Edited.

The glory was fleeting, as the sun indicated it wasn't even quite noon yet. A handful of Berkians would shake his hand and congratulate him, in specific his own family. He could see pride shinning in his parent's eyes and knew it would be mirroring him just as much.

The elder nodded in agreement, reminding him it wasn't over yet. The Chief was also expected to give him good luck, though it wasn't a rule or anything and when Artichoke turned to find the tallest man of Berk in his usual fur cloak, he was talking to his daughter.

Hiccup... He should be mad at her for breaking their agreement. I mean, what the hell was that? She wasn't planning to fight that beast, that was something he was sure of. He'd say she wasn't that stupid, but he knew better. She wasn't running to use her tricks to get it on her feet like before, either, or, at least, he didn't think she was. The Gronckle had its teeth aiming for her, too, she wouldn't have time, for Odin's sake!

But Artichoke couldn't deny what he saw on her eyes, either. Worry. The bitch was worried for a dragon that was aiming to burn and eat her alive, most likely. Not one of her so-called friendly dragons, it wasn't even the Zippleback she fed! What was her plan, anyway? To get in front of the monster and get him hang for murdering his own wife by accident or something? Hiccup seemed determined to walk on the strange, thin line it was between being the smartest inventor he'd ever came across after seeing all her dragonesque and aerodynamic studies, and the most dumbass girl he ever met, running into danger without a second's thought.

And Artichoke should be angry. And he was a bit, actually. Though he had also seen how their Chief looked at her then. Hiccup didn't get much along with Stoick, that was known enough… Even if he couldn't imagine not getting along with his own father, Artichoke wasn't so blind to not see the daddy issues involved there.

But it felt not only rude, but also quite uncomfortable to try and get between the Haddocks dynamics. And so he didn't expect any congratulation no more. No, the boy just stuck around and waited for Hiccup, who looked way more defeated than those who had actually went there planning to win this round and didn't. As if she had lost something bigger than them.

"Hey, what happened there? I thought we agreed-" he started, barely getting her eyes to look up from her boots as she grimaced.

"I know what we agreed, I-" she sounded unsure herself. "I didn't want them to die". That was it. It wasn't 'I didn't want to it to die' or 'I didn't want to kill it'. It. She had said them, not it. Hiccup really ran towards the crossfire to save the dragon.

Dubious on how to feel about his proved theory, Artichoke sighed, letting out a confession of his own.

"I know, me neither". That got her eyes to jolt up to him.

"Wait what?".

"I mean I could have, certainly was aiming to", he felt odd, as if explaining out loud to himself than to someone else. "But I didn't want to, not really", his throat closed up before he continued "and then I saw you running to protect it-".

"Yeah, that was stupid of me".

"It was, yeah, very".

She gave him half of a smile in agreement and he noticed how that oversized helmet wasn't on her head anymore. Hiccup held in her arm instead. He looked back to the Chief's usual seat. It was empty.

"So, uh... What- what did St- what did the Chief wanted" with no anger about being lied to for weeks and prying frustratingly on her secrets, Artichoke felt ridiculous for not bearing half the confidence he'd usually gather to question her. He could remember quite vividly, that never-before-seen fire in those green eyes when he first confronted her about her sketches. Not a passionate fire, more like a hell-ish pit of hatred he'd love to avoid for the rest of his life. Truly, he wasn't even sure whether or not his self-discipline had been able to keep him from flinching over that reaction, knowing it would throw away all dignity he had if he did so. And now he'd very much like to not bring out her side again, though he'd be prepared to not wince at it, he also really didn't want her to be that upset again. Especially when already looking so defeated.

"He- he was just surprised, that's all", she frowned, but didn't seem to give his question the same thought he did, and his shoulders relaxed a bit, not entirely, at that. "I didn't exactly act the way Gobber, and the others told him I was acting in the others training cause- you know" an ungenuine chuckle. "Disappointing daughter seems to stick to a disappointment after others say it was worth hoping for something", how can you say that with a joking tone?

"Did he say that to you?", his eyebrows got together instinctively.

"Not that time, no" she had bad memories in her mind and Artichoke dared to wonder if the Chief his whole tribe trust and look up to ever beat or hurt his child, but he didn't ask. "I- I need to go check on Toothless".

"Wait" he held her arm before she ran towards the cove where she seemed to enjoy more than her own home – and he couldn't blame her for it. "You know you need to be more careful now, right? I mean I just followed you that day. I could have done this much sooner as could anyone else".

"I know- I know that it's just", she didn't make any effort to free her arm, but her body inclined towards the direction of that place in the woods, her second hut of a sorts. "I'm better when I'm with Toothless". In a way, he could see her point. Even if for a short period of time, Artichoke had seen how these two were close, and Hiccup did seem her happiest self when she would talk on and on about her four-legged friend.

Artichoke himself couldn't say he had any friend like that, despite the group he stuck with since childhood and would give his life to protect, he hadn't that type of connection and didn't want Hiccup to not have it… However…

"Yes, but it's dangerous. If your main goal is to keep her safe then, well, you'll have to see the night- you'll have to see Toothless less", he told her, holding no authoritative tone whatsoever.

"She'll be lonely and… I need to give her food". True. She told him about how the pond inside the cove had fish too small, that was another worry for them when looking for a place to hide such gigantic, black animal against the veil of snow that filled those woods just by the next month or so. Artichoke couldn't help but wonder how many fish the Night Fury ate to maintain her form… How many of their goats and sheep did it consume…? But Hiccup said it never tried to eat her. Nor advanced with teeth after that encounter of them. That dragon owed her life to this girl. And there she was, ready to risk herself again.

"I'll just pass by to let her have some meal again, I won't fly today, they won't see me. You can say I got sick; it'll be an excuse to not seeing you in the rink tomorrow anyway".

"You… Don't want to see me tomorrow?", his heart tightened a little in his chest, and he looked at her like she was an alien again, just throwing all their traditions down a river. He didn't think about how maybe she just didn't want to see the dragon get killed, he just heard her saying she didn't want to be there, and it upset him more than it should.

"I mean- I- the Gronckle", he told himself he was overreacting. He would have as many words for this as she did, so he just shrugged. "Nevermind. I'll be there", with that, gentleness in her voice as if she had said a more honest apology, she went to find some meat stock to give her pet- no, her friend dragon a proper meal.