Time to have Hiccup stop hanging over the cliff, almost before month changed. I hope that you haven't gotten too tired of waiting and that it has been good month. It was for me, finally got someone to read and criticize my original novel manuscript and she actually liked it. I also figured out how I want to alter the story in new edit.
The next chapter will be around turn of August/September, chapter after that is likely to be delayed as I have lot of things to do september/october.
Before that I'm going to Worldcon. They also seem to have some programs about fanfiction, maybe I go and listen to some of those.
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Comments:
Dragonboy111/Alumys : As Frankie4017 mentioned in his review, that was the most literal cliffhanger I have ever had, with Hiccup literally hanging over the edge. :D
leetom: There is good fanfiction, but since anyone can upload anything, you need to dig it out of all of the less good fics. As for the overal story completion, after I decided to make the first part or first "book" end with Hiccup leaving I envisioned overal story lines for at least four books total. What I end up finishing is different matter, but with the following that the story has gathered I don't see myself quiting anytime soon (though slips from monthly schedule can occur depending other things happening in my life, upcoming autumn is likely going to be such time).
Guest (the one that is not Astrid fan): Do you mean chapter length or story length? Because my general idea for the overall story needs at least 4 books worth of story and we are barely entering the second act of second 'book'.
Frankie4017: As I mentioned to previous reviews, my ideas for overall story would needs at least 2 more 'books' worth of another nightmare, after this (second 'book') is completed.
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Beta read by 3DPhantom (as usual)
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Even with Fishlegs' help, the drop was quite long for Hiccup. He tried to roll to dampen the impact. He didn't have time to worry about scratches from the rough stone floor; Toothless would do that for him later. Hiccup got back to his feet in seconds. There was a change in the tone of the shouts around him: The audience had noticed him. Shortclaw hadn't. She had pinned Hakon on the ground with her claws. Hiccup reached towards her with his thoughts, but he still had to consider the people around them.
'Shortclaw!' As Hiccup called for the dragon he also whistled as loudly as he could. The timing worked well. Shortclaw turned her head just enough to see Hiccup approaching with one eye. He had her attention. 'Don't hurt him anymore. If you do they will make sure you die.'
'Do you think they wouldn't anyway?'
'Not if I can do something about it. It may look unlikely, but you still have a better chance to survive if you don't kill him. You've already beaten him anyway!' Hiccup was now only few meters away. He held his hand up, walking slower, trying to look careful in front of the dragon even as he turned his head away. He didn't want to show people too much too quickly.
'Fine, I have nothing to lose, but I'm still not going to die without taking someone with me.' Shortclaw answered as she met Hiccup's hand. Hiccup started stepping to the side, leading her away from Hakon. The young man was still on the ground. His face had changed from the tight rage of battle to wide-eyed disbelief. The audience was completely silent. Hiccup was seemingly controlling the fearsome dragon that had just completely humiliated and nearly killed the chief's son, supposedly a fierce warrior. Hiccup didn't even carry a weapon. When they were far enough from Hakon, Hiccup stopped and turned to face the chief above. He never lifted his hand from Shortclaw's snout next to him.
It was the moment of truth.
"Your son has failed chief. He doesn't understand dragons, how to fight them…" Hiccup paused for a second and waved at Shortclaw with his free arm, "and especially not how to not need to fight."
The only sounds that could be heard after Hiccup's declaration were Hakon's pained breaths as he pushed himself up from the arena floor behind Hiccup.
'Please keep an eye on him,' Hiccup asked if Shortclaw. 'I'll deal with his father.'
'You don't need to tell me that. Just get us out of here.'
'That might take some time. Try to be patient. The calmer you are the easier this will be.' Hiccup focused his attention back to the chief, who stood up and stepped up to the railing. His voice could be heard across the entire arena, without even shouting.
"And who might you be?"
"Just a visitor from the north. I heard of this battle while I was trading. I must say it was disappointing to see that people here consider qualities of a chief as narrowly as tribes up north, and the fight…" Hiccup sensed an approaching danger through Shrotclaw and lifted his hand. The dragon got the message and spat a bundle of liquid fire on the fallen axe that Hakon was reaching for. Hiccup whistled a second time before Shortclaw turned back to face him. Hiccup placed his hand on her snout again. The dragon snorted.
'How long do we have to do this?'
'Be patient.' Hiccup assured. 'I have to show people that I'm doing something. I don't think they are ready to learn that I can talk to you like this.'
The incident had forced the chief's attention to his son for a moment.
"Withhold from fighting for now son. I want to learn more of this boy before deciding his fate."
"No! This is my battle! My moment to prove myself worthy!"
"And you failed in that."
"I am still alive and I will not allow this stranger to stain my honour!"
"Hakon!" Chief's voice left no room for disagreement. "Leave. Have your injuries treated and continue your training so you can earn your honour someday. The dragon will wait until you are ready."
'I guess I'm going to grow old after all.' Shortclaw concluded after Hiccup translated the argument for her. At least he had bought Shortclaw some time and the chief hadn't ordered his death yet.
"Now then," The chief continued after his son stormed away, "why did you interfere with my son's battle, and how are you accomplishing such feats?" He gestured to Hiccup's snout on the dragon.
"I think it is obvious why I did it. He was losing and would have died. I prefer to avoid bloodshed. As for how, it is because I have bothered to study dragons beyond the best place to strike them. They aren't just some mindless beasts. If they were, my arm would have been bitten off by now."
"So you have learned to control them?"
"I think control is too strong of a word," Hiccup lied. "It is more about how to approach the dragons, to make them see me as not the enemy. You saw how she reacted when your son faced her with an axe, not to mention the crowds."
"She?"
Hiccup sighed and nodded towards Shortclaw.
"You can't even tell the difference... I guess it doesn't matter since you were just going to kill her anyway. That doesn't tell anything about how good of a leader someone is, you know." Some people shouted insults at Hiccup, but he only reinforced the words by finally lifting his hand from Shortclaw's snout. He waved it towards the still open gate of Shortclaw's den in front of him. Gasps were audible across the arena as people witnessed the supposedly dangerous dragon walk back inside the gates. No more insults were shouted.
'Thank you Shortclaw. I'll keep doing everything I can to properly get you out of here.'
'You better. I'm willing to give you some time, I need to gather more fire anyway, but I'm still not going to go down without shedding blood.'
'I hope that won't be necessary.' After Shortclaw settled down Hiccup could focus on the chief again. "Chief, I request a moment of your time, to talk."
"You do not speak like a Viking, but I cannot deny what I have witnessed with my own eyes." At least the chief did have some sense in his head. He pointed at Hiccup with his axe. "Close the gates and bring him to me, also his friend by the railing!" The chief was quite perceptive too as he lifted his axe to point directly at Fishlegs.
The smaller doors around Shortclaw's prison opened as group of warriors returned to close the gate. Two of them separated from the group and walked to Hiccup, axes at hand.
"You will come with us."
"Thanks, I figured out that much."
The men didn't say anything else as they escorted Hiccup back through the door they came from. Hiccup gave Shortclaw one last reassuring look before the gate was closed in front of her. He was led to a narrow corridor that had been dug directly in stone. A few torches gave off just enough light to see where they were going. Soon they got to the stairs that rose out of the cave. The rough stone around them was replaced by wood as the warriors led Hiccup to the surface. They stepped directly outside.
The back of the arena was a walled off area with multiple low buildings. The entrance to the underground cave was practically just the stairs with walls and a door. Other buildings were larger with stone walls, for storage of some kind, Hiccup guessed. His eyes focused on a large metal gate on the ground... That was how they got the dragons in.
"This place is pretty impressive. You must have spent years digging all those tunnels."
"The arena is the pride of Fjoll." The man in front of Hiccup declared.
"So, do you have dragon battles often?"
"No, it would cost too much to get many dragons, and the beasts usually avoid the village. We have contests of strength and fighting without them. Come, the chief is waiting."
"...Haven't heard that in a while..."
The man glanced at Hiccup, but didn't ask anything. The duo led him into a small log house: The house had a single large room, the walls were covered in weapons and armour, and a round fireplace stood in the middle of the room. The flickering flames lit the serious face of the chief, who was sitting on the other side of the fire, staring into the flames, deep in thought. Two chairs were placed opposite of him. Hiccup had barely sat down when Fishlegs was dragged in. The wide-eyed teen hadn't taken the sudden attention well. His escort also didn't appear as polite as the men who brought Hiccup there and were now standing guard by the wall.
"I'm not sure if I should thank you for saving my son or punish you for interfering in the ceremony."
"Ceremony?" Hiccup asked. "Your own son nearly died."
"I overestimated his abilities. He's clearly not ready for that dragon yet, but it is not something that concerns you. I brought you here to talk about dragons. What happened in the ring was something that I never thought possible."
"That is because you are counting on old beliefs of dragons that Vikings have held for generations," Hiccup answered. "Your village is outside dragon raid region, but you still haven't tried to study or understand them. Just as those villages that get raided haven't bothered exploring why dragons attack them."
"They steal food, don't they?"
"Yes, but dragons everywhere need food, yet dragons here don't flock to regularly attack your village. Dragons are generally able to hunt enough food for themselves, even way up north, and they aren't monsters that always go for a kill. We learned that the hard way."
"You did?"
"Yes, both of us have been pinned down by a dragon like your son was, except without getting injured. That actually got me to investigate dragons' behaviour more. They are individuals like people, but usually it is possible to encounter one without fighting as long as you don't threaten or agitate them."
"That nightmare was quite agitated," the chief noted.
"That's true. I'm not saying they can't be dangerous, and I wouldn't recommend approaching a dragon which is in that state."
"And yet you did exactly that."
"Well…" Hiccup wasn't sure how to answer.
"Sometimes people have to take risks for greater good, and Hiccup has a natural talent to handle dragons. I think it's because he has never been one to show anger, or maybe the dragons see him as less threatening because…" Fishlegs glanced at Hiccup as he spoke. "I'm sure you see what I mean."
Hiccup didn't have a chance to say anything as the chief laughed.
"So you are saying we actually need hiccups to defeat dragons."
"Not necessarily, and besides, it's not about defeating them." Hiccup corrected. The chief still held onto the idea of fighting dragons with Hiccup's knowledge. "When you want another village to help you in something, you don't go burn it to the ground. You show them that you aren't their enemy, but someone worth helping. As a chief, you should understand that. It is the same for dragons."
"Dragons are hardly the same as villages. At least it is possible to speak to the chiefs of those villages. I don't think dragons are ready to sit down by a negotiation table. They are still just animals."
Hiccup's lips tensed as he resisted the urge to correct the man. He could barely avoid making a fist when his friends were called animals. He had to ignore it. If he pushed too much it would be Berk all over again. Thankfully Fishlegs covered for him.
"It is not about speaking. I'm sure you understood Hiccup's point."
"And where does that leave us?"
"I don't think we can get any further just talking here. I can tell from experience that this is a topic that you have to experience to believe. Our ship has probably left already so if you allow us to stay temporarily and use the dragons you have in your arena, we can demonstrate what Hiccup has been telling you."
"I'm not sure how useful that would be since we don't have much problems with the dragons, but Fjoll is open to everyone who's not out to cause trouble. I can allow your presence at our arena to show those who are interested in learning what you know. You still have to make your own living, unless your parents are also here."
"No, but I'm sure we'll manage somehow," Fishlegs assured. "We just traded many furs to start."
"Just tell me where I can find a forge and when we can use the arena," Hiccup said. The chief didn't raise an issue with his bluntness, thankfully.
"If you are planning to seek work, you should go to old Torbjorn. His old apprentice just started a forge of his own. I'll have someone wait for you at the arena tomorrow after lunch."