Guess who I completely underestimated? This chapter is only a day late!

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Struck down by lighting

A cold gust of air made me shiver awake, and I tried to press myself closer to Toothless' warm belly.

"Five more minutes…" I mumbled, trying to pull his wing back over me.

'Dragon Training?' he asked innocently, and I sat bolt upright. Thankfully, the sun was only just rising and we had a little time before I had to be at the Ring. I crawled out and Toothless rolled over, getting to his feet. We both stretched, warming up for the day as best we could, and I turned to Toothless.

"Are you hungry?"

He shook his head. 'Maybe later.'

"How are your wings?"

He declared he could easily fly me back to Berk, and while I wasn't as confident as him, I acknowledged that it was the only way I could get to Dragon Training without swimming for a few hours.

"Just take it easy, okay?"

'Fires of the earth, you're a worrier.'

We leapt into the air, Toothless' Flame whispering against the surface of my Flame and guiding me through the tail fin's positions. It wasn't nearly enough to do what I wanted to, and I closed my eyes to focus.

"Please?"

'You should really try to do this yourself.'

Groaning, I felt for the strange warmth in my chest. Since the rest of me was still freezing, it was slightly easier to tell where it began, but immersing myself in it was a lot harder. It felt sluggish and slow, like me, and I struggled to think straight. How did I convince it that I wanted to monitor Toothless' wings? Even as I started to think, it slowly crept down my arms and into his skin, fueled by my worry and concern. Toothless grumbled but didn't try to stop me, which I was grateful for.

"Thanks."

'It's not worth the hassle of arguing with you.'

Finally, after almost two minutes of sitting and concentrating, my Flame touched his and eased into the physical sensation layer. My posture stiffened as I tightened my shoulders against the pain, rolling my own shoulders ineffectually to decrease the unpleasant sensations. The massaging had helped, but every time Toothless flapped his wings it became worse, and I pressed my lips together to keep from crying out. He was bearing the same thing and he wasn't complaining, so neither would I.

oOoOo

My legs were shaky as I dismounted in the cove, and Toothless' claws dug into the ground harder than normal, his paws clenched tightly. I glanced at the sun, just emerging from the tall layer of trees, and bit my lip. I would be late if I stayed, but I couldn't just leave him when he was in pain. I hurriedly stripped the saddle and tail fin off him, only gentling my movements to avoid hurting him or damaging my work.

It took five minutes to massage the worst of the aching out, and by the end I had to force my hands to remain calm and steady while my feet danced with impatience.

'I'm fine now, you can go,' he told me several times, but it was impossible for him to lie to me while our Flames were locked.

"Okay, I've got to go," I muttered eventually, pulling off my flying harness and dropping it on the ground as I ran to the entrance of the cove. "I'll be back later with lunch."

'Thank you, slave,' he said loudly, and I laughed.

I would have said my feet flew over the ground, except nothing I could do even came close to the magical weightlessness I felt on Toothless' back. I was just as frustrated as he was at being grounded for at least a couple of days while his wings healed, but the memory of last night, still rushing through my blood, was enough to drive it away for the moment.

I went flying! Euphoria conjured a smile to my lips. I went flying! Past an especially tall pine tree. I went flying! Turn left at the fallen log. I went flying! Watch out for the sneaky creepers just beyond the small purple flowers. I went flying! Out of the woods, onto the grass. I went flying! Into the village and past the forge, swinging up the path to my house. I went flying! I grabbed my bearskin vest and scrambled back down the stairs. I went flying! Back past the forge. I went flying! Through the rest of the village. I went flying! Onto the long bridge towards the Ring. I went flying!

I doubled up, gasping for air in front of the Ring, and hurriedly dropped the stupid grin on my face. I'd got a few strange looks from Vikings already, and suddenly becoming inexplicably happy would definitely draw unwanted attention. Gobber scowled at me, crossing his arms.

"And now that Hiccup has graced us with his presence, let's begin."

He pulled the lever up and let us into the Ring as the other teens tittered and laughed at me. I ducked my head and hunched my shoulders, like I normally did to hide the blush of shame across my cheeks. Only this time it wasn't a blush, it was the stubborn grin that I had no idea how to conceal for any length of time. I went flying!

"Let's see how you do against the Nadder again," Gobber commented. "I expect much better things than last time."

"What does that mean?"

Ruffnut shoved her brother. "It means he wants the dragon to kill one of us this time, blockhead!"

Gobber rolled his eyes, but gave up on ever getting the twins to do anything sensible. Astrid moved towards the centre of the Ring, giving herself plenty of room to move around. Snotlout confidently stood in front of the cage, ready to throw himself at the dragon the moment it was released, and Fishlegs hovered near the back of the Ring, trying to camouflage himself against the grey wall.

I started to join him, then hesitated. What if the dragon was killed? I remembered what had happened last time Astrid went up against the Nadder and shuddered. I took my stance about half way between Astrid and Fishlegs.

Astrid shot a suspicious glance at me but I held my ground. I didn't want to take her first place, or even Snotlout's second. I just wanted to stop anyone from getting hurt.

Gobber waited a few moments in case the twins wanted to move anywhere, then yanked the middle lever down. I blinked, frowning. Wasn't the Nadder the left lever? My eyes followed where the gears would be, up to the rim of the Ring, and down to the cage directly opposite the Nadder's as it started to open.

"Gronckle!"

Snotlout and the twins stared at me in confusion, while Astrid spun to follow my gaze. Fishlegs screamed and dodged sideways, away from the rapidly opening doors right behind him. I backed away hurriedly, drawing level with Astrid and going further. Snotlout rushed forwards, only to run straight into the heavy Gronckle.

Like the stubborn Viking he was, he clung to its ears and tried to climb up its face. He shoved his foot into its mouth between its teeth and lips and pushed, pulling himself up.

"Hah!" Pausing to posture, Snotlout looked down to make sure Astrid was watching him. She was moving swiftly and smoothly, a slim blade with long blonde hair tidily braided out of the way, deadly and efficient. I dropped my mace—Gobber handed me a weapon every lesson, but I never used them—and hoisted my shield with both hands. Just as Astrid somersaulted across the ground to avoid the Gronckle's lava, I edged around behind the dragon and shuffled forwards as quietly as I could, aiming for its head. Hopefully, I could discover the Gronckle's sweet spot this lesson.

The dragon, utterly focused on the buffoon on its head and the threat in front of it, didn't notice me. Fishlegs and the twins weren't even trying, Fishlegs because he was scared and the twins because they were too busy fighting each other to realise the Gronckle was free. I took one step nearer and started edging around it, ducking carefully under its whirring wings.

Astrid leapt forwards and rolled under the Gronckle's chin, and I backed away hurriedly.

"What are you doing?" she hissed furiously.

"Dragon Training," I snarked. "You?"

"I'm winning Dragon Training," she fumed. "What are you trying to prove?"

I decided to be partially honest. "That I'm not useless…" I hated the small break in my voice, especially when Astrid tilted her head, scrutinising my weakness.

"Then let me take this shot." My brain raced, summing up what Astrid was likely to do. If she wasn't in an adrenaline fueled rush, she'd probably aim to knock it out. Besides, Gronckles were tough and she couldn't do much damage.

"Go ahead." I waved my arms in an awkward gesture. Honestly, I wasn't sure what it meant, or even what it was supposed to mean.

She looked at me suspiciously, then lifted her axe and slammed the handle hard into the underside of the Gronckle's jaw. It was a perfect hit, hard and accurate, and we had about half a second to roll out of the way before the dragon crashed on top of us, unconscious.

Snotlout landed heavily, right on top of me, and started to grumble. "I totally had that dragon, Astrid!"

I struggled to breathe under his short but solid body, working my arms under me and forcing myself to my elbows.

"Ugh." I could hear the eyeroll. "Get off your cousin and leave me alone."

"You mean Useless?" Snotlout asked, hitting my shoulder blades hard. I could feel my cheeks heating up from the effort of holding us both, and I knew my face was bright red.

"Yes." My heart sank, but at least Snotlout listened to her.

"Whatever you want, Astrid," he muttered her name as though it were a prayer, and got off me.

I got to my knees and stood up, struggling not to cough. Astrid's eyes met mine and she nodded coldly. It wasn't a friendly nod and it wasn't an affectionate nod, just a simple acknowledgement that I existed, but it meant nine worlds to me. I was glad I was already red with exertion, because otherwise I would have been a shade of scarlet visible from Valhalla. Astrid had no time for pathetic love sick Vikings, and I didn't want to lose… whatever the nod had meant.

Gobber cleared his throat pointedly. "Well done, Snotlout, Astrid, and Hiccup. You're improving."

"Keep it up," he whispered in my ear. I let a small trace of my earlier grin twitch at my lips as he draped his arm over my thin shoulders, then looked up and groaned. "Ruff! Tuff! Leave the Zippleback alone!"

He stumped off, waving his arms over his head, and Astrid followed him as he shooed the twins back home. I stayed frozen, staring at the place Astrid's head had been. She'd talked to me, and nodded at me as though I was worth her time—or maybe a threat.

"Yeah, enjoy it while it lasts," Snotlout snarled behind me, and I sighed as I turned around.

"What is it, Snotlout?" It came out far bolder and louder than I'd intended, and I paled as he flushed with fury.

"You come into my training class," a finger stabbed me in the chest and I took a step back, "make a fool of me with your basket of fish," he followed, and my heart decided to ignore any and all rules of rhythm, "take my victories," another blunt impact of finger to chest, "and now you're trying to steal my girl!"

I backed away, all the agility I might have gained with Toothless abandoning me. My legs felt as useful as sheep wool, and the cold wall of the Ring met my shoulder blades. "Uh, I don't want any trouble…" I already knew it was too late.

"Walk with me."

He spun on his heel and marched out of the Ring, towards the village. I hesitated, torn.

"I said, walk with me."

I fearfully followed him.

As we walked through the village, I saw Fishlegs watching me silently from a gap between two houses. He started to step forward, but I shook my head at him. Don't get mixed up in this. You'll only get us both hurt. He shrank back, guilty relief on his face. I looked straight ahead, following my cousin as he purposefully headed towards the woods.

When we passed the storehouse, I remembered the promise I'd made to Toothless, and nipped inside to grab a basket of fish. Thankfully, Snotlout didn't look back to see if I was following until we arrived at the Clearing. Arrogantly, he simply assumed that I would follow him because he'd told me to.

Completely surrounded by trees, the Clearing would have been peaceful if it wasn't filled with my worst memories. Eight pine trees stood in a rough circle around a grass patch, the branches forming a roof over our heads and cutting off the sun. Snotlout rolled his head from side to side, and started to shake out his arms. I pushed the basket behind a nearby tree and pulled off my vest, like always.

"Snotlout—"

"Shut your mouth!" He spun around with surprising speed and his fist connected solidly with my jaw. I spun once, sparks filling my vision, then another fist, as heavy and dense as rock, slammed into my ribs. I kept my mouth shut—I'd learnt to keep quiet during these sessions—but I couldn't have made a sound anyway, the air was completely knocked out of me.

"Leave. My. Girl. Alone!" Snotlout grunted, each word punctuated by a blow. He pushed me back against one of the tree trunks, pinning me against the rough bark, and pulled his head back.

"No—wait—" He scowled and grabbed my throat.

"You'll keep quiet, Useless!" His helmeted head crashed hard into my nose, and my eyes watered as pain shot across my face. Warm liquid started to flow past my mouth, and I pressed my lips together tightly to avoid swallowing it.

His fist fit perfectly into my eye socket and I howled, tasting blood as I opened my mouth, and tried to turn away when he pulled his fist back again.

"Oh no, you're going to take this like a Viking!"

Something hard—I think it was his boot—connected with my stomach. I didn't remember much after that.

oOoOo

"Pathetic."

Through ringing ears, my face pressed against the ground, I heard Snotlout's footsteps finally fade away into the distance.

"Uhh…" I groaned, trying to separate serious injuries that might require Gothi's attention from the ones I could treat by myself. My nose felt red and swollen when I gingerly touched it, hissing with pain, but it didn't seem broken. Thank Thor for small mercies.

I could move all my limbs, if barely, and breathing didn't bring too much extra pain, so hopefully my ribcage was intact. I was thirsty and exhausted, sore all over, and couldn't bear the thought of standing up, but nothing seemed broken.

"C'mon," I coaxed my arms, pushing off the ground until I was almost sitting. Even that simple movement made my eyes water, but I blinked hard and kept the tears back behind a wall. Crying was a luxury I didn't need. I just wanted to go home and fall on my bed, then sleep till Ragnarok.

I conjured an image of my bedroom, my small wooden bed and the familiar ceiling, but it didn't soothe me like I'd expected. Instead, unearthly green eyes kept appearing behind my eyelids, the feeling of being wrapped up behind wings and limbs like I was the most precious thing in the world pulling at me.

"Toothless…" I whimpered miserably, my throat starting to ache. I clung to a tree trunk and pulled myself upright.

The fish basket was still where I left it, and I tried to pick it up, but it was too heavy. My brain felt sluggish, as if Snotlout had damaged it somehow, but after a few minutes of painful concentration, I worked out where the cove was.

Slowly walking backwards, I dragged the basket along the ground. My fuzzy mind aimlessly watched the groove I was cutting in the earth, tearing up grass and breaking through twigs and branches as I shuffled painfully onwards. A bird chirped overhead, and I leaned heavily against a nearby tree to rest, head pounding and legs shaking. Blood trickled into my mouth as I panted for breath, and I swallowed thickly, licking my sticky lips.

I stumbled forwards, lurching like I'd had too much mead, until the entrance of the cove finally came into sight.

"Tooth…" Words stuck in my throat, cut off by the blood lining my tongue. Just a few more steps…

The basket of fish entered the cove first, tipping over and spilling its contents. I followed in much the same way, almost collapsing into the dirt.

I didn't care.

I was done.

The ground suddenly seemed immensely inviting, the grass incredibly soft. I sank to my knees, barely registering the distressed noises coming from inside the walls. In reality, the grass was cold and the ground hard, but I couldn't have gotten back on my feet if I'd tried.

'Hiccup!' Toothless appeared suddenly, crouched down in front of me, his ears flat against his head and his eyes worried. 'What happened?'

"Snotlout… M'fine…" I mumbled, before I turned my head to one side and violently threw up, my stomach rejecting the blood I'd swallowed despite my best efforts. In hindsight, that wasn't very reassuring. When I was finished, I wiped my mouth on the back of my hand and moaned weakly, trying to move away and find a clean piece of ground to rest on. Toothless pushed his wide head under my chest and lifted me easily, carrying me into the cove proper.

'You can tell me what happened later,' he declared firmly. 'Right now, we're cleaning you up.'

His Flame slipped deeper into mine and he winced, discovering my many injuries. I lay on his head like a bag of wool, whimpering with every jolt as his feet met the ground.

"What the—!" I sat bolt upright, eyes and mouth wide in shock.

The pain was gone. Well, not quite gone, but I was far more comfortable than a moment ago. The aches and bruises were only half as sore, my head felt clearer, my limbs were stronger. I looked down at Toothless, certain he'd had something to do with it.

"How did you—"

'It's a Flame trick,' he replied, moving towards the lake at a trot. I squirmed down his neck and landed on the saddle, still disbelieving.

"You have to teach me!"

'Maybe later,' he said, wading into the water. It came past his knees, then crept up his side until it lapped at my toes. I flinched away from the freezing temperatures, and forced myself to relax. When the water came up to his broad shoulders, I slipped off his back and plunged into the water up to my chin, gasping from the cold. Toothless stayed near, curled round me as I scrubbed at the blood with rapidly numbing hands. There were a few cuts on my arms and legs where Snotlout's fingernails had caught my skin, but it was mostly just bruises. The real source of blood was my nose and a split lip which I discovered by prodding it. Ouch!

Toothless' pink tongue emerged from his mouth and I cringed, leaning away from it. "Bud, I don't think now is the time to—Blegh!" He passed it over a cut on my arm, completely covering it in sticky saliva.

'I don't want you to get an infection,' he protested when I started to scold him. 'This will help. Let me do the other ones.'

I hesitantly offered him my other arm. I didn't have any salve, and I trusted him, but I wished it wasn't so sticky.

"Ah!" His warm tongue started to bring feeling back to my numbing limbs, and I hissed in pain.

'I know, I know,' he hushed me. 'Hold still, it'll be over soon.'

True to his word, he pronounced me free to go about thirty seconds later. I splashed water over my face one last time, then ducked my head under to completely rid myself of the blood. Somehow, I leaned too far and ended up turning a full circle in the water, clumsy and ungainly. I came up sputtering a few moments later, still trying to work out where the bottom of the lake was, my legs flailing in every direction. Toothless ducked under the water, attempting to lift me up and take me to shore, and I accidentally kicked his nose. He flinched as though I'd hit him with a mace and squeezed his eyes shut tight, hastily biting back a moan of pain.

"What's wrong?" I asked worriedly, finally grasping his neck and finding my feet. I blew the water off my lips and spared a hand to wipe the wet hair out of my eyes. He emerged from the water, shaking droplets from his head.

'Nothing.'

"Toothless…"

'I'm fine,' he insisted, and I gently rested my forefinger between his nostrils. With incredible self control, he didn't cry out or even flinch, but he stiffened from head to tail.

"You don't seem fine to me." I held up my hands placatingly. "I'm not going to push, I just want to know what's going on."

'I… suppose it's your right…' he grudgingly muttered. 'But you won't like it.'

"I promise I won't be too hard," I murmured, leaning heavily on him. Now that the shock of reduced pain was wearing off, the remaining pain seemed to grow to fill the gap. I wanted to curl up on his chest and cry till I fell asleep, but I blinked hard and mastered myself, at least for a while. It was harder to mount when my clothes were sopping wet, but I eventually managed it and he started wading out of the lake. It was a good thing there was a waterfall, because the lake would gradually cleanse itself as time went on, washing away the blood and dirt we'd just filled it with. In the meantime, he could drink directly from the waterfall or something.

I shivered, half frozen and cursing my lack of proper fur, and slid off Toothless, crumpling to the ground when my legs didn't do what I expected them to.

'Here.' He offered me his tail, and I clutched at it gratefully while he pulled me to the scorched ground where I'd made a fire before. There were still a few pieces of firewood left by the shore, and I fumbled them roughly into place. Toothless waited until my hands were out of the way, and shot a small purple flame into the wood. I gazed at the purple fading into orange, and sighed.

It had been a long time since I'd last seen Flames, and I was starting to worry that I was broken. The problem was, I had no idea how to activate my Flame-vision. Maybe it was similar to controlling a Flame, but maybe it wasn't, and I had no idea. Toothless flinched, and I looked down instantly. My hand was resting on his head instinctively, just above his eye. I swallowed my worry and tilted my head questioningly at him. "Are you going to tell me what's going on?"

He looked down, sideways, and anywhere except at me. 'It's a little complicated, but pain can't just disappear. With some skill, it can be moved to an extent, but it has to go somewhere.'

Oh. Oh.

"You—my—Snotlout—?" I took a deep breath, pushing the shock back, and tried again. "You're hurting because of my pain?"

'You're hurt,' he protested, curling up in front of the fire to keep the heat contained. 'If I'd been there, Snotlout would never have touched you!'

"You know what Vikings do to dragons," I scolded.

'Why do you think I haven't tossed you onto my back and hunted the scorching eel myself!'

He's really worried, I realised quietly, and started to stroke his side soothingly.

"Okay."

'What?' Obviously, he hadn't expected me to give in so easily.

"I'll let you share my pain, on one condition."

'What is it?' he asked suspiciously.

"It has to go both ways. You can share mine if I can share yours."

He fidgeted, uncomfortable. 'Hiccup, I could get really hurt.'

"Those are my conditions."

'Fine,' he sighed, and I pulled my knees up to my chin, hissing as the bruises flared to life.

"I don't think we're up for doing much today," I mumbled. Toothless nodded, staring at the fire blankly. We were both tired, though it was still midafternoon.

oOoOo

A few hours later, around sunset, I cringed in anticipation of what I was about to do. Whatever position I tried, I couldn't get comfortable. Bracing myself against the inevitable pain, I shifted again, groaning in exasperation. The ground was hard, the grass soaked from the water that had dripped from my clothes—even if they were mostly dry by now—and I was suffering from pins and needles in my legs and thighs. Toothless stirred, dozing behind me, and I tried to keep still and let him sleep.

It was the perfect time for trying to see Flames. I closed my eyes and tried to search for anything hidden, anything unusual in myself. The faint warmth I recognised as my Flame drew my attention, and I forced myself to ignore it. Was that a twitch by my ears? No, just my own pulse. I sighed and crawled into the small dark cave between Toothless' side and his body.

'What're you doing?' he mumbled sleepily, and I stroked his ribs gently, ridges of bone in his lean side.

"Go back to sleep."

'If you say so…'

I smiled fondly, resisting the urge to wake him up and tell him what I was doing. This was something I wanted to do on my own. In the warm darkness that was rapidly becoming familiar, I managed to finally relax. Lacking any other ideas, I scanned my body again, even reaching up to prod my temples when I thought I felt something. The complete absence of anything unusual made me slump in frustration, groaning slightly. Thor, I was tired.

"That isn't such a bad idea, bud…" I gave up on seeing Flames and shifted a little until I was comfortable. The air was warmed by Toothless' impressive heat, his strong wing laid over me like a blanket, his side rising and falling beside me with his slow breaths. Strong, fast, graceful, dangerous—he was everything I wasn't. The perfect warrior, a son Dad would have been proud of, if he wasn't a Night Fury.

"Don't know why you ever put up with me," I mumbled sleepily. "But I'm so glad you do."

As if he'd heard me, Toothless' wing cuddled me closer, and I smiled.

oOoOo

I woke up clutched against a scaly chest, Toothless' head buried in my hair, even though he was still deeply asleep. It was so warm and comfortable that I didn't want to move, especially since sleep still coursed through my veins just beneath the surface.

What time was it? I eased my head out of the cocoon and shivered at the sudden cold, wincing as the movement aggravated my bruises. Unable to put it off any longer, I had to open my eyes.

At first, I thought it had snowed while we were asleep, before I noticed the incredible details of the cove. Every blade of grass, every wisp of cloud in the sky was in high definition, like I had the eyes of a Night Fury.

Flame-vision!

Odin, if I could only learn to control this! Something felt a little different and I tried to pin-point it. It seemed to be something just behind my eyes, but I couldn't tell what it was, and it bugged me. It might be the key to unlocking my Flame-vision, but I couldn't quite reach it! Toothless stirred, trying to pull me back into the warmth of his wings, and I looked down.

"By the death of Thor!"

A moment after the words left my mouth, I blushed, half certain Thor would strike me down with a lightning bolt for even thinking that phrase. I'd only ever heard Uncle Spitelout use it once, and everyone around him had almost shipped him off Berk for fear of divine retaliation, so I knew it was really, really bad. Still, given the circumstances, I hoped he'd forgive me.

"Purple! It's gone purple!"