wait. Since the Great Battle, Stoick listened to him, and, more importantly, gave him space to think of what he wanted to say. Hiccup didn't have his father's gift for knowing the right words and always having them ready.

"Last year, it was early. There was already ice on the rocks by now."

"Aye," Stoick said. "We're close, but there's no ice yet."

Hiccup frowned, thinking backwards in time, which he didn't often do. This time last year, he and Toothless had been exploring the waters south of Berk, and….

"Hang on," he said, standing abruptly. He was barely taller than all the other men sitting down, but he could see over their heads. That was different from last year, he thought.

"Hey, Fishlegs!"

Fishlegs, across the room with Ruffnut and Tuffnut, nearly fell backwards off his bench at hearing his name called from the council table. He approached the group cautiously.

"Y-yeah? What do you need, Hiccup?"

"Last year, when winter came early, you said something about Meatlug and your fireplace. What was it?"

"Fireplace? Oh, yes! Yes, indeed. Meatlug, she's so smart, she kept firing at the hearth long after it would have gone out. She kept it going all night. We didn't know why, but the next morning, it had snowed - remember?"

"Aye," Stoick said. "The early storm last year. Too much snow, way too early."

Hiccup remembered that storm very clearly. It had left behind snow drifts taller than Toothless. He turned to Fishlegs.

"So Meatlug knew to keep the fire going that night?"

"Yes, I think she did."

"Anything like that yet this year?" Hiccup kept his voice calm, because Fishlegs looked ready to keel over the longer he stood addressing the council.

"N-no, not yet, but if it happens again, I'll let you know."

"Thanks, Fishlegs. Hey, have you seen Astrid?"

"N-n-no, not since this afternoon. Sorry." Fishlegs turned and scurried to the corner, as far away from the council as he could get. Hiccup watched Ruffnut and Tuffnut warily approach him, looking as shocked as Fishlegs that he'd spoken to the council. If they only knew how boring it was, Hiccup thought to himself.

"So the dragons might give us a sign that a storm is here?" Olaf asked, his knitting keeping his hands busy. Hiccup nodded at Olaf.

"More than one, if we pay attention. They did last year," Hiccup replied. "I didn't realize it until after, but they were definitely preparing for that storm."

Hiccup looked around the room for Astrid while he spoke. He began to climb up on the bench to see better when Stoick, still sitting, spotted her.

"Astrid. Come here a moment, please," Stoick said. His voice brought the entire great hall to a complete halt.

Stoick was calling Astrid to council.

Hiccup shook his head at his father. Stoick was never subtle.

Astrid approached the group calmly, though Hiccup could see her fingers were nearly white around the cup she held.

"What's...going on?"

It was not at all expected for a woman to be called to council, especially not a teenager without her father or mother to stand with her.

Hiccup explained what they were discussing.

"Last year, you told me that Stormfly began preparing her nest early, right?"

"Oh, yeah." Astrid relaxed a tiny bit as she answered Hiccup's question. "She started building it even when the sun was still up long past meal time. Then, before I knew it, boom, early winter."

"What did she do?"

"Well, she added branches and straw as usual, but then she also added some cloth. She took my scarf, and some scraps of wool, too."

One of the Vikings on the other side of the table spoke up. "I don't have a Nadder, but my dragon builds a nest each year, too. He's just started it."

Hiccup nodded slowly, then turned back to Astrid.

"Do you know if Stormfly has begun building up her nest yet?"

Astrid thought a moment, and took a sip from her mug.

"No, I don't think so. But if I notice her adding layers to it, I'll let you know."

"Thanks, Astrid. That would be a big help."

"No problem." Astrid smiled at him and walked away as Hiccup began to explain what the dragons' behavior meant.

…

Though she didn't want to show it, Astrid was unnerved at being asked to spontaneously address the council. But as she moved toward the fire to warm her hands, which were ice cold and shaking a bit, she looked over her shoulder to watch Hiccup.

He was explaining how the dragons might give them signals about changes in the weather, such as a storm approaching, and how they could each watch their own dragons for indications that winter had arrived, and that the sea ice was about to set in for good. He was as focused as he was during dragon training, when he explained how to anticipate a dragon's actions and respond accordingly.

Hiccup looked so much like his father, too: brows down, both hands gesturing in the air to explain what he was saying. Even Stoick, who sat next to him, was listening intently as Hiccup told them what signs to look for.

As conversations restarted around the great hall, Astrid could see others realizing what she had known for a long time.

Hiccup was going to be a great chief one day.