Hiccup jogged to join him as they walked back to their tribe together. He was used enough with the low light so far and he knew they would soon had the lights to guide them home, but she seemed apprehensive, fidgeting, not sure whether to get close to him or not, still looking around them at every sound.
"Is there anything else?", he asked, distrusting the way she kept trying to measure their surroundings. "Like, are there other dragons you've been hiding on those woods?".
"What?", she sounded confused, not busted.
"What are you looking for?".
"Uh, nothing I-" she kept fidgeting, palms unsure on the axe she had fetch for him back in the cove. "I'm just scared- of the dark" the last part came out as an ashamed whisper, as they heard an owl, probably waking up in a close tree. He chuckled at that. She had been to those woods even more than he did over the past few weeks and this path scared her for the lack of light. And they have been in the dark long to get their eyes used to it, didn't they?
Another sound made her too worried to pout at it, so he decided to wait to get home to tease her on that fear. She flew thousands of meters above the ground in a fire-breathing beast's back, she flew inside a dragon's nest, to a volcano filled with those creatures who had slaughtered hundreds of theirs, she did this fearlessly and yet lights out was where she drawn the line? Maybe her never-seen bravery was connected to the Night Fury.
"Alright, but we can see a few lights there, right? Just follow them". Was kind of an obvious advice, but she just nodded, still in silence beside him.
As they walked near the tribe, planning to leave her things back at their hut and dine at the Great Hall, an excited fuss of drunk Vikings was heard. Too many Vikings, and there would be no festivities until…
"They got back!", pulling her by her wrist he tried to make his way through the crowd, the Great Hall would be full, but that's the most probable place he'd find his father. And his father-in-law. And his aunts, and cousins, and neighbors and every functional adult without a small child to care for at the Village.
"Yeah", may be for his excitement or the crowd's noise, but he didn't hear the dread in her agreement. "I- I'll go keep this in the hut, okay? You go ahead".
They were holding a few stuff he didn't thought in how to justify to anyone, but that thought had been completely replaced by his eager to know what happened to this year's campaign. What had their found. Well, certainly not the nest they found earlier, but maybe there was another nest? Maybe they met pirates. Or new lands. Anything, any story about sailing would fascinate him.
Getting there, the crowd was loud, cheering and keeping the Great Hall at its maximum capacity. His friends were all there to hug their parents. Snotlout's both parents had left
this year, sure he would be able to defend himself this year. And he grabbed about it, asking Artichoke to come by nearly every single day, but he looked as excited as a small child, almost crying in relief around his parents.
Artichoke kept searching for the crowd, for familiar horns or a set of golden heads but then a pair of big arms lifted him off the floor from behind in a tight embrace. "That's where you were, eh?". His dad soon let go of the surprise attack. "Dad!" the usual relief and joy followed as he hugged his father. His mother and small siblings were around, wanting just as much attention. "When will you stop growing huh? I barely spent a couple months out and yer almost as tall as me, lad". That wasn't true, his father was still taller, bigger, and stronger, matching all other grown Vikings around. But Artichoke was just 15 and he probably would be the same way in a couple years.
Many beer barrels had been open for welcoming them home. Which could only mean the casualties didn't outstand the success. Turns out they did encounter some pirates, people sailing on less used routes as they searched for the nest. They fought on the waters, winning, but loosing a ship. Some treasures and merchandise were saved from drowning and few sailors were brought to the island as slaves. It would be a good addition to the winter's handwork. The new slaves, gold and devices would be divided and sold according to each Viking's doing across the sea. Stoick would be the judge of it all.
A cheerful, energetic crowd had almost taken Artichoke's mind from the culture-shattering values he just faced a bit earlier.
"Hey-you where is Hiccup? Still training in the woods?", Gobber approached the Hofferson's celebration. "In the woods? At this hour?", Artichoke's father didn't bother finishing swallowing his beef to ask. "And that girl…".
"Oh, no, no, you'd be surprised, really, you gotta see it". Gobber took a seat in their table, explaining Hiccup's unbelievable progress over the past weeks, how she'd singlehandedly have dragons fearing her, bowing in submission and running back to their cage. How she was even better than he was supposed to be at training, though Gobber didn't took Artichoke's merit – honest merit – as second top of the class. Looking above the crowd, thick red braids under a classic horned helmet were turning around, searching.
He knew they had a lot to figure out after the encounter of earlier, but Artichoke just assumed the relief and joy to see their tribe back would be enough of an excuse to postpone this issues till tomorrow. He should have dragged her in with him. What if she takes her things to try leaving again? No, she just promised she wouldn't.
"She's probably in the hut, must be tired, I-I'll go get here" but the hook replacing Gobber's left hand pointed at him before the boy could get off his seat, insisting the Chief was the one who wanted a father-daughter conversation first. "As blood family, they deserve that, eh?", but Artichoke knew that wouldn't matter at all if he knew about her secret dragon.
Great. Great timing, this was. Hiccup kept cursing to herself as she took advantage of her scrawny figure to hide and run home as soon as possible. Taking off her flying vest to avoid questions and taking in a bear-skinned fur to protect against the growing cold, wondering what she'd say, or do. Maybe her father knew it was clearly impossible for her to do any good in the ring or… She dropped her bag on her shared room, but didn't put any of it away, feeling sorry for the new promise she might come to break. And now what? And now what?
Thoughts running once more through her head, she sank down her drawing table. A smaller one from the living room, filled with untouched papers, inks and pens, considering she had taken the most important drafts and sketches with her. She grabbed an old notebook, it had Toothless face drawn in it, her tongue out and pupils widened with curiosity. Most of the time, she did act like an oddly smart dragon-sized house cat. Her scales were always warm, but Hiccup couldn't help but wonder if it was enough to keep her warm next winter.
More Vikings meant more people to lie to, to hide from, to wander around the woods and maybe getting too close to a certain cove… Toothless couldn't escape on her own even if she could burn any threats, which was a price Hiccup didn't want to pay either. Maybe we should find a safer hiding spot… Artichoke knows these woods better, considering how he actually trained in it and that she was pretty sure he had went camping at one point or another. He agreed on not telling her secret, but would he help her? She sighed, being pretty sure she wouldn't know what to think in his place either.
"What am I gonna tell him, Toothless?" she asked to the paper, laying her head and arms over the table.
"You're in there, kid?", a familiar voice made her jolt up, hiding her sketchbook closed, as a tall, solid figure squeezed through her bedroom door.
"Dad! You're back!" she faked surprise, knowing they'd ask why she wasn't down with the others to great their safe return. "Uh- Artichoke isn't here, so-". She looked around, kicking her satchel under her bed and quickly remembering the promise of grooming her husband to lead their tribe in the next years. She knew the only reason this ridiculous training hadn't started yet was because he needed to kill a dragon first, which, honestly, he almost did today.
"I know, I know". His tired, cyan eyes had never been so focused on her face before. "I came here looking for you".
"You- did?" he wasn't wearing his scolding face and no yelling, no disapointment over his tone. A curious, timid spark of hope light through her still-child-like seek for paternal approval.
"You've been keeping secrets".
"I have?", she tracked down her actions, she hadn't made any invention during his absence, except for Toothless' prosthetic, pedals and flying harness, but nothing gone as wrong as The Mangler. She stayed in the whole time during the last raid, even.
"Just how long did you think you could hide it from me?".
Ok, think, think. What secrets does she has? "I-I don't know what you're talk-".
A deep, ominous voice cut her off "nothing happens on this island without me hearing about it". He had his arms crossed by his chest now, looking down at her. Not that it was hard, he had to look down at her for them to speak, but he was looking down at her, a tadle of disappointment, again... "So, let's talk about that dragon". Crap. Crap, that son of a bitch did betray her word. She should have let him run and leave. Shit. Shit, now what?
"I- it- a- Oh, gods", taking in a deep breath, she just hoped and prayed maybe someone just saw them flying, maybe they hadn't found Toothless, right? "Dad, I'm so, so sorry" she had to start talking, he wouldn't hear her for long "I was going to tell you" no, she wasn't. No, I wasn't. "I just didn't know how to st-" a laughter cut her off. Bending backwards in his mirth, he found something hilarious, causing a nervous laugh off of her confused self. "You... You're not upset?" was more a question than a statement.
"What?! Upset?!" his shocked words were a holler "I was hoping for this!"
"You- were?" ok, he definitely could not be talking about Toothless, then.
"And believe me, it only gets better!", she couldn't remember the last time she saw her father so euphoric, especially at her. "Just wait to you spill a Nadder's guts for the first time! Or mount your first Gronckle head on a spear! Thor, what a feeling!". Disappointment was stamped on her face now, unmasked at every word he said. Right. Right, the dragon training. What else could make him so proud of her, right? "Oh, you really had me going there, kid". It was good, actually. Better than knowing about Toothless, at least.
"All those years of the worst Viking Berk has ever seen", he went on, not even looking at her now, just wandering loudly to himself, completely blind to his only daughter's unhidden hurt "Odin, it was rough! I almost gave up on you". It's always good to know how much your family supports you, she thought to herself, a dry joke. He must have thought he didn't need to put on any filter to his words if it was all a lie. "And all the while you were holding out on me. Oh, Thor Almighty!".
She forced herself to put on a smile, swallow up the disgust growing in inside. She had no idea what to say to all that. Finally noticing her silence, but not her sadness, her dad's eager face was expecting, as he scooted closer.
When it became clear she had nothing to say, he reached behind him "oh, here, I brought you something". It was a helmet. "To, uh, keep you safe in the ring". Most people her age worn those. The twins, Snotlout... Artichoke's parents were probably just waiting for his next birthday or something.
"Wow, thanks". She held on to the horns. Sharp. She was genuinely surprised to get something like this. A warning to foreigners that they were as Vikings as Vikings could be.
"You mother would have wanted you to have it", he told her, loud voice now softened by the mention of Valka Haddock. He never did that. Not if he could help it. Hiccup ran her fingers over the top of it. It seemed old, though not worn out. Was it hers? She thought most of her things had burnt out over the years. "It's half of her breastplate" that information made her snatch her hand back. Well it was something from hers. "Matching set", Stoick tapped his own helmet. "It keeps her close, you know". She wasn't sure of that, but she didn't have enough things of her mother to hold on to. "Wear it proudly. You deserve it". No, I don't, dad... "You've held up your end of the deal". Her memory tracked down to the eve of his departure.
A loud cheer of drunk Vikings was heard across the Village. "Yeah, I gotta go back to these guys" Stoick chuckled. "Let's go now", with a hand still on her shoulder she asked to wait a minute. She faked a yawn, saying training had gotten her too tired and he just looked at her with pride, not doubting any word.
As she heard him walk down the stairs and close the front door, silent tears started falling. And falling. And falling. Until a sob followed them, and Hiccup had her knees held tight close to her chest, trying to keep silence, though nobody would hear across the celebrations going on outside. The worst Viking… It just echoed in her mind. She knew he was right, and it just made it hurt more. I should have left. Having Artichoke tell about her treason, have others hunting her and her Night Fury would be easier than hearing those words.