Chapter Thirty Four
Oddly enough the weather was quite nice for a change on Berk. Of course that could all change in the snap of a finger with the luck that we had. Snowfire and Toothless flew next to each other, oblivious to the tension that went on between their riders. Well, Toothless was oblivious, Snowfire, not so much. She had noticed and was not happy with the way we were acting around each other.
Unfortunately we still had to patrol the island together with the rest of the gang. Earlier that morning Hiccup had received a report that an Outcast ship was spotted not far from the island. Stoick had wanted everyone to keep an eye out for it. The other Riders flew close behind us... well, except for one.
Chubby Fishlegs and his equally bulky (it was mostly muscle, mind you), Gronckle, Meatlug, were way behind. I wasn't the only one to notice they were lagging. Astrid looked over her shoulder as Stormfly kept up with ease. She let out a sigh of disapproval as the twins took the lead on Barf and Belch. We had reached the sea stack where the boat was last seen, but all I could see now was open ocean.
'This was pointless,' Snowfire grumbled in annoyance. I simply patted her on the neck as Snotlout grumbled in agreement.
"We missed it!" he exclaimed in frustration. Fortunately Hiccup had decided to give everyone a break and landed on a nearby sea stack.
"It was headed this way. It must have outrun us!" Astrid added.
"How does an Outcast ship outrun our dragons?" Hiccup asked just as Fishlegs and Meatlug joined us.
It didn't take a genius to find out how. Though I wasn't willing to say it out loud. Fishlegs already had enough issues with people making fun of his weight, and Meatlug's for that matter. In a way, I felt sorry for them both. But it did cost us the chance of finding an enemy ship.
"That's how," Snotlout grumbled, referring to the bulky duo as Meatlug landed beside Sniper.
"Whoo-hoo! We were really moving, girl," Fishlegs praised while rubbing Meatlug affectionately behind the ears. The Gronckle's ears flapped happily in response, showing just how close the pair really was. Then Fishlegs looked at us in confusion after realizing mostly everyone was staring at him. "What did I miss?" he asked sheepishly.
"It's not what you missed, it's what we all missed!" Snotlout retorted.
"Snotlout..." Hiccup began, concerned that Fishlegs would catch on to Snotlout's harshness.
"What? I'm just calling it like I sees it. If we didn't have slow, and really, really slow holding us back, I don't know, maybe we'd have a chance to do what we were actually supposed to be doing," he explained, glaring at both Fishlegs and Meatlug. I glared at Snotlout, not in the mood to deal with his arrogance.
"Snotlout, that was a bit harsh," I snapped. "Fishlegs and Meatlug are not holding us back." If there's one thing I hated more than anything, it was bullies. And Snotlout was the biggest bully of them all.
'Speak for yourself,' Snowfire hummed in amusement at the crestfallen look of Fishlegs.
"Snotlout, that's enough," Hiccup added, glaring at the Jorgenson boy as he narrowed his eyes.
"Yeah, that was a bit harsh," Astrid agreed with us. Snotlout scowled at the three before Fishlegs spoke up for himself. What he said next took us all by surprise.
"Guys, he does have a point," he said.
I couldn't help but sympathize with Fishlegs on this one. He must have known all along that Snotlout was blaming him for slowing everyone down. And poor Meatlug had the same look as her rider, looking both disappointed and ashamed of herself.
"Fishlegs," I started softly, knowing where this was already headed.
"No, it's not big deal. You guys keep looking. Meatlug and I will circle back and patrol the cliffs. Shore up the rear," Fishlegs reassured us.
"Are you sure about this?" Astrid asked warily.
"Maybe someone should tag along, make sure you don't get into any mischief," I added with a knowing look. Fishlegs looked between the three of us before shaking his head.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine," he reassured us. Hiccup looked at him skeptically before sighing.
"Okay... uh, give us your dragon call if you see anything." Fishlegs nodded as Meatlug took off, leaving the rest of us behind.
Hiccup and the others were already taking off when Snowfire and I stayed behind. Both Jacob and Snowfire seemed to sense what I was going to do before it happened.
"We'll make sure nothing happens to the others," Jacob reassured me. "Just use that charm of yours to lift his spirit."
Once Sniper had taken off, Snowfire followed the direction where Fishlegs and Meatlug had gone. Relief washed over me when I spotted them on the far side of the island.
'Why do you care so much about them?' Snowfire asked.
"Because I know what they're going through," I replied. "Or at least I have a good idea as to what they're going through. Besides, it's also called being a good friend."
Snowfire only rolled her eyes at that. Fishlegs looked over his shoulder in surprise when he realized they were no longer alone. Judging by the look in his eyes, he'd been crying. I reminded myself to punch Snotlout in the face when we were finished. This was no way to treat a friend, especially one who was already sensitive enough about weight.
"Alex, hey!" he greeted me calmly, trying to hide his face. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, I figured you and Meatlug could use the company," I explained with a shrug. "So I left Hiccup and the others to patrol the island with you two."
Fishlegs looked a little surprised that I was willing to go out of the way to make him feel better. But he blushed shyly and led the way on Meatlug, happy for the extra company. The four of us had patrolled the island in awkward silence. Once we were finished, Meatlug and Snowfire landed on a beach nearby to relax.
Well, I was more relaxing while Fishlegs and Meatlug sulked. Snowfire was busy sunning herself while I practiced some fighting moves. On any normal day I would've spent exploring the secrets of Berk, or trying to figure out what to do next at this point in life.
"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Fishlegs asked as Meatlug turned towards a bush full of berries. "Yeah, that's right... There's plenty of stuff we can do better than the others... Like hovering... and-and zigzagging! And then there's um... stationary flying... which, admittedly is similar to hovering."
I'd been listening to them the whole time, watching warily as Fishlegs munched on the berries and Meatlug feasted on some nearby rocks. If there's one thing I've learned about outdoor survival skills, it's not to eat strange berries. But Fishlegs was already upset enough to begin with. I contemplated whether or not it was a good idea to warn him.
"You're right, Fishlegs," I reassured them. "There are things you and Meatlug can do that we can't. Don't ever stop being yourselves."
Fishlegs blushed a little at that while Meatlug warbled in agreement. He went over to Meatlug as the Gronckle licked him affectionately.
"Oh, girl! You know just how to make me feel better. And I know how to make you feel better, too. Have at 'em, girl!" Fishlegs exclaimed while tossing a rock at Meatlug, who happily ate it.
I watched them with a shake of my head before swinging a fist into a nearby tree. Fishlegs and Meatlug were busy stuffing themselves with the berries and stones, ignoring all sense that they'd get an upset stomach in the end.
'Are those two still eating?' Snowfire asked, narrowing her eyes after waking up. I simply nodded before swinging my right fist into another tree. 'Can you think of nothing else?' she added, looking at the pair in annoyance. I shot her a stern look before noticing the two were starting to look a little green in the face.
"This is what happens when you stress eat," I muttered with a shake of my head. I glanced at Meatlug, realizing that the Gronckle was in no shape for carrying Fishlegs. Snowfire seemed to catch on to what I was thinking, and let out an irritated growl. "Let's get you to Gobber's, I left the herbs for stomach aches at the forge."
Fishlegs' face fell when he realized what that meant. This was going to be one long flight.
...
Gobber was busy fixing up some weapons when we reached the forge. Snowfire had been less than happy with taking Fishlegs for a spin. She was still complaining about it after landing, grumbling under her breath the entire time.
"Gobber, can you help Meatlug? She's not feeling too well," Fishlegs groaned, forcing back what lunch he could hold onto.
"What happened?" Gobber asked, looking at me for answers. I grabbed what medical supplies I could while Fishlegs described Meatlug's symptoms.
"She ate a ton of rocks but she can't seem to fire out any lava," he explained. To prove his point, Meatlug tried spewing out what lava she could produce, but nothing came out. Then she slumped to the ground, clearly done with whatever ordeal she was suffering from.
"It's a case of indigestion and food poisoning from the looks of it," I explained. "This is why you shouldn't eat random berries out in the forest."
Fishlegs made a face while Gobber knelt down to examine what might be wrong with Meatlug. Both her eyes and mouth suddenly opened while Gobber was still in front of her, and he backed away in disgust seconds later. "Odin's dirty diaper!" he groaned.
"What-What's wrong?" Fishlegs asked.
"Dragon's breath," Gobber explained before patting Meatlug gently on the belly. "I'd say you two overdid it."
"Told you," I muttered under my breath.
"Celebrating were ya?" Gobber asked curiously. The chubby Ingerman boy swallowed back his bile before shaking his head.
"Uh... not... exactly," he replied uneasily, his face suddenly turning a sickly green. If there's one thing I hated, it was watching other people get sick. I was a bit squeamish around vomit, especially when it had a rancid stench to it. Hopefully Fishlegs could hold it up until Gobber helped them.
"Don't worry. Ol' Gobber can fix her right up!" Gobber reassured him, then went over to his pile of things to dig through. I watched on curiously as Gobber put away a file used for cleaning dragon's teeth, a battle axe, a pair of pliers and a malice. "Here we go!" Gobber exclaimed as he pulled out something neither of us were expecting.
"How exactly is a feather supposed to help?" I asked, folding my arms as Gobber rolled his eyes. To prove his point, Gobber turned to Meatlug and tickled her side. The Gronckle quivered from the contact as lava began to build in her mouth.
"Oh, come on... that's not gonna..." Fishlegs' groan was cut short when Meatlug suddenly barfed up a whole pile of lava. "Whoa!" he yelped as he backed away from the intense heat. I blinked in confusion when I noticed that the lava was a strange sickly orange color. By the time Meatlug was finished, we'd all run for cover outside the forge.
'That is what happens when you eat too much,' Snowfire hummed in amusement as I backed away into her.
"Sorry about your shop. I've never seen her make this much lava before, or this color. It's weird," Fishlegs admitted to Gobber while eyeing the lava, amazed at the sight. I nodded in agreement, not really understanding why Meatlug had developed that strange looking lava. Clearly something more was going on with her than any of us understood. "Okay, tickle at will!" Fishlegs suddenly added.
"Keep your tunic on, boy. I only do dragons," Gobber muttered, looking at Fishlegs in disgust. But he handed the chubby teen the feather anyways. Oh this was not going to end well for Fishlegs. I quickly backed away before things got anymore awkward than it already was.
...
Later that afternoon Fishlegs was busy cleaning Meatlug's scales while Snowfire rested her chin on my lap. The fluttering of wings told us both that the others had returned from their trip. All at once I was reminded of what they had been looking for. I wondered if they were successful in their search.
"Glad to see you're back in one piece," I said as Jacob hopped out of Sniper's saddle. Fishlegs put down the brush and looked at the others warily.
"Did you uh... find your Outcast ship?" he asked cheerfully.
"Do you see an Outcast ship?" Snotlout demanded, holding out his arms as if to prove a point.
"No, we didn't find them," Hiccup replied.
"Well that sucks. I'm sure you'll find it next time," I said with a shrug.
"Fishlegs!" Everyone turned at the sound of Gobber's voice. The blacksmith was holding a newly made sword, a proud smirk written across his face. "Do you know what this is?" he asked while holding out the sword. The twins immediately began to guess.
"Don't tell me! Don't tell me!" Tuffnut piped up. Then Ruffnut cut in, for him.
"Uh... a sword," she answered, earning a glare from the male Thorston.
"I sad don't tell me!" he protested, throwing punches at his sister.
"I wasn't telling you! I was telling him!" Ruffnut snapped and retaliated.
I only rolled my eyes at the sight. The twins and their constant arguing never got old. Gobber was watching the two of them before looking at us.
"Not just any sword... feel it," he tossed the sword towards Fishlegs, but I caught it first. "I made it out of the strange lava that Meatlug barfed up," Gobber explained. The metal felt amazingly light to the touch, and gleamed against the sunlight.
"It's beautiful," I remarked after swinging it a few times. "Light weight, easy to handle."
"I prefer to call it, 'Gronckle Iron'. I got tired of waiting for it to cool. You know what I always say: Pound it while it's hot! Next thing you know, bing, bang boom, and I've created this little beauty," Gobber told us. Astrid than took it from me to try it out, admiring the gleam that reflected off the metal.
"Too light means it would never hold in battle," Astrid criticized, throwing the sword back to Gobber.
"Exactly what I thought, until I did this..." Gobber demonstrated by pulling Snotlout towards him. Our jaws dropped in amazement when Gobber suddenly cut Snotlout's sword with the one he was holding.
"Holy..." I paused when I realized Jacob was giving me 'the look', than rolled my eyes. "... Shields," I finished.
"Whoa," Ruffnut and Tuffnut said at the same time.
"Nice swing," Jacob admitted grudgingly. He'd been practicing his sword fighting and dagger-throwing skills. I still wondered where he found the time to learn, then again I'd been learning myself.
I'd never seen a sword like this, even in our world. It was amazing what one could do with dragon lava. Then again I'm sure something like this would have been discovered sooner or later. Gronckle Iron was tougher than normal steel, which meant it could give anyone an edge in battle.
"Is there any left? I've been wanting a new dagger," Astrid asked.
"New helmets!" the twins exclaimed excitedly.
"Ours are pretty banged up from well... banging," Tuffnut explained.
"I could use a new dagger too, since the one I had was thrown into that pit," Jacob said.
"Yep, it'd go nicely with that new shield of yours," Gobber said with a smile as Hiccup took the sword. He nodded as he brandished the sword a few times in the air.
"Exactly what I was thinking. It could make it stronger and lighter," he explained.
'Why is there a need for such weaponry?' Snowfire asked as she eyed the sword curiously. 'We are perfectly capable of defending ourselves without it.'
"Well, for starters, humans can't defend themselves as easily," I whispered back. "Second, if you're not around, it would be nice to have something I can defend myself with." Snowfire only looked at me in amusement. We were rarely apart unless the circumstances proved otherwise. She knew that as well as I did.
"Excuse me, why not start with making a new sword for me?" Snotlout demanded, still angry that his sword had been cut in half.
"Why don't you start getting in line?" Gobber retorted. Outside the blacksmith's forge, we could all see that a long line had formed. Apparently, when word of a new weapon spread, it spread fast among the villagers. "The whole town has heard of Meatlug's Gronckle Iron. And they all want a piece of the action," Gobber told us.
Fishlegs only smiled proudly at Meatlug. Finally, they had found something Meatlug could do that the others weren't capable of. I sure hoped things didn't end in disaster for them though. Attention like this could get overwhelming, especially if it was something everyone wanted.
...
The following morning found Fishlegs at the forge with Gobber, Meatlug and I. Apparently Fishlegs had wanted an extra hand for Meatlug, since she wasn't used to getting so much attention. I wasn't even sure what sort of help I could be here. But for now I sat back and watched Fishlegs tickled Meatlug, who threw up in response. A crowd had gathered around the forge to watch on in amazement. A whole assortment of treasures was made with Meatlug's Gronckle Iron, between an axe, sword, mace and even a special helmet for a little girl, who Fishlegs happily signed for.
And Hiccup had finally gotten the shield he'd been working on. I eyed the shield curiously, not having seen it until now. As of late we really hadn't been spending a lot of time together, for many reasons. The Iron Gronckle had contributed to a cool looking silver sheen, with a defined Night Fury insignia on the center. It was only noon, and still more people were crowding around the forge.
'You would think these humans have never seen weapons before,' Snowfire scoffed with a roll of her eyes. I only smirked at that. Snowfire had such a way with words. Though I'll admit, she did have a point in saying that these people were taking this a little too seriously.
"The Gronckle Iron is doing wonders for my shield," Hiccup said while testing it out.
"Right, how great is this stuff?" Fishlegs asked while handing another Viking a sword. Then Hiccup had the nerve to ask him something I think everyone wanted to know.
"What kind of rocks do you feed her?" Of course, Fishlegs wouldn't remember what sort of rocks Meatlug had eaten. At the time she'd eaten so many that it was hard to keep track of them all. Plus, my geology wasn't all that good to begin with. So Fishlegs did something I was not expecting. He lied.
"Well, actually I can't tell you," he said carefully.
"No?" Gobber asked, raising an eyebrow suspiciously.
"It's a trade secret. If I told you, I'd have to mace you," Fishlegs chuckled nervously while Hiccup and Gobber looked at him skeptically.
'This is not going to end well,' Snowfire hummed in amusement as she watched us from inside.
"Oi, here's those swords you ordered, Alex," Gobber suddenly said, handing me a pair of matching swords. Hiccup eyed them curiously as I grinned. If there's one thing I wanted to learn, it was practicing with double swords.
"For security purposes," I explained after eyeing the silver blades. Imagine my mom's surprise if I came home with these. The look on her face would be priceless. Then Astrid chose that moment to fly in on Stormfly.
"Hiccup! The sentries say they spotted another boat! We have to go, now!" she announced anxiously.
Without a second thought I'd put the swords back in their sheathe; Gobber had made it for me when I asked him about the duel blades. He'd pretty much gotten the idea right down to the point, and once again I was thankful for his skills.
"You coming, Fishlegs?" Hiccup asked while I was hopping into Snowfire's saddle. Fishlegs looked at him warily before glancing at the crowd of Vikings waiting in line.
"I would love to, Hiccup. But as you and Alex can see, Meatlug and I are pretty busy," Fishlegs replied with a shrug.
Something told me there was another reason behind him not wanting to join us. Snotlout was about to get another ass whooping for this.
"Okay... thanks again for the swords," I said to both Gobber and Fishlegs.
...
Fishlegs turned to Meatlug once his friends had left and petted her as Gobber approached him. "We're getting low on Gronckle Iron, Fishlegs," he told the Ingerman boy, then handed him a feather.
"Okay, girl. Let's make some magic," Fishlegs said while tickling Meatlug with the feather. But all Meatlug could cough up was a pair of metal spheres. No special lava that made up the Gronckle Iron came out at all.
"Huh, what am I supposed to do with that, Fishlegs? Make someone a fetching pair of indestructible earrings?" Gobber asked with a raised eyebrow, just as he said that a Viking had hollered for that order. "Not gonna happen, Gunnar!" he shouted back. The crowd was beginning to look at Fishlegs and Meatlug suspiciously as he tried desperately to get more of that strange lava from her. "Alright, boy. I think it's time you told me your 'trade secret'," he sighed.
That was how Fishlegs and Gobber found themselves in the rock-infested forest by the cliffs later that afternoon. The blacksmith carried a wheelbarrow in the hopes of finding enough rocks to last them for a few months. Meanwhile Fishlegs was trying to find the spot where Meatlug had found those rocks that caused the strange lava in the first place.
"Okay, this is it," Fishlegs announced after reaching a familiar bush covered in berries.
"Alright, let's load 'er up," Gobber instructed. Then he noticed there were too many different types of rocks to make out. "Care to tell me which one of these is the wondrous rock?" he asked.
"With pleasure," Fishlegs replied confidently. Deep inside he was struggling not to show just how nervous he was. He really hadn't remembered what kind of rocks Meatlug had eaten to produce the Gronckle Iron. Maybe Alex would have remembered, but he doubted having her here would help. Fishlegs looked down at each rock, frowning after realizing they all looked alike. Sure they had subtle differences, but it was impossible to tell which ones produced Gronckle Iron. "Okay... no, no... not that one... that one kind of resembles... wait a minute, it-it could be..." Fishlegs went on stuttering before Gobber finally looked over his shoulder in frustration.
"You don't know, do you?" he asked skeptically. Gobber's question sent Fishlegs immediately over to the berry bush as he struggled to remember what the rock looked like. The blacksmith only rolled his eyes when he realized Fishlegs was stress-eating.
"Of course I... do! It's just, well, rocks can be very... you, you know..." Fishlegs began stuttering once again through mouthfuls of berries. Between his swallowing and chewing, Fishlegs swore he heard Gobber say, 'no, do tell me.' He held back a sigh and looked at the rocks. "Meatlug and I were very emotional that day. She-She was eating everything in sight," he admitted while eating more berries. Luckily Gobber had stopped Fishlegs before he got sick again.
"She was?" he repeated in both sympathy and amusement while nonchalantly popping a few berries into his own mouth.
"Yes, it was a tough day for both of us," Fishlegs explained with a nod while pressing his finger indexes together. Gobber just looked at him skeptically. "Okay, fine! I don't know what kind of rocks make Gronckle Iron! I'm a failure, a liar, a fraud! Is that what you wanted to hear?" he broke out into a sob, flinging himself at Gobber out of pure shame. The blacksmith held him steady.
"Listen to me!" he snapped.
"Okay," Fishlegs replied almost instantly.
"We just pick up as many different rocks as we can find. We'll try them one at a time, and, eventually, we'll land on the winner," Gobber instructed. Fishlegs could only look at Gobber hopefully.
"Promise?" he asked.
"I'm sure," Gobber replied as they went on to gather all the rocks they could find.
...
The hunt for the Outcast ship had ended in miserable failure. Hiccup and the others were gathered in the arena again, discussing a new plan for their scouting missions. It was almost as if the Outcasts knew we were looking for them. Note my sarcasm.
"Well that was a complete waste of time," Hiccup remarked.
"Somehow I get the feeling they don't want to be found," Jacob put in as if he'd read my thoughts. The looks everyone gave him was priceless. "You would think after doubling back five times, they'd be pretty easy to spot."
"Really? That was the same place? It looked so different..." Tuffnut said. Snotlout crossed his arms in annoyance.
"That's because you were flying upside down, you muttonhead," he reminded Tuffnut.
"Oh yeah... fun though..." Tuffnut said dreamily.
"Yeah, well, that wasn't the only problem," I pointed out. "Some of the areas we flew in required some tricky maneuvers our dragons couldn't do very well." To which Snowfire rolled her eyes in annoyance. She wasn't one to admit defeat, especially when it came to a game of chase.
"You know, we needed someone to keep track of our positioning," Astrid added in agreement.
"Yeah, and some low-speed hovering could have helped over that sea stack," Hiccup piped in.
"And that could have all been accomplished if a certain duo had joined us... if you hadn't scared them away," I finished, shooting Snotlout a cold glare. After what he had said to Fishlegs, he wasn't going to get any forgiveness anytime soon.
"I know," Astrid remarked, adding in the fun of intimidating Snotlout.
"Oh, come on! You're not talking about him, are you?" he groaned in annoyance.
"Oh no! Not him... are you?" Tuffnut asked, not sure what Snotlout was talking about. "Wait, who are you talking about?" he added.
"I have no idea, but he sounds pretty important, so it can't be you," Ruffnut replied with a shrug.
'You two are hopeless,' Snowfire growled. I smirked at that, having already guessed that the twins would make some kind of remark about who we were mentioning. Of course they weren't smart enough to figure it out without some helpful hints.
"We're talking about Fishlegs," Hiccup told them after looking at Snowfire in amusement.
"We're a team, and on a team, everybody has a role to play," Astrid told Snotlout and the twins.
"And, despite what you might think, Snotlout, Fishlegs and Meatlug play a vital role in our team. They aren't completely helpless," I chimed in.
"Astrid and Alex are right. We're all important. When one of us is missing, it's just not the same," Hiccup agreed with us.
"It's your fault. You made him quit," Snotlout had the nerve to point out.
That did it. Without a second thought I slugged him in the nose, ignoring whatever sensibility I had left of him. Snotlout let out a cry of surprise and pain as I started beating him. After everything he said and did to Fishlegs, there was no way in hell I'd stop now. It wasn't until Jacob had calmed me down that I finally stopped.
"Let that be another reminder of how we treat bullies from our world," I grumbled after dusting off my shirt.
...
We'd flown back to the forge to find it in chaos. A crowd of Vikings had gathered outside, complaining about the fact that their orders had not been filled yet. Inside I could see that things weren't any better for Fishlegs and Meatlug. He was frantically tickling her with a feather until she spewed out some lava.
'These humans are beginning to irritate me,' Snowfire growled as one of the Vikings nearly pushed her aside to yell at Fishlegs.
"There he is! What are we gonna do?" Astrid asked as we approached him.
"I could pound on him until he agrees to come back," Snotlout suggested, earning another glare from me. To which he actually flinched and hid behind Astrid.
"Whatever happened to just having a civilized conversation with him?" Jacob asked with a roll of his eyes. Hiccup nodded in agreement, watching as the crowd began to get a little out of hand while Fishlegs tried finding the right rocks Meatlug had eaten earlier.
"What's wrong with the pounding? I like pounding... poundcake, I like measuring my weight in pounds," Tuffnut rambled on.
I only rolled my eyes at Tuffnut counting his fingers while trying to find all the 'good' things about pounding. We struggled to push our way through the crowd.
"Fishlegs!" Hiccup shouted.
When Fishlegs didn't see him, he started waving his arms up and down while calling his name repeatedly. This only stirred the crowd more than they needed to. Once again I rolled my eyes as they started chanting his name. Fishlegs already got nervous enough when he was put under pressure. This was only making things worse. Slowly I pushed my way into the forge while everyone else was still chanting his name. The frantic look on his face told me everything I needed to know.
"You know, I once saw a Viking mob turn on one of their own," said Gobber as Fishlegs started shaking in his boots. "Tore the poor sot limb from limb. It started just like this, too."
"It's just that Meatlug ate so many rocks. I can't remember which one she ate!" Fishlegs exclaimed, throwing me a pleading look.
"Sorry 'Legs, I'm no geology expert," I said with a shake of my head. Oh how I loved modern-day terms.
"Wait... that's it!" Fishlegs sighed in relief once he found a familiar rock. Gobber went outside to address the already building crowd. Something told me this was not going to end well, for anyone.
"Hold on to your tunics, folks! You want Gronckle Iron? You got the Gronckle Iron!" he shouted before heading back into the stall. "I like your enthusiasm in the face of disembodiment. I just hope for your sake, you're backing it up with a plan," he added.
"Oh, I am. It must have been a combination of rocks that made the Gronckle Iron. That's the only explanation," Fishlegs explained as they placed a variety of rocks inside Meatlug's mouth. Meatlug happily chewed the boulders without a second thought.
Something told me that combining the rocks was a very bad thing. For a while nothing had happened. But than, a weird vibrating noise emanated from Meatlug.
"What kind of rocks did you feed her?" I asked nervously.
"Well... something's happening..." Fishlegs replied, looking at me uneasily.
What happened next made everyone jump in surprise. The shovel in Gobber's hand was suddenly pulled right towards Meatlug out of his mighty grip. "Did you see that? Just pulled it right out of me hand!" Gobber exclaimed, wide-eyed. Another metal tool stuck onto Meatlug, and I nearly facepalmed after realizing they must have fed her a magnetic rock. This was going to end in disaster, especially for a village that relied so heavily on metal.
"Her skin is attracting the metal!" Fishlegs managed to say in shock. More magnetic objects were flying towards Meatlug, freaking the poor Gronckle out. Whatever was going on, she clearly didn't enjoy it. "Stay calm, girl. Stay calm... daddy's here, okay?" Fishlegs asked soothingly. Finally, another shield had flown towards Meatlug and she completely freaked out. "No, Meatlug! Meatlug, come back!" Fishlegs shouted frantically as spears went flying towards a fleeing Meatlug. "Hiccup, Alex, you two have to help Meatlug!"
"What's wrong with her?" Hiccup asked as he got onto Toothless.
"She must have eaten magnetic rocks," I replied while hopping onto Snowfire. My statement only earned looks of confusion from both Hiccup and Fishlegs. I rolled my eyes after realizing they probably weren't too familiar with that kind of geology. Snotlout chose that moment to chase after Meatlug, though I doubted he had any good intentions in finding her.
"Okay, Snotlout, we have to herd her away from town," Hiccup instructed.
"On it!" Snotlout replied while getting Hookfang to fly lower to keep up with Meatlug. Meanwhile Fishlegs continued shouting for Meatlug, oblivious to the fact that everyone else was trying to help. "You're all mine, Meaty!" Snotlout shouted, preparing to use Hookfang with force.
"Stop! Cease, please?" Fishlegs continued shouting. Meatlug was still running when Snotlout got Hookfang to fly right alongside of her. While Snotlout prepared to jump off Hookfang and tackle Meatlug to pull her aside, Hookfang turned his head towards Fishlegs. "Wait! Stop! Heel!" I tried not to laugh when Hookfang actually listened to Fishlegs' command and stopped, throwing Snotlout off in the process and into a pile of sacks filled with crops.
"We've got this, Snotlout," I reassured him as Snowfire and Toothless flew past.
"I meant to do that, you know," Snotlout retorted before screaming as a Terrible Terror crawled up his chest.
...
'This is like hunting down unsuspecting prey,' Snowfire hummed with satisfaction. I rolled my eyes at that remark. Yes, this was like chasing down some wild animal. But Meatlug was scared, and seeing her now only gave me a sense of urgency as she started flying. The Gronckle started bumping into trees in an attempt to get the metal off, but to no avail. The trees were too close together. Both Snowfire and Toothless were flying higher now, Meatlug still in our sight.
"Ah, this isn't working. Let's try getting ahead and cutting her off," Hiccup suggested.
"Got it," I replied, ignoring the fact that this was really the first time in a long time we'd actually worked together. Once we were directly ahead, Hiccup guided Toothless on a certain route with Snowfire close behind.
Meatlug's run had come to an abrupt end when she reached a cliff. The nervous Gronckle looked around frantically for an escape route, but couldn't find any. And that's when Toothless and Snowfire came in for a landing.
"Easy Meatlug, it's me, your old pals Hiccup and Alex," Hiccup tried reassuring the nervous Gronckle.
"We're going to figure this out, but you have to stay still," I added cautiously. Meatlug's eyes widened as she started backing away fearfully.
"No, no, no... easy, girl. I'm here to help you." Hiccup chose that moment to step towards Meatlug, and my eyes widened as I realized that metal was attracted to her. And of course, Hiccup's leg was made of metal. Fishlegs had joined us shortly after and was shouting frantically at him.
"Hiccup!" he called.
"Not now, Fishlegs," Hiccup snapped.
"No, no, you don't understand," Fishlegs tried telling him once again.
"Not now, Fishlegs." Was there an echo out here? I rolled my eye after realizing there wasn't much point in arguing.
"I'd listen to his advice, it might save you the embarrassment," I muttered crossly after backing into Snowfire. She hummed in amusement at the look Hiccup gave me.
"It's metal—" Before Fishlegs could finish his sentence, Hiccup's leg slipped out from underneath him, making him fall to the ground. "Your leg," he managed to finish. I tried not to laugh when Hiccup was suddenly pulled to Meatlug's belly.
"Oh, gotcha," he muttered after realizing his mistake.
It only made the scene all the more hilarious when Meatlug started flying off, with Hiccup hanging upside down from her belly screaming. God, sometimes I wished I had a camera. I would never let him live this one down.
"Hey, where are you guys going?" Fishlegs yelled after them.
"Absolutely no idea!" Hiccup yelled back, Toothless watching the whole scene in amusement.
'Are you not going to help?' Snowfire asked, humming in amusement at the sight.
"I don't know," I replied with a shrug. "Seems like a good position for him." The four of us watched Meatlug fly away with Hiccup still attached to her belly. Toothless then gave Fishlegs a look as the Ingerman boy looked back.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" he asked. Toothless then gestured to his saddle as I hopped into Snowfire's saddle. "Oh, I was afraid you were."
"Well, someone has to ride him. Snow doesn't like anyone else riding her," I explained warily.
'And that human will certainly not be you,' she added in a soft growl.
"Alright, Toothless. Let's not break any world speed records," Fishlegs sighed after putting his foot in the stirrup that was designed for people with normal legs. Luckily for Fishlegs, Hiccup had decided to put two types of stirrups on Toothless' saddle. One set for people with normal legs, and another for people who had metal legs like him. "Just give me the 'Night' without the 'Fury'."
'Would you hurry up already?' Snowfire asked with a roll of her eyes.
"Yeah, it's not as easy as it looks," Fishlegs retorted. I nearly facepalmed when he tried figuring out how to open Toothless' tail-fin. "This looks like it could present a—" Fishlegs than managed to open the tail-fin, and screamed as Toothless suddenly shot into the air like a rocket. "Problem!"
"Well, at least he got the tail-fin open," I said as Snowfire flew after them.
"Too much Fury! Too much Fury!" Fishlegs shouted in panic while clinging on for dear life. They soon managed to catch up with Hiccup and Meatlug. "Daddy's coming, Meatlug. He may be barfing, but he's coming." Fishlegs than managed to grab the handles on Toothless' saddle to keep him more stable.
"You're finally getting it," I said with a grin as Snowfire flew alongside Toothless.
"Yeah, it's easy once you get the hang of it," Fishlegs replied. "Now, let's get in close." We both flew on a little faster to catch up with Meatlug. Surprisingly she was faster than I remembered. Maybe being in panic mode had encouraged that extra boost of speed. "Easy, now. She's going to go left there. Stay in her blind spot." I nodded after realizing that he was right, again. "Okay, now right." Fishlegs was actually great to work with. Snowfire followed his orders with ease as he told us to dive. "Good, now level off."
'Well done, hatchling,' Snowfire praised him. Wow, getting a praise from Snowfire. That in itself was rare. Fishlegs beamed with pride as he watched Meatlug carefully. I tried not to laugh when I saw Hiccup watching us both from his position upside down.
"Hey," Hiccup greeted us awkwardly.
"Hey," Fishlegs replied.
"I so wish I had a camera right now." I smirked at the look of disbelief Hiccup gave me. "This is what we like to call, Karma." Hiccup only rolled his eyes at that.
"So, how's it going?" Hiccup asked, trying to ignore the awkward tension.
"Better than expected," Fishlegs replied.
"Don't worry, we'll get you out of there," I reassured him.
"Yeah... so, this may be a bad time," Hiccup started. "But I really wanted to say I'm sorry for leaving you behind the other day."
"Hiccup..." Fishlegs began, but Hiccup cut him off.
"I know, I know. You volunteered. But I still should have—" This time Fishlegs cut him off.
"Hiccup, I'm trying to concentrate here," Fishlegs retorted.
'Now is not the time for foolish apologies,' Snowfire added.
"Oh, right. Sorry." Hiccup paused before suddenly stopping Fishlegs again. "Wait!"
"Seriously, can we talk about our feelings later?" Fishlegs asked, now getting annoyed.
"No, look!" Hiccup was pointing to something behind us.
The four of us turned to see what Hiccup was pointing at. To my surprise and horror, an Outcast ship was sailing behind us. I realized with dread that they had spotted us as well, and were readying their catapults and crossbows.
"They're getting ready to fire," Fishlegs realized out loud.
"No shit, Sherlock," I grumbled under my breath. Seeing the Outcast ship only brought back bad memories of our time stuck there.
"I know, I've got an idea," Hiccup suddenly announced. He grabbed Meatlug's front legs so he could be upright. He then looked at her. "Dive!" he yelled. The three dragons dived towards the ship.
"On my command..." Savage began as Meatlug flew closer to the ship. "Steady... Steady... and..." He was cut off when the ship began to rock as the dragons flew closer. The weapons were suddenly pulled right out of their hands and went after Meatlug.
"Excellent!" Hiccup cheered. I rolled my eyes after noticing the weapons were flying towards him and Meatlug. "Oh, not so excellent."
"I got this," Fishlegs reassured him.
"I sure hope you do," I said.
Fishlegs then flew Toothless underneath Meatlug and tickled her belly. She spit out the magnet, and everything that was stuck to her went flying towards the magnet. By now I was struggling not to laugh again as Hiccup also fell, then landed on Toothless' back.
"Laugh now, fools!" Savage yelled. "But he lives by the dragon—" He stopped when every single metal object that was attached to Meatlug started flying towards him and the ship. "Oh, great!" Every one of the metal objects fell to the ship, cutting holes and destroying what was left of it.
Once we were a safe distance from the ship, Fishlegs switched from Toothless to Meatlug and sighed in relief.
"Oh, much better," Fishlegs sighed in contentment as Meatlug licked him affectionately. "Oh, I missed you too."
"Well, I think this day couldn't get any stranger," I sighed once the tension had died away.
"Yeah, no kidding," Hiccup muttered, referring to his time upside down on Meatlug.
"I just don't want to live through that again," Fishlegs added.
We all laughed in agreement to that before heading for Berk.
...
Later that day, I, along with Snowfire, Fishlegs and Meatlug headed back to the forge. We found Gobber waiting their, picking his ears with his hook, oblivious to the fact that others were watching him. "Well, if it isn't Berk's conquering heroes," he greeted us. "Ready to get back to some real work? I've got orders up to my skivvies," he added cheerfully.
I glanced at Fishlegs expectantly. He'd learned quite a lot over the last couple of hours. One of those things involved learning that he was actually part of the team. And that despite what Snotlout thought, we needed his knowledge and skill with Meatlug.
"Yeah, I don't think so. Our responsibilities to the Academy are gonna keep us pretty busy," Fishlegs replied. For a moment, Gobber looked disappointed, but not too surprised. Fishlegs hadn't been all too comfortable dealing with that large crowd. Being part of the Dragon Riders proved a much more important roll.
"Eh, understandable. Well, in that case, I have something for you," Gobber said, presenting Fishlegs with the very first object he'd made with the Gronckle Iron. I looked at the sword in amazement. It was similar to the double-swords Gobber had made for me. Only this one was elegant and shiny looking.
"But... that's the very first sword you made... for yourself," Fishlegs told him hesitantly.
"It is, but anyone who drives off an Outcast boat deserves her," Gobber reassured him.
"Thanks..." Fishlegs glanced at me uneasily, and I just shrugged. I'd only helped when I could, but it was Fishlegs who mostly helped bring down the Outcast ship. "But I didn't do it alone," he added, patting Meatlug gently.
"I know. That's why I made Meatlug these fetching pair of earrings," Gobber told him, handing Meatlug a pair of metal earrings made from the Iron Gronckle, who happily swallowed them.
Hiccup chose that moment to join us on the back of Toothless. "Fishlegs, where have you been? We've been looking all over the island for you. We need you!"
I couldn't help but grin at the expression on Fishlegs' face. Clearly he wasn't expecting such a warm reception.
"You hear that, girl? They need us!" he exclaimed.
Meatlug growled happily as Fishlegs got into her saddle. Toothless was already joining the other Dragon Riders when Meatlug caught up with them. Seeing the gang together almost made me feel a little reluctant to join them. Gobber hadn't missed the fact that I didn't join them.
"Oi, something going on between you and Hiccup?" he asked cheekily.
"What? Nothing's going on between us," I tried retorting. Then I looked down at the floor as I wondered if things would ever be the same. He didn't trust me now because I hadn't told him the truth. But I was afraid, things would only get worse if he knew what my father had done to me. "Is it really that obvious?"
"Well, considering the fact that you two have been avoiding each other, I'd say it is," Gobber replied with a look of concern. "Hiccup isn't normally one to back away from his friends."
I nodded in agreement, not really sure whether it was safe to tell Gobber what was really going on. Given the fact that he had been Hiccup's mentor for most of his life, they probably didn't keep many secrets from each other.
'You should tell him,' Snowfire growled softly, nudging my back gently. 'He can be trusted.' I glanced at Snowfire warily before looking back at Gobber.
"Gobber, can I tell you something I haven't told anyone other than Jacob?" I suddenly asked. The blacksmith looked at me in surprise before nodding. "You have to promise me that you won't tell anyone else about this, not even Hiccup." I paused as I looked down at the floor once again. "I'm not sure he would look at me the same way again."
"Alex, you can trust me with your life," Gobber reassured me.
For a moment I didn't know where to start. Then I decided to explain how abusive my father was. Gobber's face paled as I mentioned the one night when my life had changed forever. He was drunk that night. The first night he was drunk, he'd thrown a knife in my direction out of rage. The knife had cut clean across my shoulder, leaving a scar that would never fade. I shuddered at the memory. The worst though, was when he had used me.
I'd never felt more victimized than that night. I couldn't find the courage to tell my mom. He'd threatened to kill her if I told her. It scared me beyond belief, and that was the day I swore I would never trust men. By the time I was finished, Gobber looked as if he was going to throw up.
Snowfire gently pressed her snout against the back of my hand comfortingly. Even she hadn't heard the entire story. And strangely enough, it felt good to get it off my chest.
'I am so sorry, little one,' she whispered.
"What that man did to you..." Gobber spoke quietly at first, than narrowed his eyes with fury. "If he'd done that on Berk, we'd throw him off the island and set the ship on fire, and not even Helheim would want him."
I looked at Gobber in surprise before realizing that he was telling the truth. Execution at it's best, Viking style. I wondered if my father would ever regret doing what he did, if we'd grown up on Berk. Suddenly I wrapped my arms around the blacksmith in a hug. He was caught off guard by my reaction, but returned the gesture nonetheless.
"Thank you, Gobber, for being a good friend," I whispered. "Life on Berk just wouldn't be the same without you."
"And you have a good soul, Alex. Don't you ever change that," he told me.
AN: I think I like the movie version of Gobber better than the book version. Yes, I have been reading the books. And it's amazing how different they are compared to the movies. Anywho, I hope that helps anyone understand exactly what's going on with Alex and Hiccup. Alex keeps her secrets for a reason, and trusts Gobber enough to keep them. Onto review replies!
KupcakeKrazed101 - You'll have to wait and see what they do! Jessica will definitely play a bigger roll towards the end of the second series, that's for sure :P
CartoonLoverBecky - Maybe this chapter explains it? ;) I do love throwing in some drama!
OechsnerC - It shall indeed be interesting...
Wild Cat 124 - Lol, adding drama always makes the story that much better. And I love annoying readers with it XD