I neither own nor claim any rights to How to Train Your Dragon...
Author's Note:
I want to thank everyone for all the positive responses they have had for THE TRUTH (Part One). It was an enjoyable story to write, and I was glad to share it. So here we are with Part 2.
The purpose of Part One was to explore the psychological impact encountering the Red Death had on Hiccup, and how the more he thought about it, the more he might have logically begun to realize just how heavy a burden the knowledge of the truth is and how harsh the consequences of pretending like nothing happened could be. I also wanted to consider what Hiccup could say or do to ensure that Stoick would actually allow him to give a full disclosure. We know that Stoick is a traditionalist. That would suggest that he would revere the gods and fear their retribution, so I came up with Hiccup insisting that he swear an oath in Odin's name. But the facts Hiccup needed to present had to be prsented in a specific order, each layer tantalizing Stoick with what the next layer would reveal. All of this with Hiccup carrying himself with confidence and authority and speaking in a way that Stoick could respect and relate to. No sarcastic pretense or trying to make light of a dire situation, which always seemed to be Hiccup's standard fallback position, to his father's annoyance. This was a Hiccup showing deep concern for the future and what continuing to do the same thing but expecting a different result might lead to.
By appealing to Stoick's chiefly sensibilities, Hiccup has made it over the first hurdle. Now all he has to do is convince the entire village that has thus far only seen him as a nuisance at best and useless at worst. Oh, and I have decided that there will be a third part to this. This part will cover the perspectives of the other teens in dragon training as well as the general reaction of the crowd. I wanted to take my time with this, like I took time with Stoick's perspective in Part 1. Part 3 will be the actual implementation of Hiccup's plan to end the war on dragons. Obviously, some of that will unfold differently while the rest of it is a matter of destiny. But I don't want to rush it.
So enough rambling... Let's get to it, shall we?
THE TRUTH
(Part Two)
The journey back to the village did not take Stoick as long as the trip to Raven Point had in the middle of the night. Hiccup had remained in the cove with his Night Fury. The very notion of that repeatedly made Stoick's eyes widen with the implications. His son had made one request: that the main gate to the arena be left fully raised, as he wanted to make an entrance that would capture the attention of every single villager that would be in attendance.
Stoick knew what his son was planning, and he couldn't help but smile and think about how impressed he would have been upon seeing it, even if he didn't already know the truth. Every final trial in Dragon Training began with a speech, and Hiccup had suggested a few items to be included. While he wanted strike awe in the hearts of the village, he wanted them anticipating what they would see. Stoick had expressed concern over how they might react. His son's words, while absolute truth, were not comforting:
"After today, Dad, all of Berk will know the truth. They need the chance to see it as you and Astrid have seen it."
The thing was, up until the moment when that Night Fury had pressed its snout into his palm and had purred, it had been Stoick's intent to take everything he had been told and use it to his advantage. It took coming face to face with his own mortality and actually doing the un-Viking thing and actually make peace to open his eyes and his mind to the truth that he and every Chief of Berk dating back to its founding, and the first Dragon Raids, had been wrong. Before that, he had been entertaining the thought of publicly disowning his own son and naming him a traitor and still have enough information to make different choices in the future battles against the devils. "I was a fool," he muttered under his breath. If that queen dragon was truly what Hiccup had described, no battle tactics, no matter how well-planned or executed would have prevailed. "I will be a fool no more..."
It was mid-morning by the time he got back home. He needed to freshen up a bit and eat something before he would make his way to the arena for Hiccup's final test against the Monstrous Nightmare, which was to begin at high noon, as was tradition. However, that would turn out, he knew that nothing would ever be the same again, and he actually felt encouraged.
After making himself more presentable, he made his way to the Hofferson house. He firmly knocked on the door an waited. It was actually Astrid who opened the door, and he had to stifle a grin at her shocked expression as she looked up at him. "Ah... Astrid. Just the persona I wanted to talk to. Walk with me, please."
Astrid was not sure what to make of this. Why would the chief be wanting to talk to her? She hesitated only for a moment to steal a glance at her parents who only looked back at her as if to say, "Don't keep the Chief waiting." She nervously followed Stoick as he began walking away from the house.
"Relax, girl," he said with his usual gruff authoritative tone. "You are not in trouble, but I fear Hiccup may be."
This got her attention. "How," she asked simply.
"I know about the Night Fury, and where the two of you went yesterday," was his reply, and Astrid stopped in her tracks. Stoick immediately felt bad. To this moment, he couldn't remember ever seeing fear in her eyes. Gods, what did she think of him? "It's alright. I just want your thoughts."
This was the same tone she was familiar with whenever Stoick would ask for one of his advisors' input. She felt honored that he had come to her. It meant that he was seeing her as more than just a child playing at being a shield maiden, that he felt she actually had something to contribute. "What kind of trouble is Hiccup in," she asked with concern.
Stoick smiled inwardly. She's worried about him. Good. Valka always worried about me when she was that age. She'll have Hiccup's back when it comes time for him to take over. "He thinks he can do with the Nightmare what he did with Toothless. In front of everybody. I want to know if you think it will work."
Astrid's eyes widened. "I think it's risky. But no dragon is more feared than a Night Fury, and if you know what Hiccup did with Toothless, then you know that he's likely to succeed."
Stoick nodded. "That's what worries me. Is Berk ready for the truth? So many people have lost someone they loved to these damnable dragon raids." He looked her in the eyes. "Will they listen?"
Astrid returned his gaze levelly. "May I speak bluntly," she asked.
Stoick chuckled. "You're a Hofferson. Your parents' bluntness has always been of value to me. And when Hiccup is Chief one day, I have no doubt that your bluntness will be of value to him."
Astrid took that as permission. "Sir, your wife was carried off by a dragon. You yourself have personally lost a loved one, and yet here you are, knowing and embracing the truth. Where Stoick the Vast leads, Berk will follow."
The weight of those words bowed Stoick's head. She was right. If he, who had been driven by rage against the dragons ever since that fateful night, could set the pain aside long enough to see, then Berk could as well. History among the tribes of the Barbaric Archipelago told of wars in which people on both sides lost friends and family. Death and loss were a part of all war, be it waged between men and other men or men and dragons. And yet, history also told of treaties and marriage alliances that ended those wars, so no more people had to die or suffer loss. Before Berk was founded, the Hofferson and Haddock clans had belonged to enemy tribes, and a Hofferson daughter being married to a Haddock heir had united those tribes and the two clans had become so close that no Haddock chief had been without a Hofferson in his inner circle. The closest thing that had come to straining that relationship was when Astrid's uncle Finn froze with fear when facing the Flightmare several years back. Some of the village wanted to see the Hofferson clan declared outcasts and banished, but Stoick had final say. As far as he had been concerned, if Finn Hofferson truly was a coward, then he paid for his cowardice with his life. There was no need to make the entire clan share in his disgrace. That was good enough for the village.
Stoick shook his head. "And I am about to follow where my son is about to lead."
Astrid heard the pride in her chief's voice. "I don't think he will lead us wrong, sir," she said.
Stoick nodded. "I want you to stick close to Hiccup."
"Of course, Chief," she replied solemnly, with all the seriousness of a true Shield Maiden.
"Right," he said. "Now you need to know exactly what he's planning."
As he explained it to her, Astrids eyes again grew wide, but she couldn't keep the grin off her face.
O O O
It was almost time. Stoick had taken his place in the Chief's Seat overlooking the arena, with Gobber sitting next to him.
"Are you sure you want that main gate left open?" The old smith's concern was clear in his uneasy tone. "I mean, we both know that Hiccup loves to act with flair, but this is serious."
Stoick sighed. "I wasn't going to say anything, Gobber," Stoick said, with a cool expression. "But last night, I saw a side of my son that I had never been seen before. One that I had almost given up hope of ever seeing." He reached out and rested his palm on his old friend's shoulder. "This war is about to end, and Hiccup is going to show us how. Today."
Gobber's jaw dropped open and he met Stoick's gaze. The chief's eyes held only confident conviction. When he saw that expression, it always meant that there was no doubt in the words the man spoke while wearing it. "From what I have seen of his performance in training, he's got the potential to become the greatest dragon killer Berk has known in a long time. Present company excepted."
Stoick's mouth turned up in an ironic smile. He knew that his son would never kill any of the dragons they had faced thus far, and that the real threat lay out there beyond Helheim's Gate, in a volcanic cavern, and had been the source of all the death and destruction for seven generations. And if Hiccup proved himself right today, and if the people of Berk accepted the truth, there would be a raid on the nest. But it would not be from the sea with Viking warriors charging the shore, but from the air, and Vikings would be engaging in battle in a way never before imagined. "We'll just have to see what happens," he said as he stood, raising his hands above his head to get the crowd's attention.
All the village had gathered in this one spot to witness an important rite of passage. Over the course of the weeks of dragon training, almost everyone had actually witnessed Hiccup's surprising success against the captive dragons. And those who had not actually witnessed it had heard about it. Some thought it had to be some sort of trick. Others had begun wondering if they had judged the boy too harshly. Trick or no, there was no denying that the results were astounding. And they were all here to see what Hiccup would do against the Monstrous Nightmare. All their excited chatter died away as they saw the Chief stand with raised hands. It was time for the speech.
"People of Berk," Stoick's booming voice echoed through the arena. "We are gathered here to witness a turning point in our history. After today, none of us will ever be the same again. I had an entirely different speech prepared for today, but I will not be using it. Last night, my son came to me with information I was not expecting, but ultimately will be crucial to ending this infernal war against an adversary that doesn't stop coming. For three hundred years we have fought the dragons the same way, and while hundreds of our lives have paid for thousands of theirs, nothing has changed."
There was a pause in the Chief's words, and the gathered crowd was silent, but many were looking to each other, clearly wondering where this was going.
"Before he revealed the information, he asked me to do something. And I am going to ask each of you to do that very thing. Berk's fate rests on what we will all bear witness to today. I am calling each of you to swear in Odin's name that you will hold any and all outbursts and take no action until my son has shown you what you need to see and has told you what you need to know. Some of you will not want to accept it. You've lost friends and family to tooth and claw. As have I. And you KNOW it." He looked around at the crowd. Astrid had been right. Having lost his own wife to a dragon meant that he had suffered just as much as any of his people who had lost loved ones to them. And all of Berk had known how he had thirsted for revenge to the point of leading expedition after expedition to search for the nest. All of them willing to risk their lives to find and end the threat. Hopefully that would be enough. It was time to flip the coin. "Those who will not swear this oath are ordered to leave the arena now. I will not tolerate ignorance, and I will not allow the ignorant to take part in what is to come. And furthermore, I will be forced to consider whether or not Outcast Island needs more occupants."
The murmuring began among the crowd. The chief's words were truly dire. They all knew how little Stoick hat thought of Hiccup until today. What the boy had told him must have been truly earth-shattering for there to have been such a drastic change. They also knew the weight of the oath they were being called to swear. If they broke such an oath after swearing it, then becoming an outcast would be the least of their fears. While there was a lot of fidgeting, and a lot of people looking around to see what others were doing, nobody left the Arena. Curiosity and stubbornness went hand-in-hand. And if Stoick the Vast felt that something, no matter how unpleasant, needed to be revealed to the whole tribe, on pain of exile, then they all wanted to know what it was. The oath they were swearing by staying put was contingent on allowing whatever it was to be presented. After that, they would be free to act. So, it was not unreasonable.
When it was clear that nobody was going anywhere, Stoick continued. "It won't be long now. We need only wait"
O O O
They did not have to wait long. Conversation had started up in anticipation, but suddenly went silent as an all too familiar screaming sound was heard on the wind. Everyone, Stoick included, began looking around at the sky, but the sound seemed to be coming from everywhere and nowhere.
"Stoick?" Gobber said, his voice laced with worry. He had heard that sound too many times, but never in broad daylight.
Stoick turned to his old friend and smiled. "It's all right Gobber."
Gobber shook his head. He knew what usually followed that sound. And with everyone all gathered together in one wide open place, exposed to the sky, he knew that all of Berk was in grave danger. A night fury's fire always hit its mark. But Stoick's expression was confident and determined. Years of fighting alongside the man had taught Gobber to trust him implicitly, and he would not change today. So, he turned his attention back to the sky.
Then the sound he dreaded came. The sound of plasma blasts being fired one after the other. Six in rapid succession. But they all exploded harmlessly directly above the chain cage covering the arena. And the scream had almost become deafening.
Then suddenly, A black dragon shot overhead and immediately began to climb. What followed had every Berkian staring in awe. The dragon flew in insane patterns, twisting, rolling, flipping and looping, always remaining in sight. Stoick's mouth was hanging open. He had seen Hiccup's drawing of the Night Fury first and knew just by the look of it, it was designed for speed. But he had never seen any living thing in the air, dragon or bird, that moved like this. And firing all those shots had caused it to reach its known shot limit. He had never known it to have fired more than six times since it had started joining the dragon raids. This meant that it would not be a threat to the people in that way.
And just as suddenly as the air show had begun, the dragon took off away from the Arena, but doubled back to glide in a straight and smooth line towards the open gate. As it approached, exclamations began rising from the crowd. "There's someone riding that thing."
The dragon backwinged as it entered the arena, slowing down to land gently in the exact center of the open space. And clearly, on the back of the beast and wearing a streamlined leather outfit, was Hiccup, Silence again fell over the crowd, and people looked back and forth from the boy to the Chief.
Stoick could not keep the grin of pride from his face. "Behold, all of Berk. My son. The winner of dragon training. And while dragon training always has a winner, there has never been a Viking in the history of Berk to achieve anything like... this!" he gestured with both hands towards Hiccup and the dragon.
Astrid approached the Night fury and stood nearby as Hiccup unhooked his tethers from the saddle and climbed to the ground, his windblown auburn hair flying every which way. She looked at him. For the first time in her life, she really looked at him. Yes, he was small in stature, and he was not built like his father. But as he stood there before her, he looked... taller. Before today, he always seemed to shrink in on himself, almost cringing, as if in anticipation of messing up and earning the scorn he always seemed to receive, whether he actually had messed up or not. And she had been just as guilty as anyone else of dealing out some of it. Some Shield Maiden she was shaping up to be. She should have had his back since the day she held her axe for the first time. It was supposed to be her duty to defend the people of Berk, and she couldn't even start by defending a boy who only wanted to belong. Seeing him today, she realized that where he belonged was on the back of that Night Fury, soaring through the sky, free and happy. And more importantly, she realized that where she belonged was at his side. She never imagined herself ever wanting to get married. Mainly because until now, nobody measured up to what she defined as worthy of her heart, or her hand. But the man, not boy, man before her more than measured up. He had shot down a dragon, and at great risk to his own life, had freed it. He had restored its ability to fly, but not without his help. He had earned its trust as he had done what no Viking before him had ever done, in giving it his. If he wanted to, when he had flown over the arena and unleashed all of the night fury's shots, he could have unloaded them all into the crowd. Against his own father. He could have taken the throne of Berk for his own. He still could. But that would not be true to who he was. He was a Viking, every bit as much as anyone else on Berk. He just created a new path and was the first to walk down it.
Without hesitation, she walked forward and took her place beside him, and surprising herself, she reached out and took Hiccup's hand in hers, much to the shock of the crowd... And Hiccup himself, based on his sudden intake of breath. Behind them both, Toothless gave a contented warble.
Stoick leaned forward at the public display of affection the Hofferson girl was showing. A slow smile formed on his lips. That's my future daughter-in-law, he thought
"Oh... My... Thor.." came gobber's amazed reaction. Not to Astrid's treatment of Hiccup, but to the black-scaled beast that was sitting calmly on its haunches behind them, just looking around with a clear expression of curiosity. It wasn't snarling or making any threatening appearance. Had he not heard the tell-tale scream of the air across its fins or witnessed the awesome display of its firepower above them, he would be doubting that this creature was in fact a Night Fury: the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself. "Stoick?"
The chief turned away from the arena to look at his friend. "Close your mouth, Gobber," he said with a chuckle. "Or you're likely to choke on a Terrible Terror."
"People of Berk!" Hiccup's voice rang clear and loud through the arena, causing every eye to snap attentively on him.
Pride swelled in Stoick. The confidence his son was displaying was such a welcome contrast to the meekness he had become used to over the years. It wasn't just the tone of his voice, but even at this distance, he could see the intense conviction in Hiccup's eyes, which he had become used to seeing so downcast. He was looking at the strong makings of a chief.
Gobber was shocked as well. Gone was the insecure apprentice with nothing but wild dreams and crazy ideas. Even though he was still small for a Viking, he stood tall and imposing. And it was just now that he actually comprehended that Astrid Hofferson was at Hiccup's side, her hand in his. And her face held an expression that seemed to dare anyone to say anything about it.
The crowd was as silent as a tomb. And Hiccup licked his lips. It's time to roll the dice, he thought. "I have won the right to stand before you all today. You came to see a show, but as you can see, it's more than you may have expected."
Snotlout was silently seething with fury. Who in Loki's name did Useless think he was, daring to hold hands with his girl? That was more of a show than he was expecting.
"On the night of the last dragon raid," Hiccup continued. "I had announced that I had shot down a Night Fury. Nobody wanted to believe me then, but here he is in front of all of you!"
Ruffnut and Tuffnut both leaned forward in awe. They both looked at each other. "Runt was telling the truth," they both mumbled in unison and in the same solemn tone.
"What you don't know," said Hiccup, "Is that the next day, I went looking for him. I knew that the only way I could convince anyone was if I found him, killed him, and brought his heart back as proof." He squeezed his eyes shut, seemingly in pain as he shook his head. "That would have been the worst mistake in all my history of mistakes."
Spitelout sneered at this. The boy called killing a dragon, especially one as dangerous as a Night Fury, a mistake. It was what a Viking was expected to do.
"If I had, I would never have learned the truth, and this war between Vikings and dragons would be no closer to ending than it has been since it started three hundred years ago," Hiccup said.
Ghothi nodded. She had always felt deep down that somehow the answer to the problem would mean looking in a different direction. Or more accurately, found by someone who looked at the world differently. Until today, she hadn't fully understood this intuition. But the signs were there. Every previous dragon training class had been about learning how to kill dragons. And yet for the first time in her long life, there was a trainee who overcame every challenge without inflicting or receiving a single injury. She felt that Stoick's son and heir was going to be part of the solution. It wasn't just the results that earned him her favor, but how he achieved those results.
"We have been mistaken!" Hiccup proclaimed. "I stood there. The Night fury bound so tight he couldn't move. My knife raised, ready to be plunged into his heart." Again, he closed his eyes and shook his head, as if warding off the image of something terrible. "A Viking should always look into the eyes of the enemy he or she defeats," he said, now looking to the crowd.
There were nods and murmurs of ascent, so he pressed on.
"I looked into the eyes of this dragon you see before you and I saw two things," he said holding up two fingers. "One, fear. There was no mistaking the sheer terror in its eyes. And two, hopeless resignation. He knew he was going to die, but rather than struggle, he laid his head down, clearly surrendering to the inevitable."
Snotlout smiled sadistically. Just like the terror and resignation you showed last time I beat your puny ass and will show the next time I inevitably beat it again, he thought darkly.
"In that moment," Hiccup continued, "I realized that he was feeling the same hopelessness and fear I had come to feel whenever Snotlout would drag me off to pound on me." He was meeting his cousin's gaze and watched the bigger boy's eyes widen and that smirk he had just been wearing vanish.
All eyes in the village were now on Snotlout, including those of the Chief. This was news to him. Hiccup had never said anything. And the bruises he sometimes saw were always jokingly dismissed as his own clumsiness. "You know me, dad. I can't keep from tripping over my own two feet."
His attention turned to his second in command as he heard the other man chuckle. "Something funny, Spitelout?" His second's eyes widened before turning downward. He was about to tell him that they would speak about it later, when Hiccup quickly continued.
"But I don't blame him. We have all been lashing out and attacking what we don't understand for centuries. As a result, hundreds of people and thousands of dragons have died." he paused to let that sink in. "I looked at this dragon and I saw myself."
Astrid had been staring daggers at Snotlout. She had known about the petty insults the larger boy was always making to Hiccup's face and the snide comments made behind his back. She had made plenty of them herself. But she had never imagined that anyone would physically drag Hiccup off to a place where there was no help and beat him up. The very thought of doing something like that made her sick. Oh, gods, she thought as the events in the cove yesterday replayed in her mind. How she had wrenched Hiccup's hand back so hard she could hear it crunch. How she had put him on the ground and bounced the butt of her axe off his stomach. Just because she was mad that he had managed to prove he was better than her in Dragon Training? I'm just as guilty.
"I could have driven my knife into this dragon's heart," Hiccup pressed on. "Snotlout pounded on me because he could. Almost everyone in this village has insulted me because they could." He met his father's gaze. "I could have rained fire down on this arena from above just a few moments ago."
Stoick's eyes widened with shock. Hiccup was right. He could have used the Night Fury as a weapon. He could have seized control with one plasma shot. The thought terrified him. He had known an insane Viking warlord years before who controlled dragons. He alone had survived that encounter and to this day the nightmares haunted him, causing him to wake in the night in a cold sweat. What kind of person was Drago Bludvist before he had started using dragons to kill? Could he have once been like Hiccup, but driven to a point where he simply didn't care? Stoick did not have the answer.
"But I didn't," Hiccup shouted. "I wouldn't. Any more than I would kill this dragon. Any more than he would kill me after I cut him free." His eyes locked with Gobber's "At the end of our first lesson in dragon training, we were told that a dragon would always go for the kill. But this one didn't. He could have. He pinned me to the ground and looked into my eyes. I was as much at his mercy as he was at mine just moments before. He could have bitten my head off, not even having to use his fire. He roared in my face so loud my ears were still ringing most of the next day. And then he left."
Fishlegs, who had always prided himself with all the facts and knowledge he had committed to memory about dragons, was stunned. He had never heard of a dragon that had an opportunity to kill a Viking actually choosing not to. But then, he had never heard of a Viking having a chance to kill a dragon and not doing so. Who is really the defender, and who is the aggressor, he asked himself.
"The next day was my first day of dragon training," Hiccup declared. "The very thing I had wanted for so long was finally right there in front of me, but I no longer wanted it. I had a chance to kill a dragon, and I failed to do so. Just like I had failed to do just about everything I ever attempted. I just knew that it was just a matter of time before I failed at this, too."
Stoick and Gobber looked at each other. Was this how Hiccup had really felt about himself all his life? Isolated? A failure? Gobber looked away, and Stoick once again felt remorse for all the missed opportunities. He could have... Should have... been there for his son. He was the failure. Not Hiccup. Him.
"When the lesson was over," Hiccup continued, "I returned to the cove with one question echoing over and over in my mind. Why didn't the Night Fury go for the kill? I didn't see him at first, but as I was getting a close look at some scales he had left behind, he leaped up and tried to scramble out of the cove, but the rock face was too steep. He couldn't fly. A moment later I saw why. He had crashed into the trees when I had shot him down, and his left tailfin was ripped off. I drew a picture of him. My father has it now. I figured I could at least contribute that to the limited knowledge we have of the species."
Stoick reached into his tunic and pulled out the folded page bearing the drawing and handed it to Gobber. The old smith looked at it and noticed that the left tailfin had been smudged out and then drawn back. He looked at the black dragon sitting calmly in the arena and noticed what was clearly a leather replica of a tailfin flawlessly attached to the appendage. Thor's beard, he thought. The lad built the beast a prosthetic.
"A downed dragon is a dead dragon," Hiccup quoted with a nearly accurate imitation of Gobber's voice. "So we were told. I realized that even though I had spared his life and he returned the favor, if I didn't do something, he was as good as dead anyway. Using every bit of my skills as a blacksmith, I built him a new tail fin. And through trial and error... after error... I managed to restore his flight, though at the moment I do not see a way for him to fly without help. There are so many complicated shifts of fin positions to do even simple maneuvers, but I worked it out. We had our first flight together the day the expedition to find the nest returned.
There were sneers and the narrowing of eyes all around the arena. Only one ship had returned, and lives were lost, and Hiccup had been off joyriding on the back of a dragon?
"I know what you're thinking," Hiccup said. "How could I be off flying around having fun? It was the most terrifying experience in my life. I came unhooked from the saddle. We were both in a freefall. If I hadn't managed to get hooked back on and my foot on the pedal in time, we both would have ended up as a bloody mess splattered on the ground. But we made it. Acting entirely on instinct, I managed to guide Toothless through the sea stacks and out over open water. I can't tell you if he was moving with me, or if I was moving with him. But in that moment, we were like one mind and one body. Making precise moves without even time to think and came through alive. Together."
Every villager, if asked about it, would have said that they were mesmerized by what Hiccup was telling them. To their minds, Dragons and Vikings must be kept apart or death would follow swiftly and violently. And yet for the first time they felt themselves drawn to the idea of surviving together. This was a Night Fury, after all. Everything they knew said that this was the deadliest dragon in existence. And everything they knew said that Hiccup was the most likely Viking to be killed by a dragon. And yet he had succeeded at every challenge in Dragon Training without harming, or being harmed by the dragons he faced. And now he rode the deadliest dragon in existence, and there it sat behind him, looking almost... Bored.
"You've all come here to watch me defeat the Monstrous Nightmare," Hiccup continued. "And that is exactly what you are going to see. But first, I am here to tell you that everything we have known about dragons is wrong." He looked to his father, who nodded. "We do not have to fight them. They are not what we think." he turned to Astrid. "Close the gate, please."
Astrid nodded and went to do what Hiccup asked.
Hiccup led toothless forward, directly under where Stoick was seated in the stands above. This left the arena open, with none of the usual obstacles. Astrid rejoined them a moment later.
"Be careful with that dragon, Hiccup," she said, though her voice did not suggest anything but confidence in what he was about to do.
Hiccup took a deep breath. "I will," he said. "But just in case something goes wrong and I... I don't make it, please look after Toothless. He trusts you, and so do I."
"Okay," she said solemnly.
Hiccup walked to the weapon rack that was off to the side, took one look at the tools of death and grimaced. He picked up a knife and glanced at Toothless, whose eyes widened. No, he thought. No pretense. They need to see the truth, and they need to see it exactly as it is. He set the knife down, and as an afterthought, he removed his helmet and placed it on an upraise sword hilt. And then, with back straight and shoulders squared, he strode confidently to the center of the arena. "I'm ready," he called.
Stoick leaned forward. He had never been more proud or more terrified than he was in this moment. This was the moment of truth. Hiccup would prove to him and the entire village that what he had accomplished with the Night Fury wasn't a fluke. And if he could do so, then the idea of Vikings on the backs of dragons flying to the nest and defeating the real monster behind the raids would be valid, and he would get behind it one hundred percent.
The cell door was opened, and the Monstrous Nightmare burst forth, snarling and enveloped in flames of its own making. Even seasoned warriors would at least feel uncertainty in the face of such a threatening sight, but Hiccup stood still.
Toothless bared his teeth and crouched, ready to spring at a moment's notice. But aside from that, he made no move. Next to him, Astrid tensed, wishing she had her axe with here, just in case. She took a little comfort in knowing that there were axes on the nearby weapon rack if she really did need one.
The Monstrous Nightmare looked around, searching for a threat, it's eyes finally coming to rest on Hiccup, who was making no move to advance or retreat. Still alight, the great beast lumbered forward with its head low as if stalking prey. It stopped right in front of Hiccup, flames subsiding a bit as it sniffed him.
Snotlout narrowed his eyes. The dragon wasn't doing anything but checking Hiccup out. Not much to look at, is there, he thought. And for the first time, he regretted thinking it. He was forced to be honest with himself: had he been the one standing in the open, completely exposed, with no weapon and no shield, with a flaming mad Monstrous Nightmare advancing on him, he would have run away. Even the Chief would have retreated, and Stoick was well known to engage a Nightmare with his bare fists and win. But not when it still had its fire. But Hiccup? He was just standing there seemingly totally unafraid. He was standing tall... well... taller. The runt was radiating a confidence Snotlout had seldom seen in anyone his age, and not much more in most adults.
Moreover, Snotlout thought about what his cousin had said about raining fire down on the arena if he wanted to. He had seen what a single blast from a night fury could do to a solidly built catapult. The fact that Hiccup had called him out for beating him up suggested that if he had wanted to, he could have rained fire down on him. His attitude and muscles would not have saved him from a single blast. And a Night Fury never missed. Regret was not something he was used to. But it was becoming clear that he had severely misjudged Hiccup. Gods, he thought. If he's facing down a Nightmare at full strength as a kid, what will he be like as an adult? And then a further thought came to him: When he's the Chief. Snotlout then realized that it didn't matter how scrawny Hiccup was, or how few muscles he had. A Night Fury was all the muscle he needed. He could become a Chief who would strike terror to every village they knew about. Under his leadership, Berk could conquer the world. As awesome as that thought was to him, Snotlout silently hoped and prayed that it would not come to pass.
"That's it, friend," Hiccup said calmly to the Monstrous Nightmare. "See? I'm not going to hurt you. I know about her. I know you would rather just live free and in peace."
Hiccup watched as the Nightmare's eyes widened with surprise. It understood him. Maybe not the words as much as the truth behind them. "I am not your enemy," he said. "And if you help me, I promise that this island will be a safe place for you."
And with that, the Nightmare's fire died out.
Hiccup slowly and calmly extended his hand towards the dragon's snout, watching as its eyes crossed from trying to stay focused on the movement. It grunted, but the sound was not aggressive. "I'm going to trust you," he said. "And I am asking you to trust me."
The Nightmare's eyes met Hiccu's, and the dragon blinked slowly. Hiccup's had closed the distance and came to rest on the dragon's snout.
Stoick released the breath he had been holding. Hiccup was right. Taming Toothless was not a fluke. That meant that there was a real chance this infernal war would finally be over soon. The low rumble of the Monstrous Nightmare's purring echoed softly throughout the arena, and Stoick smiled.
With his hand still on the dragon's snout, Hiccup decided to move on to the final step. "I must defeat you, my friend," he said calmly, and the Nightmare's eyes opened wide with surprise. "Not with violence and pain," he added quickly, "but with gentleness and comfort." He moved his hand to the dragon's chin and scratched gently. And with a contented warble, the dragon collapsed in total bliss.
Hiccup turned his attention back to his father, and he waited expectantly.
Stoick nodded. It was time. "The Monstrous Nightmare has been defeated." he proclaimed. "Two enemies have been removed from the field of battle and nobody had to die or even be hurt to do it." He let the echo of his voice die out to give his words time to sink in. "My son and heir has shown us all the truth. I saw it myself early this morning, but I needed proof that what he achieved with the Night Fury was not just a one-off." Now it was time to quote his own son. "We have been doing the same thing for three hundred years, expecting a different result. But nothing has changed. Starting today, we're going to do things differently. Starting today... everything changes!"
The crowd cheered. There was no denying the truth. For the first time, hope was kindled in their hearts.
The noise woke the Monstrous Nightmare and it looked around in confusion. But these were not angry battle cries it was hearing, and nobody was making a move to attack. So it did something that seemed to indicate that it had picked up on the general mood. It stood on its hindlegs and raised its wings in a clear gesture of triumph.
And the crowd roared louder.
"What now?" Gobber shouted the question to anyone who might answer.
Hiccup smiled, "Now, Gobber, I will teach everyone what I know. Berk will become a tribe of dragon riders. And then, we fly to the nest and defeat the real enemy!"
Stoick nodded again. "My son has shown us all the truth. Soon, people and dragons will fight no more. We cannot change the past, but we can forge a better future."
And the cheers continued.