Disclaimer: Dream Works and Cressida Cowell own the How to Train Your Dragon franchise.
Sorry this chapter took longer than usual. I had things in the way, but I've got this chapter up before things became too late.
Anyways, there's another vote, the details of which are on the bottom.
Please read and reveiw. Enjoy what's below. See you.
I hate the cold. Just when I think I've finally gotten used to the frigid air freezing my nostrils over, I find out that Snoggletog was held on the coldest day of the year. I shivered just thinking how much worse things were going to get in a few hours; even with my fur jacket partially covering me, I could still feel the blistering cold. "Can… We… Hurry?" I managed to speak through my chattering. My legs felt icey stiff, like they might have frozen during the hour I spent standing at this spot. The only thing that I was sure keeping me alive was the fact that I wasn't alone.
"Nonsense, boy!" cried my Dad, holding his massive arms tightly around shoulder. He was dressed in his finest mail and his favorite helmet, both polished for the occasion. He bellowed, excitedly, "It's been years since the whole family together for a family painting and it'll be your first with us! We can't miss an opportunity like this!"
"Can't we have done this, some place warmer?" While I understood that having a family portrait would have been nice to have to celebrate the fact that we were a united whole, I still didn't get why we didn't do this some place saner, like indoors. "I feel like I'm going to turn into a frozen Toothless-sickle!"
Dad laughed. "Don't worry boy, you're perfectly safe here!"
Glancing across from my Dad, I saw Hiccup roll his eyeballs. "Oh, I am sure no one died waiting for their painting to be taken… if you forget about those five people who all died that one year."
"Hey! That was a snowstorm and the Chief was drunk!" protested our father.
"I don't know, Dad, you did spend quite alot of time with Gobber last nig-" added Hiccup, a slight grin on his face. My brother did not have armor, but he had his own helmet. Mom actually had a funny comment to say about it since it was essentially made from her armor.
"That was for something else!" beamed Dad. Though I think his cheeks were starting to turn pink again despite the color having drained out of them half an hour ago.
Meanwhile, while all that was going on, I kept shivering, the only noise I made were the chattering of my teeth. Of all the things I have come to miss about being a dragon, it was simply the ability to not be cold.
"Don't worry, sweetie," I heard from behind ,e. Slender arms wormed their way around my neck, and a warm body was packed tight against my sides.
My shivering slowed, enough that I could actually speak. "Thanks...Mom…" I told her as I turned towards her.
"It'll all be over soon, just hang tight," she said with a curt grin on her face. It's gotten easier to trust in her the past few weeks, enough that I can at least put aside some of the… bad history between us like it was some sort of fading nightmare. Now, I could actually see her, not someone else I was scared of. My Mom's warmth was welcome, especially even now.
I turned to our painter. Bucket stood in front of us, his hands coated in greasy substances from the wooden plate held to his chest. He rapidly touched his paint encrusted fingers over a wooden shield on a stand, placing blacks, browns, greens, and other colors onto it. The whole process would have been faster if the paint didn't freeze every few minutes.
Bucket focused on my parents, giving them a focused look on over what he should do with them. Hopefully that meant the painting was nearing its completion.
"Uh, Bucket, maybe you should do that over again," said his accomplice, Mulch. t The shorter man eyed the shield's image, albeit hesitantly.
"But-" complained Bucket. "I-"
"I don't think the Chief will like that picture very much," added Mulch.
I couldn't see what he was talking about, but right now I didn't care so much. "Oh, I'm sure it's fine! Really!" I said, my teeth still managing to vibrate between words. I didn't even check to see if the picture was fine or not, I was already convinced that I wanted to get out of here right away as fast as I could. Starting over was not conducive to that.
Dad grunted. "I'll be the judge of that, but I'm not paying you for a second painting!"
"But, Dad, you aren't paying them in the first place," added Hiccup.
Father's head shifted towards my brother a hearty laugh that I felt erupting from his chest. "Well, if I was paying them, I wouldn't be paying for a second painting!" he laughed.
"Hm, wonder how why they're painting then..." mused Mom.
"Oh, uh, just wanted to…" said Bucket, his hand smeared with red and. "...welcome you home."
I could feel Mom's smile without even looking. The air felt like it was several degrees warmer than it should have been. "Well, thank you," replied Mom.
Bucket and Mulch both bowed in respect for her. "I still think the painting as is might be… problematic," said the shorter man.
"I'm sure it's fine!" I said again, but I was sure no one was really listening to me.
"If it's that much of a big deal, I'll… check it out," said Hiccup, slipping through our father's massive arms. He took a deep breath as if he had been suffocating under my dad's pits and then ran off.
"Alright, but hurry back, boy!" shouted our father.
"Please do!" I added. Already I was missing Hiccup's presence, but that might just have been the cold air moving against my side.
Hiccup then slipped behind Bucket while he was still painting. His expression turned into one of perplexed hesitance."That, could be a problem…" said my brother.
Internally, I groaned. Whatever it was my brother and Muclh were concerned about, it meant one thing that I could think of: more time spent outside. "What is it?" I said. I was hesitant to get out from my parents' arms and exposing more of my body to the freezing air, but I think my own impatience got the better of me. And then, my annoyance turned melted directly into wordless confusion.
Hiccup moved close to me while I stood there dumbfounded. "Yeah, it's definitely… odd," said my brother.
"Is it...bad?" wondered our father.
"Sort of," Mulch said. "He's been having this problem ever since… well, they know." I saw him eye Hiccup and me and that was all the prompting I needed to shake the confusion from my head. Maybe I was just so slow because everything about me was freezing inside and out.
Finally, I averted my gaze from the painting, unsure of what to really make of it. I know Bucket might have had some unique… issues, but I had difficulty understanding how any of this, most especially my childhood nightmare, related to a man's ability to paint. I suppose he knows about Mom because of… he knew what happened to his friend, but I somehow doubted that leap of logic could suddenly occur to him. And how was he able to know someone he knows was a dragon in the first place? How exactly does a disabled man know about any of these things? "Uh, do you mind?" I asked the man.
Then, stepping back with a disgruntled frown on his face, Bucket let me turn the portrait around completely.
Mom and Dad's eyes lit up, looks of bewilderment clear across our faces. "That's definitely...unique..." Mom muttered.
Hiccup and I both turned to each other, our expressions clearly in agreement. That was the biggest understatement either of us heard our mother speak.
The painting on the shield did not feature a seemingly normal Viking family in a blank background looking forward. Instead, there were dragons, four of them in the places were; well, three and a half dragons, since Dad wasn't all the way in yet. The two Night Furies in the bottom were the smallest of the group and were clearly meant to represent Hiccup and was looming above us, bigger, but not so much we were dwarfed by her size. Dad was behind her, his form though incomplete, was very reminiscent of a Monstrous Nightmare.
Both of my parents looked at the picture with a very small hint of awe, but Dad gave Mom a tense look as if wondering something. While it was plainly clear to our father that both me and Hiccup were the lesser Night Furies, the fact that Mom was also being represented by a Night Fury was probably a bit of a surprise to our father. No one, especially not me, was willing to discuss where Mom had been for the past few years. "Nice… painting, isn't it?" my mother said hesitantly.
"Uh, yeah…" agreed my Dad. Then, his smile reappeared on his lips and he burst out laughing, as if he heard the funniest joke in Midgard. "Look at us, we're dragons!" he shouted, pointing at the picture.
Hiccup and I both looked at each other, wondering if maybe we should tie our father to a mast and send him out to sea.
"Uh, Dad?" Hiccup said, approaching him first; I wasn't far behind. We both came to immediately regret that.
Dad engulfed us in his arms and lifted us in the air like we were stuffed toys. "Look, boys, a family of dragons!" he laughed.
"Uh, Dad, we're not dragons," I said, feeling like I should point out the obvious in a time like this, even though I knew well what my brother would say next.
"Well, we're not," Hiccup said, strangely nonchalant about being lifted up in the air.
"And I'm still not sure if I'm going to turn or not!" declared our father. Unlike all the others cursed by Alvin, Dad still hadn't completely turned into a dragon. It was so slow, that most of the time, it took things like measurements to actually tell if his condition was actually progressing. It was for this reason and the fact that Hiccup and I had no idea what would happen if we tried to break the spell upon him that we haven't come around to using the magic to break him.
Father then spun us around excitedly a few times before setting us down onto the ground. I found my legs suddenly turn into wet bread and I dizzily paced away before Mom caught me and allowed me to regain my balance."Uh, Stoick…" Mom called out. "So, what about the painting?"
Dad laughed again, whatever joke was going through his head apparently still the funniest thing he ever heard. "It's a great painting," he said, his smile wide enough that I was sure it didn't fit on his face. "You look great as a Night Fury," he said, pointing to the image that represented it Mom.
Mom, flustered, backed away. "It's, a painting…" she replied.
"Well, yeah," Father admitted.
"And I'm… not a Night Fury," said Mom.
For a moment, I imagined that Dad might have pieced everything together, that he knew the big secret Mom had been keeping since she arrived. "No, of course, not," Dad admitted. "...But if you were a Night Fury, I think you'd be the quite beautiful." Thankfully, those those subsided. It didn't sound like he knew, or he did, he wasn't telling.
Mom's expression then shifted into a more vicious smile, he confidence restored. "Bah! You say that about me wherever have bad mornings!"
"Well, I'm not lying am I?" questioned Dad.
Hiccup then stepped in. "Uh, guys, the painting," my brother reminded us, pointing to Bucket who was standing that gaping at the whole scene.
"Oh, right," said Dad.
"We should," said Mom.
"And so we can get out of this cold," I added.
As soon as my family went back into realignment, Bucket continued his work on the painting. It wasn't long after that that the painting was done.
"Alright, it's done!" declared Mulch.
"Finally!" I said, brushing the faint covering of frost.
Dad and Hiccup stepped forward to receive the completed shield emblazoned with black and red dragons. "So, maybe I'll turn into a Nightmare," Dad muttered aloud, taking the shield from its owner.
"It'd be certainly interesting!" declared Mulch, like it was some sort of trophy.
"And also having to do with the night!" Hiccup pointed out, as obvious as it was. Dad patted Hiccup on head for that pun.
Mom and I approached just behind the other two.
"So… to the Great Hall right?" I questioned, anxiously waiting to get out of the cold air. The sun was setting now and the darkness was just going to make things even colder in just a moment.
"Aye," said my Mom.
"Then, what are we waiting for!" I declared, leaping forward a few steps in the direction of the Great Hall.
But I found my steps immediately when I found Hiccup tugging at my coat sleeves. "Hey, not so fast, bud!" my brother declared. "Mom's got some business still."
I snorted, but turned around to find my Mom and Dad discussing something important with Bucket and Mulch.
"I know, he meant alot to you, Bucket," said Mom. "But I don't know where he is."
There were tears streaking down the bucket headed man's eyes. Mulch patted him on the back. He sniffled, "I know, I miss him so. He was an old friend, you see!"
"I know, but it's been years since I seen him or anyone else from that expedition..." said Mom. "But, maybe, if I can start questing again I can look for him and the other members of my crew."
Bucket nodded. "I'd like that," he said and then Dad and Mulch consoled the crying man and took him away.
It wasn't until Mom and Dad approached me that I realized they were talking about a certain Whispering Death, the creature and cursed man who had been at the root of several of my problems growing up. I mean, if I hadn't stumbled onto him all those years ago, maybe things would have been a little… better between Mom and myself.
Mom smiled at me as she approached. "So, shall we go?" she asked. Then again, it was hard to imagine anything being better than what I had. "The feast can't start without us."
I nodded my head, my mouth still able to water despite being so cold. I was especially looking forward to the food. Smoked eel, fried oysters, honey glazed bread. Now, I used to like raw fish like any normal dragon did, but ever since I discovered human tastes, I found I prefered some of the things I could never eat before. And given the fact that this was the biggest feast of the year, well, I couldn't be more excited.
"Oh, and I just remembered something about this morning!" said Mom, as she pulled me closer in a hug.
Hiccup and Dad both stared at each other, perplexed. I was too, since I didn't know about the occasion. "Uh, Mom?" Hiccup question.
"Val?" Dad asked.
"Happy birthday, sweetie. You're a year older now!" she declared.
I blinked, recalling an important fact I tended to forget. Oh, right, I was hatched a dragon after all. I didn't remember that far back since, well, that was the day I was born, but Mom did say to me I entered into this world the same way other dragons did; an egg submerged in the water that then fiery exploded, only to leave behind a small hatchling that instinctively swam up to the surface, weak but still able to survive on his own. That was how things were done for most Breeds… and it all usually happened on the same day come to think about it. It was only by some weird cosmic coincidence that Snoggletog also occurred the day the dragons have to hatch their young. Also, coincidentally, it also meant Stormfly, Barf, Belch, Meatlug, and Hookfang also gain another year as well.
I broke from Mom, a smile plastered on my face. I couldn't wait to tell my friends, even though we all shared the same birthday. For dragons, the date of birth wasn't exactly an important occurrence. Everyone was born close to the same day, so, there was little special about it. It was only really important the first day a dragon came into the world and the year after, but never more than that. I guess I should be thankful none of us were dragons, right now, were we?
"Congratulations bud," Hiccup declared. "I have to wait two more years before I get to celebrating my fourth one."
"Yeah, that probably means I'm the older brother," I joked around. Hiccup had the misfortune of being born on a day that only comes in every four years, a leap day, so to speak.
"Well, hopefully that means I can live four times longer than everyone else!" declared Hiccup.
Dad clapped his hands. "Well, we can't exactly have another party for you son, but maybe you can put up with Snoggletog."
I grinned.
And then things suddenly became a little more chaotic. Out in the distance, I heard a small explosion. In the direction of the explosion, I small a plume of black smoke.
"That would be the Blackhorn's place!" said Hiccup.
"Blackhorns?" questioned everyone else.
"Well, most people hit by Alvin's curse ended up panicking… they on the other hand got married…" he said. "And then they well, you know…" my brother stated, the answer not pleasing to either Dad or Mom. "They asked not to be changed back to take care of their soon to be kids and all…"
"So you didn't submerge tell them eggs in water?" I asked. I mean, that was the only way to suppress the ball of fire that erupted whenever a dragon first exits his or her shell.
"It's not like I know they explode!" Hiccup replied sheepishly.
My father sighed, obviously a little upset that his day of rest and celebration interrupted with a little work. "I'll… be right back," declared Dad as he stepped towards the explosion.
Mom grabbed hold of my Dad's hand. "I think I should go too…" she said.
"Thank you, Val," said Dad.
"You better go on ahead boys," said Mom.
And then the pair walked off.
I turned at Hiccup, glowering. Today was a near perfect day aside from getting my whole body frozen, now this small emergency shows up. "Why haven't I heard of this?" I questioned him.
Hiccup gave me a sheepish grin. "Hey, you kinda' disappeared when this all happened!" declared my brother. "And besides, it's been a whole month since I have haven't deliberately set something on fire! That's a personal record!" my brother declared.
I snorted and then began walking. Well, I suppose there were things I could still look forward to. Good food… and Stormfly's company. That'd definately help me take my mind off of… this incident.
So, as it turns out, I am not a total success. I spent a few weeks thinking I was ontop of the world and living the best years of my life and then suddenly a little mistake I made causes me to be brought down low.
I was strangely… fine with that.
I mean, sure, I would have wanted to begin this new phase of my life, as someone who didn't cause misfortune everywhere he went, but I found it strangely… comforting to know that I wasn't all that different from how I was several months before. I wasn't a total failure, sure, but I wasn't perfect either.
Thankfully, it's unlikely anyone would get hurt. The Matterhorns and their kids were alls dragons and that meant they all had that they all had fireproof scales. While I was also sure that the neighbors would work to suppress the fire, the fact of the matter was that since we were all Vikings who were invaded by dragons constantly pretty much meant that it was unlikely anyone would be getting hurt. Besides, the fire didn't seem that big or dangerous in the first place, at least, that's what I hoped the situation looked like.
If anything, I expect the Matterhorns will have a talk with their realtor over the importance of fire safety with children who can breathe fire and some property damage, but that's about it. No lives lost or ruined and plenty of people covered in soot for the Snoggletog feat, nothing.
I guess maybe it was the gods' way of reminding me to be a little humble before my head started crushing my legs. Well, maybe I needed it; I mean, ever since I came back home all those weeks ago, literally everything has turned out better than I hoped for. My family was complete, I wasn't a failure, Astrid and I were enjoying our time as friends. Nothing went wrong until I conveniently forgot that a couple decided to go… get married before I had the chance to dispel that magic. I decided that maybe that was something I needed to figure out some other time. Tonight was a night of feast and celebration… and the night I made an important decision.
I took a glance, at my brother. He still glowered at me, still upset, but that gradually faded with every step we took. I wondered if any of those kids the Blackhorns had would well, would they be dragons or humans? Sure, they were being hatched as dragons, but if we were to dispel the magic on them, would they still be covered in scales?
Toothless and I arrived at our destination not much later, but neither of us could enter the building.
Before us stood a massive stretch of people, Vikings and the remaining dragons, all lined up to enter through the massive doors of the Hall. Tonight, the Great Hall was going to be stretched to its limits, as it was always was every year. I gritted my teeth and tried to give my brother a comforting smile. I know he wanted to get inside more than I did. "Another line!" shivered Toothless, outraged.
"Sorry, bud," I said, trying to be cheerful. Toothless though was still upset. Before I realized what was happening, I felt my brother tug onto my shirt and drag me me through the line. "Toothless!" I cried out.
"I'm not going to be held up by another line!" called out my brother.
"It's still rude!" I said, unable to just pull myself.
Men and women that my brother and I passed by gave us looks of dissatisfaction as we broke through the ranks.
"Hey, watch it!" shouted one man.
"Well, excuse me!" said one woman.
And that was just a few of the plaintiffs.
"Important sons of the Chief coming through!" declared my brother, racing through whoever soon it on way.
"Sorry! Pardon us!" I apologize since my brother wouldn't.
It wasn't long before my brother ran out of Vikings he had to upset. We eventually made our way through the massive lines and found our way to our usual table. "Come on!" urged Toothless.
"Hey, slow down!" I said.
Toothless though did like he usually did. He didn't slow down until we stopped right at the table. I skidded, my boots not providing enough grip to let me stop at an instant. I ended up falling chest first into my seat, my head lunging to underneath the table. Thankfully, there was an unspoken that this spot was reserved for me and my friends, otherwise, things might have turned out a little differently.
I groaned, hurt, but not enough to leave behind any lasting damage. I pulled myself upright in my seat, but not before checking to see if the little preparation I set aside for tonight was still here. "You're enjoying pulling me around everywhere," I said to my brother, frowning. Ever since I stopped being several dozen times being his size, my once-much-littler-than-me brother got into the habit of dragging me around everywhere.
Toothless, sitting across from me, gritted his teeth in a vicious grin. "I'm just paying you back… with interest."
I shook my head and then turned my attention to a pair of familiar and welcome voices. "Get your yaknog!" she said, handing out full mugs of her new strange concoction. A couple of the more daring Vikings reached out and received a cup of the stuff, but I couldn't tell if they liked the stuff or not.
Stormfly was beside her, holding two large pitchers full of the new beverage in her hands. She was dressed in her special purple dress, the one my brother apparently got for her.
"Astrid!" I called out, wanting to change the tone of the conversation. The Great Hall was as noisy as ever and it took emptying my lungs before I felt like I was actually saying something audible.
"Stormfly!" my brother did the same.
The two girls immediately took attention of us and quickly made their way over, giving out mugs and drink along the way. "Hiccup, Toothless!" Astrid shouted once she was close enough. Stormfly did the same.
"Hey, how's that job Mom gave you tonight?"I asked the two girls. It wasn't time yet for the actual feast. The food hasn't been sent out yet, but there were plenty of people able to serve refreshments. Mom actually pulled a few strings and managed to get Astrid and Stormfly in a position to serve tonight.
Astrid gave a grin. "Well, the yaknog is a little hit or miss."
Stormfly made a face. "Well, it certainly doesn't taste as good as yak venison."
Astrid returned a polite grin, unoffended at her friend's opinion. "I think it's doing better than if I stuck with using flour in mix! Maybe if I keep this up for a few years, we might actually get a new Snoggletog tradition!"
"Why use flour?" I questioned her.
Astrid shrugged. "Everyone like cake batter!"
Toothless licked his lips. "Got that right!" he declared.
"Anyways," Astrid said, approaching and handing my brother and I two mugs full of her experimental beverage. Toothless sniffed at the drink and backed an inch away from his seat. I wished I could do that too, but Astrid was looking at me. "Want some more yaknog?" she offered, waiting for us to receive her gift.
I did, but it wasn't like I had any choice. "Uh, thank you, Astrid," I said, regretting every word. I didn't think I showed it in my face, but I loathed to taste that drink again. A few days ago, Astrid gave us the first batch of her new recipe. Though she managed to have a little help from Mom with it, I still found myself wanting to vomit after just taking a sip of the stuff last time.
I took the mug away from her, but Astrid wasn't stepping away. She was waiting for me, an excited smile on her face. "So?" she wondered. And then I made my decision. Oh, the things I do for her affections.
Hopefully my own stomach would forgive me for this crime against my own body. I hoped the recipe was refined since last time… I drank the yaknog, taking it all in a single gulp, all the better to not have more of the stuff later. "Oh, that hit the spot!" I said aloud. In reality, it felt like some sort of high speed car wreck happened in my throat.
Astrid beamed, making me feel like that sacrifice was worth it… hopefully.
Stormfly whistled. "That's… bold of you, foolish, yet bold," she commented
Then, as soon as she said that, Toothless, who had mostly just sat there, looking at the drink swallowed his in its entirety not a moment later. "Refreshing!" he said, but I can see that was trying his hardest to not vomit the whole thing up.
Stormfly cringed. "Well, I can't say you're a coward for drinking that…" she said to my brother. He gave her a big grin.
Astrid elbowed her, laughing a little. "Hey!"
The two girls then walked off, more orders and requests for the utterly repulsive to me beverage were being send their way. "Come back for dinner!" I called out to them. There wasn't enough time to pull out the object I set aside for.
They both waved their hands and went off, their unsaid promise being clear to me.
I then turned to Toothless, who… expelled the contents of his stomach of his stomach into his mug. He groaned, but I still smirked. "Why are you looking at me like that…?"
"Oh, nothing, just wondering how you and Stormfly were getting along," I asked.
"Well, it's fine," said my brother, his tone indecisive. "Why do you ask?"
"Oh, not much," I lied. Really, I wonder why my brother pulled off that stunt the moment Stormfly, claimed what I did was admirable. Infact, does my brother even know why either.
I shook my head, turning my attention to another pair of my friends coming this way. Fishlegs and Meatlug, holding each other's hands and bringing up contented smiles came along the way.
"Meatlug, Fishlegs!" I called out.
Both of them approached us, flashing us their teeth. "Toothless, Hiccup!" they called out in turn.
The two larger teenager then took seats by my brother and me, Fishlegs by me and Meatlug by Toothless.
"How have you guys been doing?" I asked them.
The two larger teens turned to face each other, as if silently trying to communicate something important. I actually had a hunch on what it might be. "Oh, well, after Alvin held us prisoner again…" Fishlegs began.
"...And a talk with Stormfly…" continued Meatlug.
The two of them looked at each other, as if unsure of what to really say. But thankfully for them, I didn't need for them to finish. I smirked at the two of them, congratulating my friends. "That's great guys!" I said, elbowing my oldest friend in his sides.
Fishlegs blushed, my guess was spot on.
Meatlug also blushed as well. "Just, don't tell Fishleg's parents… or even anyone else yet!" said the girl.
I nodded, but I couldn't help but feel to point out a simple fact. "Right, because everyone doesn't know already…" I said. Really, if anything, I'm surprised it took either of them this long to make a move.
"Know what?" my brother said. He was out of the loop and very clueless.
"Oh, uh, nothing important," said Fishlegs.
"Bard stuff!" said Meatlug.
Toothless just shrugged.
Fishlegs then looked at the table's underside, likely seeing it from the corner of his eye. "Hey what's-" He was about to reach at the object but I stopped him.
"Don't touch it!" I asked of him. He did so, though he scooted as far away from the item as he could. "Thank you," I said.
At this time, another set of familiar voices, this time several of them. Hookfang and Snotlout led the Barf, Belch, Tuffnut, and Ruffnut over to the table. All of them were in human form, since the first thing I did since I returned to being able to work in the forges was to make everyone new amulets, both as replacements and as a test to see if Toothless and I could repeat the same spell over and over.
"Hey guys!" I shouted to them. "Over here!"
Both sets of twins were in a discussion over who whether or not the proper use for a book was as a 'projectile' or 'melee' weapon, which I was strangely glad I didn't understand the context of. Either way, that meant the four of them were stuck, not listening to me.
Hookfang, though, heeded our call and went over to come sit beside me and my friends. Or at least he would have, if Snotlout didn't get in front of him to bar the way. "Hey, why should we?" he asked.
I blinked. "Uh, no reason…" I said, absentmindedly, I didn't have any idea to know what to say.
"Well, then I think we'll go to our own seat!" said my cousin.
"You mean the ones right next to me?" I questioned him. I wish was I was being sarcastic, but I think it was kinda obvious that the tables couldn't support twelve Vikings.
My cousin huffed, ignoring me but still sat at the table right next to mine.
"What was that about?" Toothless questioned.
I shook my head. "I don't know bud, I don't know," I just was surprised since, in the past few months, I've gotten quite close to my cousin, enough that we actually acted like cousins, did things together. I mean, I had him come along to help me get Mom, that had to count for something. He hung around and I actually liked his company. Now though, I didn't know why he was suddenly giving me a cold shoulder.
Then, I heard a horn blare, the noise so loud that I was sure the Meatheads would have heard it. All the other noise in the Great Hall fell silent and all eyes turned towards the duo that stood in the center.
"So, now that we have your attention," Mom declared, a large emptied horn in her hands, "we can begin."
Dad stepped forward, just in front of the fire. He nodded at Mom, as if waiting for her approval. She nodded back and Dad then began, "Well, this year has certainly been one that no one on Berk is bound to forget," he shouted. There were several approving nods all over the place. "First my son ends up turning into a dragon, then soon other villagers left and right suffering a similar fate. "
Astrid and Stormfly, still carrying their yaknog equipment, rushed into the table, Astrid taking the side next to me that Fishlegs didn't occupy. "Are we late?" she whispered in my ear.
I smirked at her. "Not at all." Then, silently, I began unstrapping the item I bound under the table, ready to give it you its future owner.
I know Dad might be upset at me if I decided not to listen in on his speeches, but this was very important to me.
Father continued, "Our own enemy cursed dozens of men, trapped them into forms not of their own…"
I then tapped Astrid on the shoulders, grabbing her attention for just a moment. She looked at me and then, I silently directed her at her new possession. "Wait, is this-?" She grabbed onto the item, still underneath the table, by its handle.
I smirked. "You needed a new one," I whispered.
Dad still continued speaking to the audience. "Then, it turns out, I have another boy to call my own and I couldn't call myself widower anymore!"
She then ran her hand over axe's head, feeling the fine texture of the cold metal under her fingers. It was the best work I ever made and used the finest steel I could get my hands upon. I toiled for hours, secretly in the night making this weapon all for this moment. "I… don't know what to say…" she whispered back.
"How about an answer to this question?" I suggested. She took a glance at me, waiting. I sighed and my heart tensed. Giving her the axe was the easy part, the simple part that I knew I could pull of perfectly. For something so seemingly simple, who knew it could have been so dangerous and fraught with peril. But, I managed to steel myself and say the words; "Would you be my girlfriend?" I whispered, only loud enough for her to hear.
Then, as if on cue, my Dad said, "Sounds like something a drunkard would come up with, don't it?" There were hearty laughs all over the room, men and women alike found my father's words very humorous and I hoped that wasn't an omen of how things were going to come out for me?
"I-I-" Astrid stuttered. I hoped she was going to say 'yes', but stuttering wasn't a good sign. I looked at her in the eyes, pleading wordlessly for an answer I could stand. And then, I think I got to her. She smiled. She didn't say a word but instead nodded her head up and down in approval. She then drew close to me and put her arm around me.
My heart soared and I suddenly found myself on top of the world. Perhaps in any other culture, gifting a close friend with a weapon on a Winter celebration all about giving gifts to start a romantic relationship might have been frown upon, but since we were Vikings, it was pretty much tradition for us. Plus, it was the only thing I knew that would really get Astrid's attention.
Just in time, I heard my Dad continue. "But now everything is how it should be. Vikings can now go how as Vikings if they wanted to, I have my family with me, better than how it used to be!"
"And none of this, would have been possible if it weren't for our sons!" declared Mom.
"That's us!" shouted Toothless, his hand reaching across the table to grab on to mine. He stood up and pulled me up along with him.
This time, I didn't even try to hold back and instead willingly joined him.
As soon as we did, Mom and Dad both declared, their words perfectly in sync with one another's, "We present to you, Hiccup and Toothless Horrendous Haddock, the Hopes and Heirs to the Tribe of Hairy Hooligans!"
A loud uproar of cheer and praise burst everywhere in the room. Claps and applause hammered us at every angle, deafening us with approval. Stormfly and Astrid, though they sat nearby us. For once in my life to be proud to bear my name and official title. Toothless, though he was the younger sibling rightfully deserved it as well; I couldn't have made it this far without him.
The cheering all lasted for maybe a few minutes before slowly dying down. Once that happened Toothless and I both sat down.
Astrid gave me a kiss on the check, wordlessly confirming her approval a dozen times over with a single action. "You earned it," she said.
Stormfly chimed in and said to Toothless, "As did you."
I think my brother and I blushed, red as overripe tomatoes.
Yet, despite all that, I think I was right in saying, this Snoggletog was the best I ever had.
If we take into consideration the way how most dragon eggs hatch, Toothless was likely born alongside other dragons and thus shares a birthday with… nearly everyone he knows.
Starting the next arc is an important chapter. Due to the nature of it, I will not reveal much about the context except for who gets to narrarate. I haven't decided who is narrating because both choices have very strong reasons for being selected, but it is a choice between Val and Stoick. So, I'll leave this up to a vote to decide. Whoever wins will be the narrator of all of the next chapter. Unlike this last time the other choice will not be put up as a point of view immediately afterwards, since it'd be redundant.
Ivanganev1992: I'm sorry, but I didn't get that email address either. ALL email addresses are prohibited from being sent on , so I cannot contact you via the emails you keep sending me. Also, there's already a PM system built into the website, as well as an automatic notification system. Assuming you have the email you signed up to this website, you'd still be receiving notifications that way. Just go click your name at the top right of the screen while on this website and you'll be able to access it.