PLEASE READ ALL AUTHORS NOTES WHEN READING THIS CHAPTER. THANKS!
And here's the third part! This is the final part of this storyline and it wraps up a fair few things by the end as you'll see.
Chapter 51 – The Bet: Part Three
"Urgh!" Siri exclaimed painfully, as she and Lennart walked into the arena the next morning. "I don't know about you, but I'm glad Night Star is doing most of the work today. My arms are killing me."
"Your arms are killing you?" Lennart chuckled, as he held out his arm for Siri to see. "I have bruises on mine."
"Honestly, I think someone needs to suggest switching day two and three around," Siri groaned, as she rolled her arm around to loosen a tight muscle. "Even if it is the dragons doing most of the work, we still have to hang onto them."
"And stand on them," Lennart reminded her. "Remember the second task?"
Siri groaned. "Remind me to stop mum from coming up with the tasks again," she said. "Dad would never have come up with something like that if it was up to him."
"Your dad did come up with the tasks," Lennart said. "Your mum just helped a little this year, that's all."
"Only because he let mum organise it this year," Siri grinned, glancing up at her parents, who were sitting with Gobber and Valka today in order to commentate the events themselves.
"I think they're getting ready to start," Lennart pointed out, as he nodded to the megaphone held firmly in Hiccup's hand. "I hope the dragons are all here." He strained his neck to see the scaly reptiles, who were all waiting outside the arena to begin.
"I think they are," Siri said, as she stood on tip toe to find a flash of violent amongst the sea of yellow, reds, greens and browns. "Yep," she said, upon spotting her own dragon. "Night Star and Scorch are over by the door."
"Vikings, listen up!"
Turning their gaze away from the door, Siri and Lennart quickly turned their attention up into the crowd, where Hiccup and Astrid had just stood up, megaphone in hand, immediately silencing the boisterous crowd of Vikings, including the teenagers on the ground, who were eager to begin. But not as eager as Hiccup, Siri noted with a laugh, who was practically grinning from ear to ear as he stood there, causing Astrid, Gobber and Valka to hold back laughs of their own.
"Thank you," Hiccup said, as soon as the last sounds in the arena fell silent. "Welcome to the third day of Thawfest, and to the dragons events. Now as you know, there isn't enough room for all of your dragons to be in here at once, so please make sure to leave your dragons outside until it is your turn to compete." He turned to Toothless with a smile. "Toothless here will also be here to make sure no dragon, or Viking," he added quickly, throwing a pointed expression in the Viking teen's directions, "goes astray. If any dragon becomes a problem, Toothless or one of the other dragons," he nodded to Stormfly, Cloudjumper, Barf and Belch, Hookfang and Meatlug over by the Chief's chairs, "will put a stop to things immediately."
"Now," he continued, his tone becoming a lot more excitable, "the three events today will be as follows. Task one will be the old task of shooting down your enemies and sparing your friends. Task two, though," he added, with a quick grin towards his wife, "will involve showing your skills by standing atop of your dragon for as long as you feel comfortable. Now I know that may seem hard!" he exclaimed, as a few teens began to mutter nervously. "But you don't have to stand for any longer than you need too. It's just one task, and there are two other chances for you to earn more points, especially in task three, which will be an obstacle course similar to the one you completed yourselves the other day. After you're finished, the points will be added up to make a final score."
"Something tells me Niddhog isn't going to make it easy for Gerold," Siri snorted, nodding to the pair just inside the arena entrance, where Niddhog seemed to be ignoring Gerold's commands. "Niddhog doesn't look very happy."
"Even Hookfang isn't that bad," Lennart admitted, as he watched the Monstrous Nightmare pay no heed to his rider. "Think he still holds a grudge from that night at the cove?" he suggested.
"That's one petty dragon if so," Siri said, with a pang of sympathy for her ex, despite her other feelings towards him.
"Group one, take up your positions!" Hiccup exclaimed, causing Siri and Lennart's attentions to quickly come back to the task at hand, where they quickly hurried off to the sidelines out of the way of the Vikings and dragons, who quickly got to work of the first task, having completed it before. One by one, every Viking in the first group got high scores of 8's, 9's and 10's, including Hakon, who got a full score of ten, much to his delight. Gerold, on the other hand, started off quite well, until his cockiness got the better of him, which in turn seemed to irritate his dragon, and in the end, managed to burn a few 'friends', earning him a disappointing 7, causing him to land Niddhog and storm off in a huff.
"Having trouble controlling your dragon, Gerold?" Siri asked him, as he stomped past her. "Maybe it'd be better if we just put this whole bet thing to rest. I mean-"
"Oh, you'd like that wouldn't you?" Gerold exclaimed angrily, causing Siri to fold her arms in annoyance. "Well, if you think I'm forfeiting this stupid bet just because you're afraid of losing, be my guest!"
Siri raised her eyebrows. "Me? Afraid of losing? You're not exactly on top on the leader board right now, you know."
"I will be as soon as Niddhog listens to me again," Gerold said irritably. "Because if you think I'm losing to you now, you've got another thing coming." And with that, he stormed off, his face reddening with annoyance.
"I think he's bitten off more than he can chew," Lennart said, raising his eyebrows in surprise as he watched the boy stomp away. "He thought he was going to win, and now he's starting to realise he might not." He frowned. "I think we better watch him, Seer."
'Don't worry, he won't get away with anything under Toothless's nose," Siri pointed out, as she nodded to the Night Fury loitering nearby. "But just in case." She quickly walked over to Toothless, who gave her a toothy grin upon seeing her. "Keep an eye on Gerold for me, will you Toothless?" she said gently, reaching down to scratch his chin. "I think he might try to pull something."
Eyes narrowing, Toothless took a quick glance over to the boy, before turning back to rub against Siri's hand in recognition.
Siri smiled. "Thanks, Toothless."
"Group two, take your positions!"
'That's us," Lennart said, as he waved for Scorch to follow him.
"You better not pull another stunt like yesterday," Siri warned him as Night Star kept bumping into Siri's back excitedly behind her. "You're so close to winning yourself."
"I promise, I won't,' Lennart assured her gently. "I mean, I don't want to risk you being angry at me for real!"
Siri laughed, just as the second group began their task, who performed it just as well as the group before them had. Every one of them skilfully manoeuvred their way through the tiny course, shooting at their enemies and pulling their dragons back upon noticing friends, before landing back down on the ground for their scores. Just before Siri's turn, though, the girl was suddenly startled by the loud growl of Toothless behind her, and whipping around to see the commotion, immediately noticed the problem. Gerold was quickly hurrying away from Night Star with a guilty expression on his face.
"Was he trying to do something?" Siri asked the Night Fury, who quickly nodded his head towards Night Star's saddle.
Siri frowned. "Was he... trying to loosen it?" she asked him, causing Toothless to nod in confirmation.
"He didn't manage it, though?"
Toothless gave her a small toothy grin, which Siri took to mean as no. Grateful, she quickly reached up to give the alpha dragon a stroke on the side of the head, before jumping up onto Night Star's saddle for her own turn. The young Haddock started off well, without missing a beat, until one cut up popped up looking like an 'enemy' only for her to realise at the last minute; in other words, after she'd commanded Night Star to fire, her mistake.
"Oh, shoot!" Siri exclaimed frantically, only for her eyes to widen at the choice of words.
"No, Night Star, I didn't mean-!"
PHOOSH!
"-shoot it," Siri finished lamely, as Night Star accidently incinerated another 'friend'. Hearing her rider's disappointed tone, though, Night Star gave out a squawk of apology and turned her head slightly around to check on her friend, who just threw her dragon a small smile.
"It's okay, girl," Siri assured her kindly, reaching up to stroke the Nadder's head. "It wasn't your fault."
"Got a little excited did you, Seer?" Lennart asked her, as she and Night Star landed beside him.
"More like wrong choice of words," Siri explained with a slight chuckle. "Next time something goes wrong, it might be better if I say poop instead."
Lennart laughed. "I'll keep that in mind," he said, as he quickly hauled himself up onto Scorch for his turn. "You still got eight points, though, I wouldn't worry!"
"Better than Gerold's seven, I guess," Siri said, as she watched Lennart and Scorch carefully manoeuvred the course with little trouble. Each hit from the Monstrous Nightmare was carefully handled, and it wasn't until the same Viking that Siri had got tricked on that Lennart faltered, and the cardboard Viking was shot at straight between the eyes.
"Whose idea was it to use that one?" Lennart asked, as he slid off Scorch's saddle several moments later upon receiving a mark of nine. "I swear almost everyone's gotten tricked on that bit."
Siri snorted. "Hey, at least you didn't accidently say shoot."
"We have to do something to knock Gerold out of the competition once and for all," Kelda said thoughtfully, as the third group went up for their turn. "Are you sure it was because of Gerold that Toothless was going off earlier?" she asked Leif, who had just returned from speaking to his parents.
"I'm sure," he said quietly, keeping one eye cautiously on both Kelda and Eric's parents, who were all sitting nearby. "Dad said Toothless caught Gerold trying to loosen Night Star's straps."
"And your dad never found it weird that you asked?" the girl asked him, surprised.
"Not really," Leif admitted, as he took a quick glance at his parents who were eagerly watching the action below them. "They think I was just being curious."
"That's lucky, then," Kelda said. "Now what are we going to do to stop Gerold that doesn't involve distracting him? I mean, we can't get Eric in trouble again." She glanced at the fellow ten year old, who gave her a lopsided grin.
"Plus it'd be dangerous," Leif pointed out. "I mean, I may not like Gerold, but doing that as he stands on top of his dragon isn't very nice."
"Good point," Kelda agreed, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "But we could do what he tried to do to Siri."
Leif glanced at her in bewilderment. "Isn't that just as dangerous?" he asked her nervously. "I mean, I don't want him hurt."
"He wouldn't be hurt, I promise," Kelda assured him gently. "He wasn't trying to hurt Siri either. The whole point of it is to just loosen the saddle a tiny bit so that it feels like it's moving a bit. It scares the rider a little, but they won't fall."
"That's a pretty cool idea," Eric grinned.
"I'm glad Ingrid is with mum and dad," Leif chuckled, quickly glancing over towards his sister. "I don't want to give her any more ideas." He quickly glanced back to Kelda. "How are we going to manage to do that without getting caught, though?" he asked her. "I mean, our parents dragons are guarding things pretty well down there."
"Leave that to me," Kelda said quietly, as she quickly checked to see what her parents were doing. "Daddy has shown me how to sneak past dragons without getting caught." She got up carefully. "I'll be back soon," she said. "If my parents ask, I've just gone to the outhouse." And before the two boys could argue with her, the young Ingerman was off like a flash, down the steps and out of the arena, leaving Leif and Eric to gawp behind her.
"I sometimes think she has more of your Aunt Ruffnut in her than she lets on," Leif said, as he shook his head in disbelief.
"It is time for the second event of the day!" Hiccup exclaimed a little while later, once the third group's scores were finalised. "Remember, this event is a little bit harder than the first, so please don't push yourself if you're not comfortable!"
"That's an understatement," Hakon muttered nervously as he walked past Siri and Lennart. "I haven't done this since I broke my leg."
"I barely do this at all," Lennart said, as he watched the first group hop up onto their dragons. "I'm probably going to fall off."
"Just try to keep your balance," Siri said kindly, as she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "But if you feel like you'll fall, though, just sit down. They won't judge you too harshly. We aren't really flying too high anyway," she added with a quick nod to the first Viking, who was only flying as high as the grandstands, and even then, she quickly sat back down within five seconds.
"Well, she still earnt a five, that's not too bad," Siri noted with a nod, as she watched the judges hold up their cards, just as Hakon got up for his go. Despite an initial struggle to keep his balance on his problem leg, Hakon managed to stay aloft for several seconds, before his leg decided it'd had enough. An eight was held up.
"Hey," Siri said quickly, as she tapped on Lennart's shoulder. "Is it just me or does Gerold's saddle look a tad off to you?"
Squinting in the direction she was pointing in, Lennart glanced at the saddle in question, but not finding anything wrong with it, he quickly shrugged.
"No really," he admitted. "But then again, I can't tell these sorts of things as well as you can."
"Yeah, I guess," Siri said slowly, as she watched Gerold hop up onto Niddhog's back. "It just looks off, that's all." She shrugged it off. Lennart, though, quickly glanced up into the stands, where he noticed Kelda hurrying along the seats toward Leif and Kelda. He got their attention. Upon noticing the boy upon the ground, Leif gave a quick nod, before giving him a thumbs up to indicate things were alright. Biting his lip nervously, Lennart gave him a nod, before turning to his attention back to the event at hand, where Gerold had taken to the air and had carefully stood up, only to wobble within moments.
"I don't think he's tightened his saddle up very well," Siri said beside him, causing Lennart's stomach to clench nervously. "I think he knows that too," she added, as the boy quickly sat back down again upon noticing the issue. A six went up in the air. "Still not a bad score, though."
No sooner had Siri said this, Gerold had jumped off Niddhog's back and stormed away from the fire breathing reptile a huff, before making a beeline for Siri and Lennart's direction.
"Oh, what now?" Siri scoffed, as soon as she noticed this. "He can't possible blame me for this, can he? I never went near Niddhog!"
"I don't know how you managed it, but I know you have to have something to do with this, Siri!" Gerold exclaimed angrily, upon hearing the fifteen year olds words. "Because I know I checked that saddle and it was just fine until then!"
"Ever heard of blaming someone else, Gerold?!" Siri said irritably, before Lennart could respond. "Because in case you haven't noticed, we've been here all the time. We couldn't have done this! Besides," she added quickly, as Gerold's face puffed up like a balloon, "don't you think if something was up that the other dragons would have noticed it?" She nodded to Toothless and the other dragons standing nearby. "Or are you just trying to put the blame for your performance on someone else?!"
"There's still one event left," Gerold said resolutely, pointing a finger in Siri's direction. "And there's no way I'm giving up until it's over."
"Then don't give up," Siri said bitterly. "Just don't blame us for your performance." She turned to Lennart. "Come on," she said to him, as she began to walk away. "It's our turn soon."
"What are the odds of him winning now?" Lennart asked her quietly, as he and Siri walked off. "I mean, he was on pretty high points yesterday."
"I'm not sure," Siri admitted, as she nodded towards the scoreboard. "But the way things are going, he might have to get high marks in the obstacle course if he hopes to win. I mean, it's anyone's game now. Even yours," she added with a smile. "You're only six points behind him."
"So are you,' Lennart pointed out cheerfully, as he nodded to the scores. "We're on the same points for now! Won't be for long, though," he chuckled. "You'll easily beat me this time."
"I'm just glad you're finally trying," Siri admitted, throwing him a proud smile. "I mean, I've never seen you score this high before."
"Maybe I just needed a push,' Lennart grinned, causing Siri to roll her eyes with a smile.
"Second group, get ready!"
"That's us again," Siri said, as she whistled for Night Star, who bound back into the arena to join her friend, with Scorch following close behind her. "We better get out of the way."
Moving to the side of the academy, Siri and Lennart sat in wait for their turn, which took a little longer than expected in this round. Every Viking in their group seemed to be outdoing each other, and each person remained upright longer as the round went on. Before long, though, it was finally Siri's turn, where she immediately jumped up onto Night Star's saddle, urged her up, before slowly standing up. She wobbled a little, but quickly regaining her balance, before looking straight ahead in an effort to steady herself, where she was met with the sight of her parents beaming proudly at her. Grinning to herself, Siri quickly glanced away in an effort to avoid distraction, but found it was too late. After five whole seconds, she suddenly wobbled, and in an effort to avoid a painful fall, she quickly sat down again, where Night Star gave a low squawk of worry towards her rider.
"Don't worry, girl," Siri assured her gently, as she patted the back of the Nadder's head. "It was my fault. Not yours. Besides," she added cheerfully, as she hopped off the dragon's back. "I still got an eight. See?"
She turned her friend's attention to the scoreboard, where sure enough, a large number eight was being written up, causing the Nadder to flap her wings excitedly.
"That's my girl," Siri grinned, as she headed back over to Lennart, who gave her a thumbs up, before jumping up onto his own dragon to complete his challenge.
Wobbling dangerously, Siri watched nervously as Lennart cautiously stood up, gripping Scorch's sides tightly in the process, before straightening up and holding his arms out for balance. Surprised, Lennart couldn't help but grin to himself as he continued to remain standing, despite the nerves. After several seconds, though, he suddenly shuddered to the left; and suddenly losing confidence, the fifteen year old quickly sat back down again, to his relief.
A nine went up in the air.
"How the heck did I manage that?!" Lennart exclaimed in surprise, jumping off the Monstrous Nightmare's back beside Siri.
"Who cares?!" Siri said cheerfully, landing a punch to Lennart's shoulder. "You're coming second! You're only a point behind me!"
"Why do you think I'm so shocked?" Lennart asked her in amazement, his eyes locked on the scoreboard. "Where's Gerold in all this?" He looked further down the board.
"Tied in third," Siri said bitterly, as she pointed to Gerold's name. "He, Hakon and another girl are all locked in third place."
"This ought to be fun," Lennart said dryly, as he checked over the scores. "Something tells me we better watch our backs in that thing." He nodded to the maze being finished behind them as the final group finished off the second round.
"I wouldn't worry about Hakon or...um-" Siri quickly checked the board for the other competitor's name, "-Siv. It's Gerold I'd look out for. He needs a good score to win, and we all know what he's capable of."
"Vikings, may I have your attention please!"
Upon hearing her mother's voice, Siri immediately stopped talking and turned her attention to the Viking Chieftainess, who was standing in her seat, megaphone in hand.
"It is almost time for the final event of Thawfest," Astrid said. "And before we begin, let me just lay down some ground rules before you all enter the maze. First of all, please be respectful of all," she emphasised the word greatly, "competitors once you're in there. It is a bit of a tight squeeze and with the number of different dragons you all have," she nodded to the dragons waiting with their riders, "it's bound to get tough."
"Secondly, let me assure you that you will not be getting away with cheating once you're in this thing," Hiccup continued sternly, as he swept his gaze over Gerold, who narrowed his eyes slightly, before looking away, and then over the other teens. "Toothless and I will be flying above you all while this is all happening, as will Astrid and Stormfly. So there will be no cheating what so ever." He turned back to his wife with a smile. "Are we ready?" he asked her.
"I think we're ready," she confirmed, turning her attention back to the teens on the ground. "Alright, everyone take your positions."
"Come on, we better get in there," Siri said to Lennart quickly, as she hurried over to Night Star and jumped onto the saddle, with Lennart following suit, before getting to the front of the queue to enter the colossal maze. Despite there being a number of dragons, in all shapes and sizes, there wasn't as much of a stampede as one might have expected at this point in the games, with most Vikings getting the best position they can, with minimal pushing and shoving. Even Gerold, who seemed to be a lot more subdued Siri noted, only pushed a few dragons out of the way roughly, being settling in for a spot a little further back.
"Viking and dragons at the ready!" Hiccup exclaimed from above the maze, causing a few teens to look up in interest, before returning their attention to the task at hand. Siri tightened her grip on Night Star's saddle, before glancing over towards Lennart with a smile.
"Good luck," she said. "You've done really well this year."
Lennart returned the smile. "You too," he said.
"Get set... and..."
A deafening blast of the horn sounded from above them, slightly startling a few dragons, before every one of them suddenly took off in a whirl of colours, each making their way through the winding maze as best as they could with the influx of dragons. Siri urged Night Star forward, not even aware of what was happening around her as she flew through the tight crevices of the labyrinth around her, pulling tight turns and avoiding collision courses with other dragons. At one point she narrowly avoided a head on collision with Gerold, who suddenly came out of nowhere, but a warning growl from a certain Alpha above made the sixteen year back off fairly quickly. Nearby Siri could also hear the loud irritated squawks of Stormfly, but she was unable to see what was happening that far back.
Storming forward, Siri was lost in herself as she wound her way through the tunnels, only vaguely aware of her fellow Vikings coming up around her. Every now and then, the fifteen year could hear a number of the larger dragons get caught up in the tight squeeze of the maze and fall back, causing other Vikings to take advantage and come up beside her. A few times, other dragons overtook her, only to fall victim to the maze themselves. Having practiced turns and flying patterns in the forest with her dad, Siri was much more acquainted with the difficulties the maze entailed, and she used this to her advantage as she continued her way through.
A loud cheer erupted from the stands outside the web of tunnels as she finally saw the other end of the maze come up in front of her. Siri's heart sped up as she realised she was just metres away from the finish line, and butterflies erupted in her stomach as she came closer and closer, her stomach clenched with nerves as she saw Gerold and a few others come up fast behind her, jostling for position, including Lennart, before he too, suddenly vanished from sight. Frowning, she urged Night Star forward, but just as she was about to pass through the exit of the labyrinth, she was suddenly blindsided by a red blur whirling past her, and startled, skidded to a halt just as she crossed the finish line, causing the crowd to erupt into a thunderous applause, just as one Viking after another began to skid past her to the finish. She finally snuck a peek beside her.
"Where in the name of Thor did you come from?!" she exclaimed.
"I have no idea!" Lennart replied, his eyes wide with shock as the crowd cheered loudly around them. "One minute I'm a few dragons back, and then the next Scorch found an opening and just... took off!" He glanced at Siri in shock. "Did... did I just win?" he asked her.
"I don't know!" Siri exclaimed, as she glanced around at the madness around her. "I mean, I don't think anyone saw what happened. You came in so fast I didn't even see you!"
"Sorry," Lennart apologised sheepishly, as he and Siri both jumped off their respective dragons. "I didn't mean to just... come in like that."
"Don't apologise!" Siri said cheerfully, as the other teens began to hurry over to them. 'That was the most awesome comeback I've ever seen in my life!"
"That's for sure!" Hakon exclaimed in awe, as he clapped Lennart on the back wildly. "That was awesome, Len! It really was!"
"You came out of nowhere!" Brenna said, her eyes wide in amazement. "Well, not nowhere," she elaborated, "but you weren't exactly winning either. Well done!"
"We don't know who won, though," Lennart pointed out, as he glanced at Siri uncertainly. "It looks like it was a tie."
"Not necessarily," Valka said, as she came over the throng of Vikings, a wide smile etched on her face. "We're just getting Hiccup and Astrid's point of view first." She pointed to the Chief and Cheiftainess flying above them. "They're just making a decision now."
"I don't want to win, though," Lennart said immediately, causing Siri to glance at him with narrowed eyes. "I mean, I wasn't even meaning too. It just happened."
"And sometimes that's all it needs," Siri grinned, as she placed a kind arm around his shoulders. "You did well, Len, just roll with it!"
"But-"
"Vikings and dragons, can we have your attention please!" Hiccup said loudly, as he and Toothless landed beside the Chief's chair up in the stands. "Astrid and I have discussed the unexpected outcome of the obstacle course and have determined a winner." He smiled at Astrid, who had just landed beside him. "Ladies and gentlemen, winning Thawfest by barely a nose, your Thawfest winner for this year is...Lennart Jorgenson!"
"You're kidding me!" Lennart exclaimed in shock, as the crowd erupted into deafening cheers of excitement. "How... how did that happen?!"
"Who cares?!" Siri squealed. "You won, Len. You won! You actually won Thawfest!"
"By only one point, Lennart has won the games with a combined score of 89 points, just defeating Siri by a few inches in the final obstacle course," Hiccup explained over the loud roars of the assembled crowd. "Siri has taken second place with a total of 88 points-"
"Well, I almost won," Siri grinned, causing Lennart to grin back despite himself.
"-and Hakon has rounded out third place with a combined score of 85 points."
"YES!" Hakon cheered, pumping a fist into the air. "Take that you stupid leg! Woo!"
"Anyone would think he'd won," Siri whispered to Lennart in amusement, "instead of coming in third."
"I don't think he really cares,' Lennart chuckled, as he and Siri continued to watch him celebrate. "He's just glad that leg of his didn't stuff him completely up."
"You got that right!" they heard him call out.
"With the completion of Thawfest, we will now ask our first, second and third placed Vikings to come to the platform in order to receive their medals," Astrid said, as she and Hiccup received the shiny medallions from Valka, before making their way down to the stadium as loud cheers continued to ring out from all around them.
"Wha...what do I do?!" Lennart said anxiously, as he, Siri and Hakon began to make their way over to the raised platform at the edge of the academy. "Do I have to do anything?"
"You don't have to do anything, Len, calm down," Siri assured him gently, placing an arm around his shoulders as they made their way over. "You just have to go up, receive your medal and hop down. That's all."
"This feels really weird," Lennart admitted, as he nervously stepped up onto the platform. "I never even wanted to win."
"Well, you did," Siri said gently, giving him a kind smile. "And you deserve it, too. Just enjoy the moment."
"But you wanted to win, not me-" Len protested, only to be cut off by Siri's narrowed glance.
"Len, you won," Siri said firmly, "and that's all there is to it. Just accept it. No matter what you think, you've earned it."
Lennart smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Seer," he said appreciatively, just as Hiccup and Astrid joined them on the stage.
"Congratulations, Len!" Astrid exclaimed proudly, as she placed a kind hand on the boy's shoulder. "You should be proud of yourself!"
"He's more shocked than anything," Siri pointed out with a giggle, before Lennart could speak. "He's trying to find a reason for why he couldn't have won more than anything."
"That's because I don't win anything usually," Lennart pointed out.
"Only because you don't let yourself," Siri muttered.
"Toothless and I saw the whole thing, Len," Hiccup smiled. "And you won it fair and square, I assure you. Now," he continued, with a quick glance at the restless crowd behind them, "we better get this started before we have a riot on our hands. And before it rains," he added, taking a quick glance up at the gloomy sky above them.
"Oh, boy," Lennart said weakly, as he saw the eyes of almost every Viking on Berk suddenly fall upon them, as Astrid got the crowd's attention.
"You'll be fine," Siri whispered gently, reaching down to take his hand in her own. "You're just receiving a medal."
Squeezing Siri's hand appreciatively, Lennart took a deep breath as Hiccup took the first medal off his wife's hands, before presenting it to Hakon, standing proudly on the other end of the platform.
"Congratulations to every one of you who have competed in this year's Thawfest games," Hiccup said, sweeping his eyes over the small crowd of teenagers. "Each and every one of you have competed to the best of your ability and for that, you should all be proud of what you have achieved. It's just a shame there can only be one winner, though, so without further ado..."
Hiccup turned to Hakon. "In third place, I present this medal to Hakon Onfroy for earning a total of 85 points." He placed the medal around Hakon's neck, who in turn held it up proudly for all to see, just as Hiccup turned to Siri with a proud smile.
"In second place, I present this medal to Siri Haddock for earning a total of 88 points."
Placing the medal around his daughter's neck, Hiccup beamed proudly down at her. "Well done, Seer," he smiled, touching her shoulder tenderly, before turning to Lennart who was standing there, twisting his hands around nervously.
"For earning a total of 89 points, and the highest score in this year's games, may I present to you all, the winner of this year's Thawfest games, Lennart Jorgenson!"
"WOOO! THAT'S MY BOY!" Snotlout yelled proudly from the crowd. "YOU SHOWED THEM WHAT A JORGENSON IS TRULY MADE OF!"
"Ignore him, Len," Hiccup said quietly, as he saw the young Jorgenson stiffen before him. "He's just proud. You don't need to prove yourself."
"Thank you, sir," Lennart said appreciatively, as Hiccup placed the heavy medal around the boy's neck, causing a roar to erupt around the arena as Hiccup stepped back beside Astrid in order for the Vikings to see their champions. Taking the medal in his shaking hand, Lennart bashfully held it up for all to see, causing an even bigger roar to erupt from the assembled Vikings.
"See?" Siri whispered as everyone cheered around them. "I told you I was right. Winning isn't something to worry about. You've just proven that anyone can win Thawfest if actually try."
"Still going to take some getting used to," Lennart grinned awkwardly, as he moved the heavy medallion into a more comfortable position around his neck. "This feels really weird."
Siri grinned. "You'll get used to it," she said, waving his concerns off. "But seriously, Len," she added, her tone serious. "Congratulations. You deserve it." And before Lennart was even aware of what was happening, she'd kissed him on the cheek, making them both blush the colour of bright magenta.
"Urgh..."
"There's my boy!" Snotlout exclaimed proudly, immediately cutting off his son's next words, as he pushed his way through the throng of Vikings. "Well done, Len! That was a heck of a finish!"
"Thanks, dad," Lennart said half-heartedly, as his father pulled him into a one armed hug. "Although it wasn't really me to be honest," he admitted, with a glance over at Scorch. "I had a little help."
"Hey, it doesn't matter how you won, it's still a win," Snotlout said proudly, glancing down at his son's medal with satisfaction. "Besides, that sword fight of yours yesterday was awesome!" He reached up to ruffle his eldest son's hair. "You always were good with a sword, even as a kid. And watching Gerold go down like that was the best thing I'd watched all day," he added with a grin.
"You're not the only one," Lennart admitted, as he threw his parents a grin of his own. "I'm just glad Siri knocked some sense into me before the fight." His eyes widened at the realisation of what he'd just said.
Anna frowned. "What do you mean Siri knocked some sense into you?" his mother asked him sternly, glancing between the two of them. "What were you doing?"
"He-" Siri started, only for Lennart to shake his head at her.
"I..." Lennart sighed. "I was trying not to win," he admitted, unable to meet his parent's eyes. "That's why I didn't do as well with the other weapons." Biting his lip, Lennart nervously glanced up at his parents over the top of his eyes. "I was afraid that if I won, that you'd expect me to win every year."
"What?" Anna interjected, causing Lennart to glance up at his mother in surprise. "Expect you to win? Oh, Len, why would you think that?"
"But-" Lennart began, sweeping his eyes over towards his father, "-but I thought that's what being a Jorgenson was all about?" he asked, perplexed. "Upholding the family honour!" he exclaimed, imitating his father's voice. "I mean," Lennart continued, glancing up at his father awkwardly, "you always said a Jorgenson never loses."
"Yeah, I did say that, didn't I?" Snotlout said sheepishly, reaching up to scratch his neck.
"Yes, you do," Anna said sternly, throwing her husband an irritated glance, before heaving a sigh, and placing a gentle hand on her son's shoulder.
"Len, you know as well as I do not to take any notice of what your father says sometimes," Anna told him kindly. "Yes, he likes to win. He gets that from your Grandpa Spitelout," she added, with a knowing glance towards her husband, who grinned sheepishly towards his wife. "But we would never pressure you into winning," she assured him. "I mean, as long as you tried your best, that's all we expect off you. Isn't that right, sweetie?" Anna turned to Snotlout with a small smile.
"Well, winning's always better," Snotlout admitted. "I mean, what's the point of competing if you don't win?"
"Snotlout!"
"But-" Snotlout continued, holding a hand up to his wife, "-trying to win is just as good sometimes," he admitted. "I mean, there's a lot more competition around than when I was a kid," he said, brandishing a hand towards the large group of teenagers still hanging around the academy. "So I know you can't win all the time. But your mother's right, Len," he added, throwing his eldest son a proud smile. "As long as you try, I don't expect you to win every year. Although it would be nice," he grinned.
Lennart grinned back. "Thanks, dad," he said, throwing his dad a genuine smile. "I'll remember that. Although it would have been nice to know...I don't know... years ago." He chuckled.
"Hey, you never asked," Snotlout pointed out, causing Anna to roll her eyes in amusement beside him.
"Doesn't change anything for me," Sigmund said, shrugging off the entire conversation. "I'm not breaking my winning streak. Jorgenson's for the win!"
"I still can't decide if he's our son or your clone," Anna said dryly, as she watched her middle son saunter off in the other direction out of boredom. "It's winning or nothing with him."
"Hey, don't blame me," Snotlout protested, glancing after his son. "I didn't teach it to him."
"Not intentionally anyway," Lennart chuckled. Not getting a reply, he frowned. "Seer?" he turned to his friend, who seemed to be staring off into the distance. "Siri?"
"I'll be back," Siri told him, without looking back. "It looks like someone wants to talk to me." She nodded to Gerold, who was waving wildly to get her attention over at the side of the academy.
Lennart's eyes narrowed. "Do you want me to come with you?"
Siri shook her head. "I'll be alright," she said. "You stay here," she added, throwing him a small smile. "I'll be right back."
Squaring her shoulders, Siri walked over to Gerold with a determined look on her face as the older boy stood there with his arms crossed in front of his chest, his face sour as he watched the girl coming towards him.
"You wanted me?" Siri asked him upon reaching him, imitating his stance by crossing her own arms as she waited for him to answer.
"Not really," Gerold grunted, as he glanced up at Siri's questioning expression. "I just want to know what I'm supposed to do now that I've lost the stupid bet. I mean, you're not just going to let me off now, are you?" he asked bitterly.
"I don't know, it's up to Lennart," Siri replied coolly. "He won the bet; it's up to him what he wants you to do."
"Whatever," Gerold said bitterly, glancing away from Siri's cold glare. "I mean, it's not like he's going to let me off easy, is he?"
"Seriously, Gerold, what is your problem with Lennart?" Siri asked angrily, clenching her fists painfully by her sides. "All you've ever done is mock him and treat him like absolute crap ever since I've known you, and he's never done anything to deserve it!"
"Because the guy's a wimp, Seer, and you know it," Gerold replied irritably, as he returned his glance back to Siri's crimson face. "I mean, you could barely call him a Viking!"
"There are different types of Vikings, Gerold, and Lennart just happens to be one!" Siri shot back, throwing her arm up in the air angrily. "And anyway, how can you still call Lennart a wimp when he just beat you fair and square in Thawfest of all things?!" she exclaimed in bewilderment. "And besides," she added coolly, "one of the agreements of our bet was that you weren't to call Len a coward or anything else ever again."
"Fine, I won't call Lennart a coward again, whatever!" Gerold exclaimed impatiently, throwing a hand up in the air irritably. "I honestly don't care!"
"Then why do you keep calling him a coward then?!" Siri exclaimed in frustration.
"Because he's always there!" Gerold said angrily, causing his face to brighten in embarrassment at the admission. He swallowed nervously.
Siri frowned. "What do you mean, he's always there?" she asked him quietly. "What exactly is your problem with him? I mean, of course he's always there. He's my friend."
Gerold scoffed. "Oh, come off it, Seer, you and I both know that he's more than just your friend," he said bitterly, as he took a quick glance at the boy over Siri's shoulder. "I've seen you with him. And there's no way he sees you as only a friend. But you already knew that, didn't you?" he asked her, as Siri's cheeks began to redden in embarrassment.
"You're right, he doesn't,' Siri replied irritably. "But do you know what? It's none of your business. You know full well that Len would never have done anything to jeopardise our relationship when we were courting-"
"-Except stick his nose in where it didn't belong," Gerold scoffed, causing Siri's stomach to clench in anger.
"Yeah, and lucky for him, he did!" Siri exclaimed heatedly. "If he wasn't there for me as a friend, I probably wouldn't be here now! He's always been there for me, which is more than I can say for you!"
There was silence as Gerold took in the girl's words, and despite the anger boiling deep in the pit of his stomach, the sixteen year old found that he couldn't argue with his ex-girlfriend's words, no matter what he felt. He sighed.
"I did care for you, you know?"
"I don't doubt you did," Siri said quietly. "But I think we both know we weren't good for each other. We just brought out the worst in each other. Honestly," she continued, with a quick glance in Gerold's direction, "I think after today it might be best if we just stay out of each other's way. For all our sakes."
"Yeah, I guess," Gerold said quietly. "I mean, it's not like we can really be friends, can we?"
"Not really," Siri admitted. "But we can be civil with each other, at least. I mean, if I'm going to be your Chief one day, we have to at least be that. But for now, it's best if we stay out of each other's lives." She sighed. "Anyway," she continued, with a quick glance back in Lennart's direction, "I'll bring Len to the stables later to discuss your punishment. Might as well get it over and done with."
"Whatever," Gerold shrugged. "I'll meet you there." And without as much as a second glance, he turned around and walked away without as much as another word.
'Well, that was awkward', Siri thought bitterly, as she hurried back over to Lennart, who gave her a curious glance as she rejoined him once again.
"What was that about?"
"He wanted to know what he had to do since you won the bet," Siri said. "I told him we'd meet him at the stables later."
"That'll be a pleasant experience," Lennart said dryly. "Are you alright, though?" he added, noting Siri's unusual expression. "I mean, I heard you yelling at him."
"I was just sorting things out with him, that's all," Siri explained. "I mean, we didn't exactly break up on good terms."
"So, you've forgiven him?"
"More like cleared the air," Siri elaborated. "And finding out just why he doesn't like you," she added.
Lennart's eyes widened. "Oh?" he inquired. "And why doesn't he like me?"
"Because you like me," Siri explained gently, reaching up to stroke a strand of fly-a-way hair behind her ear to hide her faint blush. "I don't think he really liked the fact that you were always around."
"Oh," Lennart said dumbly, as a faint blush rose in his own pale cheeks. "Well, I guess I should have expected something like that. I'm sorry."
"You have nothing to be sorry for," Siri told him sternly. "It's Gerold's fault for it getting the better of him. Besides, I know you would never have gotten in the way of us if I was happy," she added, throwing him a warm smile.
"No, I wouldn't have," Lennart confessed. "But I'm still sorry I made it so obvious."
"I don't think you were," Siri admitted. "I think Gerold was jealous from the moment he met you."
"Wonderful to know," Lennart muttered. "At least I know the feeling was mutual."
Siri chuckled, before she quickly glanced down at the ground, before looking back up at him, biting her lip.
"Len," she said sheepishly, "I hope I didn't give you the wrong idea about that kiss earlier. It was just the spur of the moment and-"
"You don't have to explain it, Seer, I understand," Lennart smiled. "You were just happy that I won. I know you're not ready yet. I mean, it hasn't even been six months yet."
"Thanks for being so understanding," Siri said gratefully, as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know it must be annoying. I just need a bit more time."
"It's not annoying, Seer," Lennart assured her gently. "I'm more than willing to wait. I told you that."
"Thanks, though," Siri said softly. "I mean it. I promise I won't leave you waiting for too long, though."
Lennart smiled. "It's fine, Seer. Now I think we better go and meet up with Gerold."
"Not just yet," Siri said, as she quickly glanced around. "I want to thank to thank Leif first for his little, 'interventions'," she made quotation marks in the air, "over the past few days."
Lennart's eyes widened. "You knew what they were up too?!"
"And so did you apparently," Siri said curiously, raising her eyebrows at her friends reaction. "May I ask, how?"
"Urgh…"
"Because he heard us talking the other day when he came upstairs," Leif explained, as he, Kelda and Eric joined the two of them. He grinned sheepishly towards Lennart. "Len promised not to tell on us."
"Did he now?" Siri asked in amusement as she glanced over at Lennart, who gave her an awkward smile. "And he never thought of letting me into the loop?"
"I didn't think you'd want to be, to be honest," Lennart admitted guiltily. "I mean, I know how you feel about Leif's little pranks."
"Yeah, well, in this case, I really didn't mind," Siri chuckled, giving her brother a grateful smile. "But I'm guessing I don't know the half of it?" she asked knowingly. "I mean, just distracting Gerold isn't really your style is it?"
"Not really," Leif grinned. "We moved that log on him too. Well, Kelda did anyway," he added, with a quick glance in her direction.
Siri's eyes widened in astonishment. "You moved the log?" she asked the ten year old. "How in Thor's name did you do it without anyone noticing?!"
"Oh, don't think nobody noticed."
Startled, Siri and the others wheeled around at the sound of Astrid's voice, only to be met with not only Astrid, but the whole lot of their families, all of them with identical looks of amusement etched upon their faces.
"But… how did you…" Leif stuttered, upon seeing his parent's faces. "How did you guys see me when no one else did?"
"Believe it or not, if it wasn't for Hiccup looking in the right direction at the right time, you would have gotten away with it," Astrid grinned, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "But unfortunately for you, Kelda's hiding spot wasn't the best for everyone." She pointed to her and Hiccup's Chief's chairs sitting right above them. "We were sitting right above you."
"Oh, nuts!" Kelda exclaimed, clicking her fingers in annoyance. "Why didn't I think of that?"
"Hang on," Leif said, a frown crossing his young face. "If you knew what we were up too all along, then why haven't we gotten into trouble before now?"
"Because believe or not, we wanted to see Gerold lose as much as you did," Hiccup admitted, reaching up to rub his neck sheepishly. "And since you weren't doing any harm, we sort of let it slide at the time." He chuckled awkwardly. "But now that it's over…"
Leif sighed. "We're in trouble, aren't we?"
"Oh, you bet you're in trouble," Astrid said. "As much as I admit that it was a decent bit of pranking, we can't just let you get away with sabotaging someone. No matter who it is," she added, before Leif could argue the point. "You're grounded for two weeks, no leaving the house."
"Oh, man," Leif groaned. "This sucks."
"Oh, don't worry, you'll have company for a few days at least," Astrid said, with a quick glance down at her youngest daughter who grinned sheepishly back at her mother. "Ingrid is grounded too for helping you with your little prank yesterday."
"But she only gave us a tiny bit of advice!" Leif protested, with a quick glance at his younger sibling. "That's not very fair!"
"She's only grounded for two days, Leif," Hiccup reassured his son calmly. "And besides" he added, with a quick glance of amusement down at Ingrid, "she admitted it herself and wanted to be grounded."
"I didn't feel very nice," Ingrid admitted, throwing her brother a tiny grin. "Sorry, Leifey."
Leif chuckled. "It's okay, Ingrid."
"So," Kelda piped up, as a thoughtful frown crossed her face, "if Leif's grounded, I'm guessing that means I'm grounded too, right?" She glanced over at her parents.
"You got that right, little missy," Ruffnut said, as she wiggled her finger towards her eldest daughter. "As cool as that little prank of yours was, we can't let you get away with it."
"How long am I grounded for?" Kelda asked with a sigh.
"Two weeks, the same as Leif," Fishlegs explained gently. "Which also means no helping me with the dragon academy either. You're to stay inside and help us out with the chores. And maybe help your brother out with his Terror training as well," he added in afterthought, with a quick glance at Ludovik playing with some friends in the distance.
Kelda sighed. "Yes, daddy."
"Oh man, that's rough," Eric chuckled, as he watched his two best friends get grounded in front of him.
"Don't you go laughing, young man," Annika said sternly, immediately stopping the boy in his tracks. "Don't think you're getting away with this."
Eric's eyes widened in horror. "What am I supposed to do for two weeks?!"
"Well, for one ,you could try cleaning up the mess you and your father made after that little experiment," she elaborated the word greatly, "the two of you did the other day. And don't you go laughing," she added, with a quick glance towards Tuffnut, who was sniggering behind his hand beside her. "It's your mess too. I'm not cleaning it up."
Tuffnut's mouth fell open. "But…," he stuttered, "... but that will take ages! I mean, that was an awesome explosion," he added, an almost dreamy expression coming over his face.
"Yeah, and if you want to do another one, you and Eric will clean up this one," Annika said firmly, causing the father and son to groan in unison. "Or at the very least, take it outside for once," she added, throwing her husband a quick smile.
Tuffnut grinned. "You're amazing, 'Nika, you know that?"
Annika grinned. "Yeah, and don't you forget it," she said, before she quickly turned to her son with an added thought. "Oh, and another thing you can do over the next few weeks is help Idony out with Lilac. The stubborn thing just won't seem to listen to her."
"Oh man, I hate Terror training,' Eric complained, earning him a raspberry from his fiery red head sister.
"Well, you have to help now," Idony said mockingly, placing her hands on her hips in a manner very like her mother. "You're in trouble!"
"You don't have to rub it in, Idony," Eric said, as he heaved a heavy sigh.
"Come on, we better go and meet Gerold," Siri chuckled, as she watched the scene before her. "It's got to be better than hearing these three complain."
"Something tells me Gerold won't be much better," Lennart pointed out.
"You two go ahead," Hiccup said to them with a smile. "We're just going to take Leif home now anyway. Tell me what you decided to for Gerold when you got home, Seer," he added with a quick wink towards his eldest daughter, who gave a loud snort of amusement.
"Will do, dad," she said, before she gestured to Lennart to follow her.
"So, what do you have in mind?" she asked him, as they made their way towards the stables.
"I can't believe I'm on stable duty again for the next three months!" Gerold exclaimed irritably, as he heaved a pile of dragon dung into a pile by the door. "Seriously, couldn't you pick something better for me to do?"
"Oh, but why when you're so good at it?" Siri said teasingly, as she leant comfortably on the doorway. "I mean, you do seem to have the most experience with it."
"Yeah, thanks to your dad."
"What was that, Gerold?" Lennart asked, from his place beside Siri. "You want me to make you do it longer?"
"Yeah, you'd like that wouldn't you?" Gerold asked bitterly, but he continued to shovel the ground without complaint. "Is this all I have to do?"
"Other than doing my chores for the next two weeks, and never saying a word against me or Siri again, no, not really," Lennart shrugged. "I mean, I really don't think we need to go overboard."
"Well, that's something, I guess," Gerold admitted, as he dug his shovel into the ground again, only to lose his footing, before landing head first into untouched pile of dragon dung.
Siri and Lennart winced. "Oh, that's going to leave a mark,' Siri said awkwardly, as Gerold rolled away from the mess, before letting out a disgruntled groan.
"Urgh, remind me never to make a bet against you again. It's so not worth it."
And that was the end of the third part. Phew! Honestly, writing all three at once was a lot of work, but I'm fairly happy with how it all turned out.
Ok, so anyway, this will be pretty much the last time you see Gerold, except maybe a few little mentions in later chapters. I pretty much wanted them to end the bet with them being the bigger person and just giving him a bit of a hard time mainly, while also giving him the punishment he so dearly hates. I also really wanted to give Siri and Gerold some closure this chapter, especially with the way things ended, even if it was just to clear the air mainly, as these two will never get along again.
I have a feeling that many of you probably knew what I was planning with Lennart winning too, and I apologise it wasn't the surprise I wanted it to be, but the more I wrote, the more I realised it would be tricky for him to suddenly come from behind in points and win. I just wanted someone like Len to win for once, and as you could see, he was very humble in victory considering he's very quiet and all, and it was nice to have him win over the others. I also wanted to put a second and third place medal ceremony in Thawfest because I think Hiccup would do something like that, instead of just glorifying first place. It was also for this reason, with him winning the bet that I decided to let him figure out the punishment for Gerold, which is why Siri said that.
Also, if you think I had Leif be let off lightly, it's mainly because what he and the other kids did wasn't technically cheating as they weren't competitors, plus many of the Vikings would have wanted to turn a blind eye on what they were doing with Gerold lol. Plus the whole thing was meant to be mainly a light hearted joke for the chapter anyway and no harm was done to Gerold. I mean, all three kids still got grounded and they are not happy about it!
Ok, so, next chapter will be an interesting one, plus we get to see more of Hiccup and Astrid for a change! When Hiccup and Astrid go away for the yearly meeting at the Shivering Shores, the couple finally give Siri a chance to prove herself as the temporary Chief of Berk, with hilarious results! While Siri is ruling at home, though, things become just as interesting during the meeting at the Shivering Shores. Ok, so I can't explain much without giving too much away, but one thing I can say is, I've been planning this chapter for months and I'm so glad to finally be up to it! This chapter will take place a year after this one and I aim to have it up by March. I'm sorry for these really long waits, but I can assure you that I work as hard as I can to get them out to you, it's just sometimes, life gets in the way. I hope you can all understand :) I haven't started this chapter as of yet because I've been taking a break, but I'm about to soon.
Ok, so you all know the drill! PLEASE REMEMBER TO REVIEW! Once again, though, please remember NO FLAMES will be tolerated, although KIND constructive criticism is just fine.
Thanks for reading! :D You're all amazing!
