A/N: Hey guys, I would like to wish you all a VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope you all had wonderful times with your families and friends and here's to an Awesome New Year. I will not be going anywhere and just to prove it, here's the chapter that you guys have been waiting for in like ... forever. Hope you love it.
"Place your bets! Come on everyone, place your bets right here!" Snorre yelled at the entrance of the Great Hall. It was a warm mid-morning on Berk today; perfect weather for a duel. "Watch the Heir of Berk battle the Traitorous Outcast for the hand of Astrid Hofferson!"
And people were rushing to the tables that were manned by the rest of his group. Most of the bets were placed on Snotlout, since no one knew of Hiccup's fighting capabilities and they all knew that Snotlout was the second best fighter and the winner of the Thawfest Games, until last year when Astrid had taken the title from him.
"I can't believe that idiot challenged Snotlout to a duel" said Magnus as he collected a few chickens.
"I know, right? There's no way that scrawny fish-bone could beat someone like Snotlout" Knut said.
"The same fish-bone who kicked Snorre through the doors of the Great Hall?" someone called out, shushing all of the voices that were shouting to get their bets in. Everyone turned their heads to see Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Fishlegs and Astrid walking up to them. Snorre immediately knew that it was Ruffnut who spoke up. He'd recognize that voice anywhere.
"He had his dragon tail-swipe me!" he defended himself.
"Stop with the lies, Snorre. You were always horrible at that" Astrid spoke up, folding her arms over her chest and staring at him with a serious expression. "Hiccup's changed a lot. It would cost Snotlout the match if he underestimated him."
"And Hiccup should know how pissed Snotlout is once he saw that his girl had publicly kissed a traitor" Magnus smirked. "He destroyed all of his battle dummies; cut them up, bashed them in and ripped them apart. If I were Hiccup, I'd turn tail and run for the hills ... or in his case, skies" they all laughed with him.
She couldn't, as well as her friends, help the annoyance creeping up on their faces. Was this what Hiccup and a few other unfortunate youths of their time had to endure? Just because they were viewed upon as weak? Astrid knew the only reason she put a hundred and ten percent in training was because she wanted to live up to her family's name, especially when her Uncle Finn was killed by the Flightmare. But in the process of training herself to be the best Shield-Maiden of Berk, she began to, unknowingly, immerse herself in the stereotypical Viking social ladder. She began to view upon the usefulness of people; and Hiccup was right at the bottom. If she could go back in time and have a talk with herself about the heir, she would do it in a heartbeat. Because she was not about to let the new Hiccup, the young man she fell in love with back in his mountain house, be ridiculed by his former tormentors.
"Listen here you dragon-..."
"I'm up for that" she was cut short by that nasally, one of a kind voice. She turned and saw Hiccup reaching into one of his pockets and handing Snorre a small leather bag with the sounds of a small objects hitting each other. "That can go to Snotlout if I lose this match" he smiled. Snorre gazed questioningly at him as he undid the strings keeping the bag closed. Words failed to exit his mouth when he emptied the bag's contents into the palm of his hand. Ten decent sized gems of a deep ocean blue, emerald green and sapphire red had the sun's rays dancing across their surfaces, basking themselves in the attention they've just brought upon themselves.
Everyone was at a loss for words, only staring at the gems that were in Snorre's open hand.
"Where did you get these?" Knut broke the silence, eyes still fixed on the gems.
"I was exploring a cave system up in the mountains where I lived. I stumbled across a small deposit of gems and mined a few" he said with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Hiccup, no!" Astrid yelled as she reached to grab the gems out of Snorre's hands. She couldn't begin to fathom why Hiccup would bet those of all items on the match. Hiccup, however, grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
"You have no faith in me, M'Lady?" he asked. She recognized his tone was that of mock hurt, and when she made eye contact with him, he was wearing a questioning smile. She honestly didn't know how to respond to that question. Was he really treating this duel like a common squabble between friends? Because if he was, the situation was far from it.
"Are you sure about this bet? I mean ... you could literally buy five houses worthy for the Chief with those" she said out of concern. She's seen a few gems and sapphires in her day ... but the ones Hiccup gave topped them all. She didn't know much about what made gems more valuable than other gems, but just from the way they looked, they had to be the most valuable kind.
"Have faith in me" he said with a wink and a quick kiss on her cheek. "I trust those will be given to Snotlout if he wins, right?" he directed the question at Snorre who was still drooling at the sight of those gems.
"Yeah, sure" he replied without taking his eyes off the gems.
"Would M'Lady like to accompany me to the Arena?" he asked, extending his arm. Astrid, Fishlegs and the Twins were still flabbergasted at how lightly Hiccup was taking this day. He was not at all the Hiccup they remembered five years ago. And it definitely impressed Astrid, who had finally wrapped her hand around his elbow and the two began the walk down the steps and to the Arena.
"Why are you so worried?" he asked.
"Why am I so worried!? Why are you not worried!?" she shot back. "I know you've been training hard for the last two weeks with Ripper, but Snotlout has been training all his life; training which was spearheaded by his father. And you know how Vikings encourage using anger in battle as it increases your ferocity and makes you stronger ... and Snotlout is beyond pissed right now."
"I know how mad he is" Hiccup replied calmly. The two were now making their way through the village market. Most of the stalls were closed due to the upcoming fight. However, a few essential stalls were open so that people could buy the groceries and items they needed for the day, before closing up and heading to the Arena themselves. Fishlegs and the Twins trailed behind them by a small distance, giving the two their privacy.
"Then why are you so calm about this?"
"I'm not" he replied. When he saw the questioning look on her face, he continued. "To tell you the truth, I'm terrified. This is just a coping mechanism ... acting calm But deep down I'm sweating like a sheep during shearing season" he chuckled. In some small way, it did bring relief to her that he was concerned about the fight, otherwise he wouldn't have been the duel seriously.
"I've always put up other facades. It was always a coping mechanism when people here would belittle me. I guess it's just something that stuck" he confessed. She knew what he was talking about. She remembered how he would make a sarcastic comeback to anyone who bullied him, teased him and downright ignored him. And she could see the longing in his eyes to be included by people back then. Sarcasm was just his way of coping with how they treated him.
"Well ... does it make you feel better that I have the utmost confidence in you for this fight?" she asked, smiling as he turned to look at her.
"It doesn't seem that the rest of the village does" he gestured to the people they were passing, overhearing their conversations on sizing up the two fighters.
"Because they haven't seen you fight. You've come a long way, Hiccup. More than I could ever have dreamed of. And you've done it all on your own" she smiled.
"Well, if it wasn't for Ripper and Treeroot back in Sharkslane..." he left off.
"My point is ... yes your bet caught me off guard, but I'm also confident in your fighting capabilities. Snotlout will be a tough opponent, but I know you'll come out on top" she said as the Arena came in sight. Hiccup could only smile at her words. He was thankful that he had an undying supporter in her. And now, he began wondering how he could live without her.
"I'm beginning to wonder what I did to... Oof!" he was cut short when he bumped into someone in their path. "I'm terribly sorry... I"
"Cutthroat?" he heard Astrid say. That's when he gazed upon the man he bumped into. He was the same height, slightly more built than he was and for some reason, had an uncanny glint in his eyes that he could have sworn he's seen somewhere before.
"Astrid?" he replied, a smile forming across his face. "How long has it been?" he exclaimed.
"What are you doing here on Berk? And all of a sudden?" she just realized. Hiccup immediately noticed the drop in her tone. Clearly she knew the man, but it seemed she had some doubts about him. And if Astrid had doubts about someone, there was good reason he should too. When he noted the looks of Fishlegs and the Twins, they also seemed on edge, just a bit though.
"I was just on my way to a trading post of my village when I decided I should drop by and visit Berk" he said.
"Is it just you?"
"No. I have four other men on our small ship. They've decided to stay on deck since we've been travelling for a while and are dead tired. By the way, is there a fight that's about to happen?" he asked, gesturing to the Arena they approaching.
"Yes. I'm fighting Snotlout Jorgenson" Hiccup spoke up.
"The heir of Berk? What did he do to you?" he chuckled.
"You're looking at the true heir of Berk, Cutthroat" Astrid spoke up.
"He was banished for siding with the dragons five years ago" Fishlegs added.
"And the prodigal son returned about one and a half months ago" Ruffnut said.
"You guys are making this sound like a tale of legend" Cutthroat chuckled.
"Well ... he deserves it to a certain extent" Astrid said, with a slight sparkle in her eyes when she looked at Hiccup who shifted shyly under her gaze, bringing his right arm to rub the back of his neck. Cutthroat, however, was examining closely; they were close to each other, just an inch apart from each other, the way they made eye contact, and he certainly didn't forget when the two were in the prison alone. "Now if you'll excuse us, Hiccup has a fight to prepare for" Astrid replied, snaking arm around his arm and pulling towards the Arena past Cutthroat, followed by the rest of their friends. As he was left behind, he turned to watch them walk to the Arena where the last few residents of Berk were making their way to, and he couldn't help but smile as he watched Hiccup walk to his fight.
"I hope he has his balance down, cause he'll really need it."
"Was there something between the two of you?" Hiccup asked when they were sure he was out of ear-shot.
"Him? He's someone I met about two years ago. He had come here on some business and stayed for about a month" she explained.
"They were dating for that month" Ruff mentioned.
"Ruffnut!" she shrieked, sending her friend death glares but was only meant with a satisfied smirk.
"Dating huh?" Hiccup asked with a raised brow. He wasn't sure if Ruff was lying or not.
"Not dating. I think that's what he thought, but I was not into him. I was only impressed by his combat skills ... not anything else" she assured him, but he still held his gaze. "I'm serious!" she pushed on.
"Okay, I believe you now" he said as he bumped shoulders with her.
"It just seemed to us that they were dating, since we always saw them together coming back from the forest" Tuff added in.
"If you two don't shut up in the next minute there will be two less people in Berk's population" she threatened, effectively shutting them up. "Besides, he always invited me to come along with him for combat practice, and who am I to turn that down? And if he did try anything, he would've regretted it in a heartbeat. Besides, he's not my type" she smiled when she said the last part.
"Yeah, you're type is the traitorous kind" Tuff whispered, loud enough for everyone to hear but only resulted in laughter from Hiccup.
"And to think ... all it took was running away for five years" he laughed, swinging his arm around her shoulders and bringing her in close.
When they reached the path that led down to the Arena, the stands above them were nearly filled to the brim. The last few batches of villagers were making their way to their seats. The young adults saw the Chief and Spitelout with the Elders at the Chief's personal sitting area, all awaiting for the fight of the year. Astrid's parents were even with them, her father and Stoick in discussion away from the prying ears of Spitelout.
"Looks like they're talking about a marriage contract" Ruff joked, nudging Astrid's shoulder. She gave no reply other than an annoyed grin.
"We're gonna take our seats. I bet they have some reserved for us near the Chief" Ruff said as she, her brother and Fishlegs said their goodbyes and bid Hiccup best of luck before heading to look for the few seats that had to be remaining. "Good luck!" they all yelled in unison as they disappeared into the crowd and left Astrid and Hiccup alone.
"So, I guess this is it..." he his head a bit as he stared at the open gate that was waiting for him to pass through. Once he had, there was no turning back.
"I know you'll win, Hiccup" Astrid said softly and reached up to plant a soft kiss on his cheek.
"No kiss on the lips?" Hiccup pouted, earning a laugh from her. "I'm about to walk in there and fight for your hand and all I get is a..." he was silenced when Astrid brought him in for a tight hug, but she brought her lips to his ear and whispered,
"If you win, which I know you will, you will get all of me..." she muttered the last part seductively and blew a small amount of air beside his ear, which he definitely felt. His eyes raised in alarm and he stood still, beaten for words. She pulled away and looked at him mischievously, that sparkle back in her eyes. "Now go on" she said, folding her arms above her chest and gesturing to the open gate waiting for him. Hiccup looked behind him and back at her, before nodding slowly and turning around. With a quick shake of his head to regain his senses, he marched in while Astrid went to join her friends and watch the fight unfold.
Snotlout was already waiting at the other end of the Arena. He had been watching Hiccup and Astrid's final conversation. He had never felt so much anger towards his cousin in his whole life other than that one moment, coupled with the kiss Astrid had stolen in front of the entire village in the Great Hall the previous night. It burned him to the core that Hiccup had the one thing he was striving his whole life for. But he would make him pay in this fight. He would humiliate him just like he did when they were kids and young teens. He would show Astrid the true weakling his cousin was and always had been ... and he would do it in front of the whole village.
Berk had dubbed this fight the "Battle of Heirs". People had begun forming tales on how this fight would occur and were trying to come up with interesting starts. One was disgraced and banished for choosing to side with the Vikings' eternal enemy. The other was the heir's shadow, coming into the light when the original had fled on top of his dragon to Thor knows where. He took up the helm of the Chieftain and provided hope for the village ... depending on how one looked at hope when it came to him. But those aside, this would be a fight to remember since it not only determined Astrid's hand in marriage, but also the fate of Berk and the war against the dragons.
The horn blew loud, silencing everyone as the two opponents took their places at opposite ends of the centre of the Arena. Stoick stood up from his chair to address the crowd, "People of Berk ... we are gathered here today to witness the duel for a woman's hand in marriage" he began. "The challenger, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III!" he yelled, getting cheers, but predominantly boo's from the crowd. Hiccup looked around, hoping to see Astrid. And soon his eyes found her. She was seated with her friends and her family near his dad. She was smiling at him, silently giving him a thumbs up and all her support. That was all he needed.
"And your future Chief, Snotlout Jorgenson!" Everyone cheered his name and he basked in it, flexing his muscles and attempting to shoot them fierce glances. "This fight will be over as soon as one opponent yields or ... dies" he said the last part hesitantly. This was incredibly tough on Stoick. Yes he wanted to help Hiccup, but this was possibly the worst way to do it even though he agreed with it. Hiccup seemed so sure of it that he believed he trusted him. But it still didn't bode well that death for his only son could be a possible outcome. "The duel will consist of a weapon only, the fighters have their choice, of course." Snotlout already had his hammer at his belt, and he kept one hand above it, waiting for his uncle to give the word. Hiccup looked down to his sword that was sheathed in its scabbard. He really hoped that all time in the forge would have been worth it.
"Take your positions!" he yelled. Snotlout grabbed his handle and brought his hammer out, getting into a battle stance. Hiccup did the same, unsheathing his sword and getting into his own stance. At this moment, there was pin-drop silence in the whole of Berk. Everyone was waiting for the fight of the decade to happen.
"Fight!"
Snotlout broke right into a charge with a fearsome war cry.
'Typical' Hiccup thought as he stood in his place and allowed his cousin to get closer. Just as he was within striking distance, Hiccup rolled out of the way, to his left and regained his stance, preparing for another charge almost immediately. Just as expected, Snotlout ran at him again with his hammer raised high. The result was the same; Hiccup rolling out of the way as the hammer hit the hard surface, leaving large cracks.
"Stand still you coward!" he yelled as he prepared for another charge.
"And what good would that do?" Hiccup retorted, with what seemed to be a small smile on his face. The crowd were cheering them on, mostly for Snotlout as they had placed many, many bets on him to be the victor. The Chief, Elders, Spitelout, Hoffersons and the young adults were watching the fight closely from their position. Spitelout seemed to be making mental remarks about which attack Snotlout should use as he was mumbling it. And it seemed like it was working as Snotlout appeared to do all the correct attacks to Spitelout's liking. Stoick was also examining Hiccup's movements closely. This was the first time he was seeing his son in an actual fight, and impressed would be quite an understatement. He was astonished. He saw how Hiccup moved quickly, being light on his feet as he dodged Snotlout's attacks with ease and immediately prepared for another charge. It was also a hit in his chest as he found out from Ripper that Treeroot and he trained Hiccup, helping him hone his skills instead of forcing him to take on the training of a normal Viking. He was not a normal Viking, and Stoick saw that now. He was much more than that.
Astrid kept close eyes on him as well. The small brawl she had with him in his house over the Last Frontier Mountains did show the skills he had, but unlike now, he was full of rage while she was uncertain. Even Hiccup would admit that she would have been able to fight him under different circumstances then. Even though this duel carried the weight of the future of Berk, Hiccup seemed more calm than ever. Through the yells and cheers of the crowd, and the grunts and shouts from Snotlout, Hiccup didn't make a sound, eyes only examining Snotlout's movements. This Hiccup could protect himself. This Hiccup could protect her when the time came. This Hiccup could protect Berk.
Hiccup blocked an attack with his sword and gently parried it away, moving his body to the side while guiding the hammer's path away with his sword. And when he was beside Snotlout, he pushed him further down with his right hand and watched his cousin stumble over and turn to look back at him.
"What? You didn't want me dodging all your attacks did you?" he asked.
"Shut up!" Snotlout charge him again and this time Hiccup held his ground and brought his sword down, stopping his attack and they both were inches apart, their weapons grinding against each other as they faced off.
"What is with you?! What have I ever done to you!?" Hiccup yelled, catching him off guard. He then pulled back to a safe distance. "You've taken everything that I never had. What more do you want from me? To put me in my place?" he asked, trying to reason with cousin.
"You never deserved the title of Chief" his cousin remarked before he made another charge. "All you did was up and run away!"
"What did you expect me to do!? Come back with the risk of death at my home's door? At the hands of people who I thought was family?" Hiccup yelled while parrying away his strike and giving a swift punch to his cousin's face before pulling back. The crowd had gone silent when that happened and watched Snotlout hold his nose while he glanced back at Hiccup who had re-positioned himself.
"It's because of you all the pressure was on me!" Snotlout yelled. "I knew I had to take over from you which meant training, which meant no free time ... and that started only when I was six!"
Hiccup lowered his sword just a bit as he listened intently to his cousin. "Sure, you had your father pressuring you to change yourself, but come on ... look at you!" he gestured with his hand. "There was no way that could ever be Chief ... so it was all up to me. I liked the training, the idea that I'd get to become Chief but what I didn't expect is all the stress, especially with the though of becoming like you ... a failure" he said. Hiccup was finally beginning to see the bigger picture ... and possibly the source of hatred his cousin had towards him.
"So is that it? You had everything that was meant for me. And yet you continued to torment me ... because it was too much work for you? Because you were put under that pressure of becoming Chief? Well here's a news flash Snotlout, I couldn't give a fuck about your problems."
Snotlout stopped his charge as he, and the rest of the crowd, was surprised his sudden outburst. "You didn't have to live with the constant thought of being a failure. You think I didn't try and be the son my father wanted me to be? I tried so hard to be the son ... to be the heir the village wanted me to be. Heck, I even tried hoping it would get Astrid to notice me! But it always blew up in my face, making me look like a complete idiot, a failure, making me feel ... useless."
"Finding Toothless, learning the truth about dragons ... I tried to show all of you, but instead I was chased out. I realized a few days later I gave you guys the reason to banish me, and I know it must have been easy and peaceful for you when I was gone."
"Then why did you come back, huh? Just because Astrid was the one who asked you to come back? What if it was any other person?"
"Yes ... because it was Astrid I came, half of the reason, actually. After the lengths she had gone through to find me, taming a dragon on her own and risking that chance to find me, I saw that she was willing to change and if she was, then I believed that Berk was willing to as well. And if that means beating you in a fight in front of Berk, I guess that's just the way to go" Hiccup spoke and charged Snotlout as soon as he finished his sentence.
His strike sent Snotlout back a few steps, even though his brought his hammer up to block the strike. Before he could even counter Hiccup's attack, he was met with a right cross to the face and another strike to his hammer from the sword. The crowd were stunned. They had never seen Snotlout on the defense, apart from Astrid, but never anyone else. Never in a thousand life times did they think they would see Snotlout on the back leg against his cousin.
"Did you know he could fight like this?" Ruff asked, eyes never leaving Hiccup.
"No" Astrid replied softly. The way he moved, his body seemed to know it was doing on its own, and Hiccup's eyes never left his target. She felt this must be the final push, and she couldn't help but smile and stand up and start cheering him on, as did a few other villagers. He brought his sword down hard, knocking the hammer out of Snotlout's hands giving him a swift roundhouse kick to his chest, sending him flying a few feet to the hard ground. Spitelout and Stoick were beyond speechless. They could hardly believe their eyes when Snotlout was losing ground to Hiccup. It seemed like he every time he tried to attack, Hiccup saw it coming and blocked it, immediately following up with his own counter which was a punch or a kick to his cousin.
"Come on Snotlout!" his father yelled, but it was in vain.
Hiccup gave a swift kick to the stomach as he fell back down once more, his hammer out of reach and Hiccup advancing to him. It was at that moment that Snotlout realized how much he had messed up. Sure he had more fighting experience but Hiccup had height tied in with his fighting, he was about seven inches, if not more, taller than him. His height, agility, speed and the strength he had gained in the past years had given him a huge advantage.
Snotlout lay on the hard ground, scrapes on his arms, a few cuts from Hiccup's swords and a few bruises on his cheek. "This ends now, Snotlout" Hiccup spoke as he neared him. He couldn't help but push himself back as his cousin marched upon him, a look of anger that he had never seen on his face. This was not the cousin he remembered. This was someone different.
"Hiccup?" Astrid whispered as she saw him drop to one knee holding his head.
"What's wrong with him?" Fishlegs asked as he saw his friend drop his sword and held his head with both his hands, obviously in discomfort.
"What in the..." Hiccup looked to his hand and saw it was moving about, blurry and making him incredibly dizzy other than the pain shooting through his head. When he looked around he was stunned to see everything moving. The walls were blurry and the people above them; their voices were changing and they looked distorted. "What's happening?" he asked himself, closing his eyes and trying to regain his senses.
"Something's wrong with him" Astrid said, holding onto the railings at the top and staring with concern. "Chief, you have to stop the fight" she begged, turning to look at the man who was gazing down at his son with deep concern. "Chief!" she yelled, trying to get him say something.
"I can't" he replied softly. She couldn't help the look of terror cross her face. "There can be no interruption for a fight of this scale. We will have to wait until the final outcome" he said. She could see the terror in his eyes, the uncertainty of what can happen to him. But when she looked back to the fight, where Hiccup was still on the ground, clutching his head and looking around as if they were swarmed by demons, she hoped that Snotlout had some heart in him to halt the fight ... while she knew at the same time, there was little to no chance of that happening.
Snotlout watched his cousin struggle. He had one knee on the ground and seemed like he wasn't paying attention to his surroundings. This was his chance to make him pay. He stood up and marched towards his cousin, giving him a swift kick to the stomach, sending him toppling over and clutching it.
"He was down!"
"What the Hel was that!?"
Some people in the crowd began shouting their displeasure at Snotlout's actions. He was fighting an opponent who was incapable of fighting back at the moment. Astrid couldn't believe it. She grabbed the railing with both hands, intending to jump down there and put a stop to Snotlout's advances on a downed Hiccup. However, her father pulled her back by the shoulders, and as usual, he wasn't met with cooperation.
"Let me go! Something's wrong with him!" she struggled against her father's grip.
"We can't do anything Astrid. I know you want to help but it is forbidden to interfere with a svipting" he tried to calm her, but still didn't release her. She stopped her struggling, knowing it was futile. She could only watch helplessly as her father held her, his eyes also bearing concern for Hiccup's outcome.
Hiccup meanwhile managed to roll out of the way when Snotlout tried to kick him again, but the result was adding to the dizziness to the unknown effect he was under and losing his balance. He fell onto the ground with a large thud when he misplaced his feet as to him, the whole world was moving. "What's wrong Hiccup?" Snotlout taunted. "Giving up already?" he asked, before picking him up by the front of his leather armour and punching square in the face. The result was a cut on the lip and a sure bruise that would appear later. He then threw back on the ground a few feet in front of him.
Hiccup didn't feel so well. He felt like he was going to throw up soon as all he could see was the world moving around him, objects that weren't supposed to move were appearing distorted and blurry and were expanding and contracting in size. He couldn't find his balance either. With the ground continuing to be distorted below him, he wasn't sure if one step was larger than another. He didn't have time to assess that as this time, Snotlout ran right at him and headbutted him right in the centre of his stomach, sending him sprawling to the ground. That's when he managed to notice his sword; expanding and contracting, but still noticed it nonetheless. He decided he could only get one shot at this. He needed his weapon. With his field of vision jumping around every time he looked around, he no alternative. So he took the risk and bolted for his sword.
The crowd looked on as he swayed while running. He looked as if he were going to trip any moment. However, as they kept their eyes on Hiccup, they didn't see Snotlout reach his hammer and throw it with full force in Hiccup's direction.
"Agh!" a cry echoed in the ring as Hiccup felt a bone crunching pain shoot through his left leg, but couldn't figure out what happened before he cartwheeled onto the ground. Snotlout's hammer had hit his left leg and the force of the hit forced his legs upward and he had nearly scarped his face along the ground. The pain was unbearable. He was sure he leg had been fractured or even broken. But he couldn't give up. In a desperate attempt he began to crawl to his sword, that began to look more like his sword and not a distorted image.
At that exact moment, he made the mistake of not noting Snotlout's position, because when he was probably only a foot away from grasping his sword, his cousin's foot landed on his hand with bone breaking force. He screamed in agony as he gazed up and saw Snotlout standing over, with a look of anger and, somewhat pity, written over his face. Snotlout then looked down at his sword, well aware that that was what he was trying to reach. Hiccup watched him grab the hilt and lift it, before lifting him up and punching him in the face with the hilt sending him to the ground.
Astrid couldn't believe what Snotlout was doing. Has he always been this mad at Hiccup? Was he taking out all his anger on him right now? Or was he trying to send the message? Even though she knew Snotlout could be a bit of an arse, this was not the Snotlout she knew.
He knelt over Hiccup, holding his own sword that was pointed at his neck and kept a hand on his chest, making sure he didn't get up. "Like always, Hiccup, I come out on top" he said, panting hard. His face also scrapes, a cut lip and a bruise here and there. "Astrid will marry me. You will be present at the consummation, and will be banished for eternity from Berk. Do you understand?" he muttered. The crowd were silent, afraid that a single noise might ruin the drama and the suspense the fight had given them.
His sight was slowly coming back, but the world still seemed to move around him. However, it wasn't as worse as it was when it started. Hiccup could just make out Snotlout staring at him, waiting for a response. His leg was screaming, his chest felt like it was going to burst and he was pretty sure he had a fractured wrist, or sprained. He looked around him; some people were cheering him on, to fight till his last breath, others were chanting for Snotlout as the victor. He, however, didn't care for any of them. Not when he managed to find Astrid through his blurry vision.
"Come on, Hiccup! I know you can win!" he heard her scream. She believed in him. She had always believed in him. Even when he had lived on Berk and believed time after time that he had no purpose ... that he was useless and cursed to be so for the rest of his life ... she had believed in him, wishing him from afar to continue strong, not to give up ... believed that he had his role in this life. He had found it five years ago, and now here was his chance to show the world who he had become. He was not going down.
"Do you yield?" Snotlout asked aloud. The arena went silent, waiting for Hiccup's response. Everyone was shocked to hear him chuckling softly, but soon his chuckle turned into a full-blown laugh for a few seconds.
"Yield?" Hiccup asked, raising his head just a bit, bringing it just an inch away from Snotlout's face, looking him right in the eye. "A Dragon Rider doesn't know the meaning of the word" and for the first time in his life, he headbutted Snotlout ... incredibly hard, knocking Snotlout's helmet off in the process. He reeled back in surprise, bringing a hand to his forehead, dropping Hiccup's at the same time.
Hiccup rolled away, getting to one knee while he also held his forehead. "Turns out there is something in there after all" he muttered, laughing to himself as he looked to his cousin who was still recovering from the surprise attack. His vision was returning and his surroundings weren't moving anymore. He was back in it. He got to his feet, and stumbled to his sword, picking it up and staring at Snotlout.
"You're right, you know" he started. "Maybe I was useless back then ... by your standards, but I've changed. I'm no longer the same, weak little fishbone you and your friends pegged me for. I've grown up, I've traveled to lands you could only imagine and not once have I looked behind me, only looking forward. That's something that you lack, Snotlout, and I will show you..."
He pressed a hidden button on the hilt of his sword that released a slimy, clear liquid onto the whole blade. When the liquid was just at the tip of the sword, he scraped the tip on the ground, creating sparks which ignited the liquid and bathed the sword in a bright orange fire. Snotlout and the rest of Berk stared at a loss for words. A sword covered in flames that wasn't going out?
"What magic is this?" Spitelout muttered. This was far from what he had been expecting from the fight. The Twins were mesmerized by the fire as Hiccup did a few practice strikes to see if the flames would go out. Fishlegs looked dumbfounded. And Astrid ... her shocked state gave way to a small smile, filled with relief and utter joy at Hiccup.
At the same time, Hiccup's supporters got over their tense state and cheered as loud as they could. Now they had a fight on.
Snotlout on the other hand backed away as Hiccup approached him. He had never felt more terrified in his entire life but in that moment; the sight of his cousin with a calm expression walking towards him with that flaming sword of his. He made eye contact with him again, and only realized then ... Hiccup had changed. There was no use in trying to belittle him anymore; he had grown over that time period.
He aimed the sword's tip at Snotlout's chest; it was just one foot away. "Admit defeat" he said calmly. His cousin looked around, seeing the tension of the crowd's faces. If he refused, he would most undoubtedly receive serious injury, but if he admitted defeat... his reputation would be tarnished. But who better than to dent his ego and reputation other than the true heir of Berk?
"I yield" he said, loud enough for everyone in the stands to hear. There was dead silence for the first ten seconds before the whole arena erupted into cheers and shouts. The two were out of breath, taking deep lung fills of oxygen to make up for the energy spent. Hiccup turned to his father, the Elders and the families involved with this whole duel.
"Astrid Hofferson's marriage contract with the Jorgensons' is holds no bearings anymore. She should be free to choose anyone who she deems is worthy of her. And Berk will end this war with the dragons and look to a more peaceful future" he stated, not yelling it out. Stoick smiled at his son and stood up, "The Heir ... has come home!" he yelled, with which everyone erupted into shouts of joy; some more reluctant than others. Hiccup did a take of the whole arena, looking around, seeing the people cheer him for the first time, until his eyes landed on Astrid who was smiling proudly at him with what appeared to be tears in her eyes.
"I'm ... home" he muttered, before dropping to his knees and losing unconsciousness. The last thing he remembered was Astrid jumping down and running to him before he blacked out.