000

Astrid broke through the shrubbery into her personal training grounds, immediately laying eyes on the workbench where the bow and wooden swords were kept. Reaching the bench, she did a quick lookover of them, making sure there weren't any major cracks or chips in them. Didn't want them accidentally breaking during training. Satisfied with their condition, she picked up two of them and proceeded to make her way back to the Cove, her thoughts transitioning to the Jormung and the growing, unspoken camaraderie that was beginning to form between the two of them. Because what else could it be? She was harboring, and there's no easier term for it, a wanted bounty. Any other reasonable Viking would have already formed a hunting squad to bring him in to their Chief and be done with it. Maybe that's what she should have done when she first crossed paths with him on Berk.

But no. Her curiosity got the better of her, and here she was walking back to his semi-secret camp to train him on how to use a sword. She began thinking of the days' lessons for him, making the trek back seem shorter than it was. She wasn't sure if she should spar him with him today. His skills and combat intuition were non-existent. She decided to take a bit of mercy on him and spare him the onslaught she would've unleashed on him if they were to spar. She'd start off with the extreme basics with him. Given the right training regiment, she believed she could transform him into a competent, if not, highly skilled, swordsman. The Jormung were known for their prowess in battle. There was bound to be a warrior somewhere in him. All she had to do was bring him out. And that entailed more secret sessions with him in the future. She'd be lying to herself if she didn't admit that she was excited at the challenge. Capturing a Jormung was one thing, but training one? The gods really did have a plan in store for her future.

She reached the edge of the Cove, just in time to see Hiccup exit his tent and in the process of putting on a shirt. Now, Astrid was no stranger to the male physique. During Berk's summer months, when days could get unbearably hot for the Barbaric Archipelago, the majority of male Vikings, young and old, would forego any upper body clothing,. Luckily, she and the rest of the female population had developed an innate indifference to it. In fact, it was a regular source of gossip with playful boasting and teasing at their spring baths. But for some reason, no matter her indifference to seeing male Vikings with both fat and chiseled physiques, her eyes lingered for as long a time on Hiccup's exposed skin than any other Viking combined in her lifetime. She could chalk it up to the fact that he was a Jormung. He was supposed to be different from the average Viking. But her prolonged observation of him did not yield any new features that set him apart from Tuffnut, Snotlout, Fishlegs or any other Viking. There were no traces of dragon scales from the top of his collarbone to the hem of his pants. No hidden appendages or wings on his back or sides. Just...extremely toned muscle that was further accentuated by the early morning sun casting its light on all the right places, creating slight streaks of shadows along his torso. Thankfully, she was saved from her wondering eyes by the shirt Hiccup finally pulled down.

She let out an exhale she didn't know she was holding in. Steeling her thoughts, she made her way back down, the sound of the wooden swords bumping into each other getting his attention. "That was fast." He spoke.

"Or maybe you take a long time changing." Her feet made contact solid ground and she continued towards him.

"So, what's on the agenda for today?" He asked as she handed him one of the swords.

"I decided we'd start with the extreme basics given your...ineptitude at fending off an unarmed assailant even with a sword."

"You didn't have to put it like that." He grumbled. "And it's not like you're an amateur when it comes to combat."

She smirked, taking a few steps back so he'd be able to completely understand what she was going to teach him. "First, building a strong foundation." She got into a fighting stance with her sword in her right hand, making sure her eyes were on her. "Any fighter, no matter the weapon, needs a strong foundation. It's normally the first thing your opponent looks for. Having a sound foundation will make them think twice about charging in." She made a face rethinking that last point. "Usually. Your foundation will allow you to defend against their strikes. And with the right amount of training and practice, you'll be able to counter, get them off balance and gain the advantage." She got out of her stance and held his eyes with her gaze. "Foundation is essential. Always remember that." He nodded, hanging on every word. "Now, get into a fighting stance." Hiccup did as commanded. He placed his left foot forward, sword in his left hand. Astrid closed the gap, looking him up and down. She adjusted his wrist slightly upwards. Couldn't have even been a fraction of an inch. She held his wrist next. "Slightly tighter grip." He as instructed. "Grip is a tricky thing. Each person has their own preference, but never hold your weapon too tight. In a real fight with weapons clashing, you will feel the impact. Having too tight a grip and stiff arms when you defend against a particularly strong swipe and your arms will go numb from the impact travelling through them." She traced her hand from his wrist all the way to his shoulder for emphasis.

Hiccup didn't know if she took a purposely slow pace along his hand to mimic what a hard strike against his sword would do. It didn't stop him from tensing said arm in response to her. She definitely felt him tense up at her touch but played it off. She then moved to his legs. "Here." She tapped his right leg with her own. "Move it back a bit." He shuffled it back. "A little more...okay, and now move it about a foot to the right side. Good. Now you'll want to have a slight bend in the knees...that's good. How's it feel?"

"Weird. It's going to take some time getting used to." He did some practice swings, taking a step forward with his left leg and bringing his sword down. "I mean, it feels right, but weird at the same time. If that makes sense?"

"It does. The more you practice, the more comfortable you'll become with your movements as we go through training. For now, keep going back to your stance, pretend you're facing someone and do a few swipes. Take any steps you'd like, and then repeat the process again and again." She walked over to the campfire she had had dinner with him the day before yesterday and took a seat on the log set up next to it. "And don't think too much into this. The entire purpose of this little exercise is you getting used to training with a sword. I'll watch from here. And don't stop until I say so." She waved a winger at him.

"But what if I do something wrong?"

"Don't worry about that. Just go for it. It won't be all for naught. I'll be watching, making mental notes on what we need to train first, which there'll be plenty of." She came to the conclusion that she'd never get tired of teasing him. It always brought a tiny amount of joy at seeing his annoyed facial expressions.

"Ha. Ha." Was all he said before he took the stance she'd shown him minutes ago and began doing as she told; taking steps, then striking with his sword, going back to the stance, and repeating it over and over, combining the steps and strikes every few times. The first ten to fifteen tries were awkward, clumsy, and felt a bit unnatural. It didn't help that he had a spectator who was scrutinizing his every step, his every swing, and all the little movements in between. This is why he skipped combat training and stuck to books and the forge back in the village. He didn't like people watching his every move.

"You're slacking." Her voice broke his train of thought. In his surprise, he flinched and dropped his sword, turning to look at her.

"You broke my concentration."

"I brought it back." She countered. "Don't think about anything not related to your training. If it doesn't help you improve, it doesn't belong in your head. Now, whatever it is that you were thinking about, forget it. It won't do you any good right now. So pick up that sword and get back to it." He sighed. This training isn't at all what he had in mind. He figured they'd dive right into sparring. He believed that that would have been the fastest way to picking up combat skills. Learning by doing, right? But she believed he wasn't ready for that yet. And she was most definitely, if not one thousand percent right about that. If she said this was the first step to becoming a fighter, then he'd better listen to her. He knelt down, picked up the sword and got right back to his movements. Except this time, he blocked out all non-essential thoughts and distractions and focused completely on the sword in his hands the movements he'd make.

Astrid smiled at his change in attitude. She could now see the concentration plain as day on his face. Every time he'd make a strike, he'd return to his stance, think for a few seconds, then attempted a completely different attack with tweaked steps. She watched his every movement, already noticing slight changes in the way his body and limbs moved as he made a striking motion. His feet became lighter, no longer taking heavy, club-footed steps. Instead, gracing and sliding across the ground with an almost feather-touch. His arms were moving more fluidly as well, without compromising the strength of his grip as she could tell by how he grasped the sword's hilt. And if his little smirk indicated anything, it looked like he was also enjoying this. And before she knew it, seconds turned into minutes, that turned into tens of minutes, that turned into an hour or two. Astrid only realized how much time had passed after glancing up to the sky and seeing it was close to midday.

"That's enough." She finally spoke. Hiccup took one final sword swing before obeying her call, exhaling hard and only now realizing that he was practically drenched in sweat. He grabbed the hem of his shirt and used it to wipe his face, flashing his sweat-stained and toned abdomen at Astrid who raised her eyebrows for a second before glancing away. "So, how do you feel?" She cleared her throat before asking him.

"Really good, actually." Hiccup said as he dropped his shirt and only now noticed all the wet spots on his shirt.

"You must have been in your own little world. I almost felt bad putting an end to it." She noticed movement out of the corner of her eye, turning to see the Night Fury go to him with a rag in his mouth.

"Thanks bud." Hiccup graciously took the cloth from his friend and proceeded to wipe the sweat off his neck and arms. "You could say that." He answered her question. "I just imagined a few targets in my head and the rest was as it happened."

"Good. Keep that up until our next lesson."

"Will do, teach." Hiccup saluted, walking to her and handing her the sword. "Now, with my lesson done, what say we get started on yours?"

"I'm sorry?" Astrid asked, perplexed, but took the sword from him and tossed it to where she was sitting a few moments ago. "I thought today was just going to be about your training."

"Well since I'm done, and you're here, we could start your lessons on dragon training. If you don't have any other commitments that is." Hiccup offered.

"Well, I don't have anything else planned for the day.." She looked around the camp, weighing his offer. She really didn't have anything planned for the day. Her only concern was what her recent excursions into the forests would look like to the rest of her family and Berk. Sure, her Hunt was coming up, but how long could she milk the belief that all she did in her spare time was train? But then again, it was her so they shouldn't think too much into it. Key thought being shouldn't.

"If I do stay..." His eyes lit up, "-what would we be doing?" She asked. Hiccup couldn't hide his smile as he quickly gestured Toothless over.

"I can properly introduce you to Toothless, answer any questions you have about him, or dragons in general. And you could also learn more about me?"

"I think I'll stick to Toothless this time." She could've sworn the Night Fury gave a smug look with a mocking laugh towards Hiccup. As if saying, 'She likes me more than you. And she hates dragons.' Hiccup retaliated by pushing the dragon's snout away from his face.

"As if you were so thrilled by this arrangement." Hiccup snapped at his friend. He ran the cloth through his hair, wiping off the last remnants of sweat and tossed the rag onto the log by the camp fire. "Well, since you prefer learning more about a fire-breathing beast-" He stared Toothless directly in the eyes as he said that "-then come right over here." He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him, nearly pulling her flush against him. Astrid was taken aback by his sudden brazen attitude. She guessed he didn't realize their close proximity because he was solely focused on Toothless right now, who was also right in front of them, sitting on his haunches.

"You know she could have just taken a few steps here, right?" Toothless said.

Only then did Hiccup realized he had her hand in his and noticed their lack of space between. "Sorry!" He let go of her hand and took a few steps from her, more surprised at himself for not realizing what he had done.

Astrid simply raised an eyebrow. "Really? You pull me towards a dragon and then leave me completely alone and defenseless against him?" She crossed her arms, shooting a disapproving look at Hiccup. Despite her teasing, she should have been on edge. She was no more than a couple of feet in front of a Night Fury. One of the few dragons that had the 'Run and pray it does not find you' in the encounter section of the Book of Dragons. Yet she was completely at ease, not even the slightest bit concerned that it would attack her. Her weapons were also back by her sitting area when she was watching Hiccup train. And instead of attacking her, the dragon also gave Hiccup a look that said, 'What kind of teacher are you? Leaving a defenseless person right by me.'

"You know, I'm starting to think you don't need a teacher. You and Toothless both look like you get along great."

"I'm pretty sure that's because you're too easy to tease." She heard Toothless grunt beside her, seeming to agree with her.

Hiccup heaved a long sigh, collecting his composure with his next breath. In truth, this was a good start. She and Toothless actually had something in common. "Since you two are already have great chemistry, I think it's time to show you the first technique to gaining a dragon's trust." He walked back to the two of them. "You good with this bud?"

"Yeah."

"Wait, what are we doing?" Astrid asked, glancing between the two of them, not really liking what she was hearing.

"To gain a dragon's trust, you need to leave yourself completely vulnerable, unguarded, leaving them with the choice." Hiccup started, noticing how Astrid tensed up at the last part. "It won't do you any good talking about it, so why not dive right into it? Just like you had me do with the sword?"

"That was you with a wooden sword doing practice swings on your own. And you want me to let my guard down with him?" She asked.

"Yes." She was dumbfounded by his response. It went against everything she had been taught the moment she'd raise a toy ax. "Most dragons know that they could kill a Viking if they were attacked by one. But leaving yourself unguarded, defenseless, with no intention of harming them, and you'll be amazed at the result of what a dragon will, or won't, do."

"Then why are we doing this with Toothless? Wouldn't it make more sense to do this with the Nadder you picked for me from the training ring?"

"It's true I picked the Nadder for you. But you're nowhere near ready to gain that dragon's trust. Yet. Toothless is the perfect dragon to do this with. He's grown used to your presence and already knows you don't come here with any ill feelings." He paused. "You don't, do you?"

Astrid gave him a deadpan expression. "Do I even have to answer that?"

"Good point. Where was I? Oh yeah, he's grown used to you, and for the large part, doesn't have bad history with you, unlike the Nadder which you've used for training for who knows how many years. So we'll start with Toothless here, who's actually really friendly. Don't pay attention to whatever anyone you know say about a Night Fury. Take it from someone who lives with one." He encouraged her, this time moving behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders and turning her to face Toothless, much to her reluctance. "Besides, this is the most basic of basics when it comes to dragon training. Are you telling me you can't handle that?" He could at least try to light a tiny fire in her. If he's learned anything from her in their interactions, it's that she never backs down from a challenge.

Astrid took a deep breath to steady herself, glancing between the dragon and Hiccup, whose face was right next to hers. "You know you're asking me to do something that goes against the very fibre of my being. Against everything I've been trained and taught." But he understood that. He knew he was asking a lot of her. Hel, her being here with him was already asking the world of her, given his and dragons' reputation.

"I know." He spoke softly. "I understand it can't be easy for you. Going against what you've been taught all your life-" His face was besides hers as he looked up, prompting her to look up at Toothless too. "-But here you are with a Jormung and a Night Fury in front of you. You've already taken the first step by agreeing to meet me, talk to me, even train me. I wouldn't be asking this if you weren't ready. And Toothless also wouldn't be willing to do this if he didn't think he could trust you." He held her hand in his as he slowly began to raise it towards his friend. "All I'm asking, is that you place your trust in us and I swear to you that you'll never look at dragons the same way again." She didn't realize he could talk in such a calming, confident and reassuring manner. This Hiccup was a far-cry from the one she interacted with on prior meetings and even a few minutes ago. But she did accept his offer on training her about dragons. He stepped into her world, and he was asking her to step into his. A world of dragons and possibilities.

"Okay." She spoke softly, afraid the magic of the situation would break at any moment.

"First, relax." She took a few deep breaths, bringing her heart rate down as he slowly raised her hand towards the Night Fury's snout. Hiccup could feel the tension dissipate in her with each breath she took. He shouldn't expect anything less from a warrior. Using all her past training and combat experience to calm herself before a big fight. Or in this case, telling yourself that you have to give yourself completely to a dragon that you were taught all your life to hate and kill. Hiccup couldn't be more thankful that she chose to first speak up when she encountered him on that island; which seemed to have happened in another lifetime. "Good. Now, this is going to be the hard part. Close your eyes." He felt her tense up. "Looking away from the dragon means you're placing your trust in them." He could see her hesitation and fear. Even if she wouldn't admit it. Being so close to her meant he could hear her heartbeat, sense the changes in her breathing, and feel every little muscle movement in her entire body, even though he was only holding her hand. "You have nothing to worry about. I'm here, right behind you. You can trust him. You can trust me, Astrid."

He was right. She didn't know how to explain it, but him being with her here was the biggest comfort she could ask for this moment. And for some reason, she did feel she could put her life in his hands and he'd protect her if something went wrong. So she closed her eyes, turned her face away and let her hand rest in the air. Hiccup slowly eased his grip on her hand, eventually leaving it alone and now waiting for Toothless to make his move if he chose to. The Night Fury was almost in a trance with her hand, staring at it as if he was staring into her soul, searching it, judging if she was trustworthy enough to place his own trust in. Not just for himself, but for his rider as well.

It seemed an eternity had passed until she felt the touch of warm scales underneath her finger tips, and soon felt it radiating across her entire palm. She flinched at first but then allowed her curiosity to lead her and she opened her eyes, and looked at the Night Fury pressing its snout against her hand, eyes closed. She couldn't believe her eyes.

"Wow." The word left her lips with a laugh of amazement mixed in, a smile forming in its wake.

"How does it feel?" He was afraid his question would ruin the moment between Astrid and his best friend. But he already knew her answer. Leaning a bit forward to get a better look at her face, the awe was evident in her eyes. Her open mouthed smile, the twinkle in her eyes as she gazed up at Toothless, who hadn't yet moved from her palm. That was the look he was hoping for. To be honest, he didn't know what to expect when he first suggested to do this with Toothless. It was a huge risk. But he couldn't have imagined it turning out this well.

She had almost forgot he was right behind her if it wasn't for his question. Suddenly she became acutely aware of how close he was to her, hand on her shoulder, breath on her neck, his face in her periphery. But she wasn't bothered by it. In fact, in that moment, she was glad he was there. Because if it wasn't for him, she would never have experienced a life-changing moment as this. With her hand still on Toothless, she turned to meet his eyes, an ocean of azure blue meeting a wilderness of emerald green, and with the biggest smile he had ever seen on her, she answered.

"Out of this world."

Toothless pulled back, but not before giving her open palm a lick. That took her by surprise, making her take a step back into Hiccup who chuckled at her reaction. "He's starting to like you." She turned to look at him, and only then did he realize how close they were to each other. He blushed a deep shade of pink before creating a couple feet of distance between them. "Well-" He rubbed the back of his neck, "-congratulations. You're a dragon trainer."

"What? Was that it?" She asked, wiping her hand on her skirt.

"There's quite a bit more. But that is the essence of dragon training. Placing your total trust in a creature that could easily kill you. And you just accomplished that, with a Night Fury no less. So, do you have a greater respect for them?"

She took a look back at Toothless, who tilted his head, looking at her with wide, beady eyes. She smiled. "I guess I do." She turned back to him. "But it feels really weird. I spent most of my life hating them and after doing...that-" She gestured to her hand and back to Toothless, "-It's...it's going to take some time for all of it to...settle in? I think? If that makes sense." When she saw him just staring at her with what looked like a contented smile and not responding, she coughed. "Midgard to Hiccup. You there?"

His rapid blinking indicated he was and he quickly composed himself. "That's to be expected." He said in an overly forced, professional voice. "It will take time for you to learn to live with dragons, but the hand-trust-establishment exercise was the first step and you did great. Toothless wouldn't have done that if he didn't believe you couldn't be trusted." Hiccup spoke in a fast manner, hoping his slip-up would be ignored but from the smirk on her face, he deduced his attempt had failed badly.

Astrid placed her hands behind her back and began taking slow steps towards him. "Were you distracted by something, Hiccup?" Hiccup audibly gulped at the way she said his name. That soft, flirty voice she spoke his name with did things to his mind that he didn't know was possible.

"N-N-Nothing...Nothing at all." She stopped right at his chest, looking up at him. "I was just formulating a response to your statement...question? Whatever it was?"

She held his stiff expression with a playful smile. "You're too easy." She chuckled, finally giving him some breathing room. There was something oddly pleasant about making him flustered. She knew he found her attractive. All men she came across did. Their compliments and puffed out bravado never fazed her. But with Hiccup, it was different. "So, now that Toothless trusts me, what's next?" She walked back to the camp fire to gather the items she had brought with her.

Hiccup pouted, not enjoying her torture at his lack of experience around girls. "Spending time with him. The next time you come by, interact with him while I'm doing my practice swings. Sit near him, talk to him even if you don't understand his warbles and grunts. Or play with him. He actually likes to play fetch, believe it or not."

"And that will help how?"

"It will help you grow used to being around dragons without being on edge. We'll have to get that down before I introduce you to the Nadder."

"Oh, I have news on that. The schedule for watch duty is already set for the next three weeks, but I'll be able to take watch after that. Should that be enough time to learn more about Toothless?"

"That's plenty of time. When it's you on watch, that's when I'll also introduce myself to the Nadder. I won't take that risk if you're not there."

"Look at you being patient." Hiccup stuck his tongue out in response to her jab. She laughed, looking up at the midday sky. The village would be bustling with activity by now. She'd stop by her home first and take her siblings out for the rest of the day if they were home. "Well, it's time for me to head back. I don't say this often, but good work today. Make sure you practice every day until our next lesson. I'll know if you didn't." She warned.

"I don't doubt it. When is our next lesson?"

"Where's the fun in telling you?" At Hiccup's deadpan expression, "I gotta keep you on your toes, right?" She winked at him, before turning to head home. Hiccup watched her leave, not moving from his spot, even when Toothless came to his side.

"I like her. I think she'll make a fine mate."

"Yeah she w-" Hiccup caught himself before stuck his foot in his mouth again. "Enough of that you overgrown lizard." He smacked one of the Toothless' ears. "Now come on, it's time for our daily flight."