"Hiccup!" Ruffnut called as soon as Hiccup left her home the next morning.

Hiccup smiled even as she watched Ruffnut say something that sounded like 'Shut up troll' to her brother as she left him on his own. Ruffnut ran to her, throwing her arms on her in a hug which Hiccup reciprocated with gusto. Hiccup watched as Tuffnut rolled his eyes and ran to Snotlout who was up ahead.

"Ruff," Hiccup greeted, "What's new?"

"I'm planning a prank," Ruffnut seriously said as she pulled away from the smaller girl, "And I need your help."

"Oh? Who's the victim?" she asked with interest as she started walking towards the academy. Ruffnut fell into step next to her and delved into her plans to make Tuffnut take a bath in manure. Hiccup's face was between interest and disgust as the girl finished telling her the plan.

"Oh!" Ruffnut exclaimed after they were almost at the academy, "Isn't your father going to have your head if he sees us together?" she asked as she looked around for any sight of the man.

"He could try," Hiccup rolled her eyes, "Don't worry. He left last night with the others."

"Left where?" Ruffnut asked tilting her head.

"To 'look for the nest'," Hiccup answered, mimicking the voice of her father making Ruffnut laugh, "After he told me I have no choice but to join Dragon Training."

"Didn't you want that?"

"What I wanted was for him to leave me alone," Hiccup explained as she came to a stop far from the gates to the academy and far away from the boys who were waiting there, "It's not like I'm going to be chief."

"You don't know that," Ruff tried to comfort her, she pointed at the group of boys, "They're not better than you."

"In my father's eyes? Everyone is better than me," Hiccup told her and lowered the girl's extended finger, but it didn't matter because the boy's had noticed and were now looking at the two girls.

"Even Snotlout?" Ruff whispered in disbelief.

"Even Snotlout," Hiccup agreed, "And especially Arne."

"Of course he likes golden boy," Ruffnut rolled her eyes, "Even you like him."

"Who I like and who I don't doesn't matter," Hiccup hissed as she punched Ruffnut's shoulder, the female twin only laughed, "If you don't shut up about that I'll tell dad that you helped with the yak tipping."

"Hey, hey," Ruff raised her hands in surrender, "Don't ruin a girl's life because of a joke."

Hiccup glared at the girl with narrowed eyes before she burst out laughing. Ruffnut knew almost everything about her, so this kind of teasing was a staple in their friendship. Ruffnut knew about Hiccup's crush, she knew about her 'secret' mischief streak, and about her want for her father to just be proud of her.

Hiccup stopped laughing and the girls stood there in comfortable silence. Gobber was late, which was to be expected from the smith. He never hurried anywhere, he believed that if people wanted something they would wait. Ruffnut put her arm around Hiccup's shoulder and leaned on her as they both observed the boys.

Fishlegs was nose deep in what, Hiccup knew, was a copy of The Dragon Manual he had made himself. Fishlegs believed that knowing everything about a dragon would help him defeat the beast. He was foolish in that way, because now, Hiccup knew that what had happened to her was not written in any book and she couldn't have prepared for it by reading.

Snotlout was currently roughhousing with Tuffnut. It was hard to Hiccup to believe that the boy was next in line to be chief. It wasn't official yet, but Hiccup knew she was not going to be able to keep her place as heir, unless she managed to find someone to marry before the tribe decided to take away her title. And that was not going to happen. Hiccup wished someone else would be the first choice after her, but family was important to vikings, so her idiotic cousin was next.

Tuffnut was an interesting case. His sister was Hiccup's best friend, but he still held on to the idea that she was not worthy of Ruff's friendship. The male twin kind of despised Hiccup for 'Taking his sister from him' even though Hiccup wasn't the one who started their friendship. One day Ruffnut just walked up to her, took her hand and pulled her into the forest to a clearing. When a very panicked Hiccup had asked what she was doing, Ruffnut just said they were having a 'girl's night'. From then on they were friends, much to Tuff's and the Chief's discomfort.

Next to the two fighting boys sat Arne. He was sharpening his axe with a rock he found on the ground. Hiccup cringed at that, sharpening the axe with a simple rock was a temporary fix and could damage the weapon. She should tell him that when she had the chance, even if then that would mean the boy would visit the forge less often for repairs.

Of course, only if he listened to her. Arne was the 'golden boy' of Berk as Ruff had said. He was perfect, at least that was what her father kept saying any time she messed up.

'Just look at Arne.'

'Why can't you be like Arne.'

'Arne would make such a great chief.'

She was sick of hearing that. Arne was an exceptional fighter, but sometimes he was so stand-offish that Hiccup wasn't sure he knew how to talk to other people. He strived for greatness, but that meant stepping over people. He was dedicated and Hiccup appreciated that, but she despised the fact that he could be who he wanted to be and still be accepted. Hiccup's crush didn't change the fact that she had those feeling towards the boy and those feelings didn't change the fact that she had the crush.

Gobber's uneven steps caught Hiccup's attention. The smith was leisurely walking towards the academy. He nodded at the girl's in greeting as he passed them. The greeting he gave the boys was completely different as he pushed Tuffnut out of his way to open the gates, the girls were the last ones to enter.

"Welcome to Dragon Training!" Gobber said as they looked around the academy in wonder.

Hiccup wasn't impressed though, she had been in the academy a lot of times, it was part of her apprenticeship with Gobber. She helped him clean the academy when he didn't want to, even if she didn't like it she had to, otherwise her father would pull her from the forge for life, as he never wanted her to take the apprenticeship in the first place.

"No turning back," she heard Arne say.

"Doesn't mean I have to like it," she mumbled to herself, making Ruff snort next to her.

"I hope I get some serious burns!" Tuff said to him.

"I'm hoping for some mauling, like on my shoulder or lower back," Ruffnut pipped up next to her while gesturing to her shoulder.

"Yeah, it's only fun if you get a scar out of it," Arne absent-mindedly agreed with a shrug.

"Yeah, no kidding, right? Pain. Love it," Hiccup said, sarcasm dripping from her voice making the others turn to look at her.

"Oh, great. Who let her in?" Tuffnut asked, even though he had seen her waiting with Ruff.

"My father," Hiccup answered with a shrug, "If you have any complains take it up with him."

Tuffnut bristled at her words and turned back to look at Gobber. The other did too, but Hiccup knew, this was going to be a long day.