Chapter 3: The Snotlout Challenge

It made Hiccup glad that everyone seemed to approve of Eira so far. She had one test left with Ruffnut and Tuffnut. Hiccup debated keeping an eye on them, eventually deciding to watch them from a distance with Toothless. He only had to intervene when the twins attempted to goad Eira into destroying random objects with Swiftwings' water balls.

That afternoon, Hiccup had Eira join him and the other dragon riders for some training exercises to see how well she fit in. It turned out he did not have to worry too much. She kept up great and appeared to be a natural. When they finished, they all met up at the training academy for a meeting.

"I hope you all have enjoyed your time with Eira," Hiccup said to the group. "Personally, I believe she would make a great dragon rider. Does anyone object?"

"I never had any objections," Snotlout said, flashing Eira a smile. "She has my approval."

"She does seem pretty capable," Astrid said.

"And fun," said Tuff.

"Lots of fun," added Ruff.

"I agree," said Fishlegs, "but, Hiccup, I do have one concern."

"What is it, Fishlegs?" Hiccup said.

"I think it's great Eira's a dragon rider now, but shouldn't we tell her we haven't really done anything together in a long time? There have been no dragon hunters or any other threats for many months." He gave Eira an apologetic look. "I don't want to crush your enthusiasm, but this might not be what you expect. We've kind of been doing our own thing recently."

Eira merely smiled. "Hiccup already explained the situation to me, Fishlegs. It's fine. And just because nothing's happening now doesn't mean it won't in the future."

"She's got a point," Hiccup said. "From now on, we should meet once a week for training to make sure we are prepared for the unexpected."

"Since Eira is new, someone should work with her one-on-one," Snotlout said. "I would be happy to volunteer."

Hiccup gave him an uneasy look that grew uneasier when Eira did not object. "No offense, Snotlout, but I don't think you and her have the same battle philosophy. She should work with... Fishlegs."

"That's fine with me," Fishlegs said.

"May I say something?" Eira politely asked.

Hiccup looked away from a disgruntled Snotlout to nod at Eira. "Go ahead."

"My home has a unique culture, and my battle philosophy is going to be very different from everyone else's here. I am willing to hear another perspective, so why not me train with Snotlout? If you think we're so different, maybe we'll be able to find some sort of happy medium."

"Or I will prove to you my way is the best way," Snotlout said confidently.

"I would love to see those two go head to head," Tuff said. "Let them do it, Hiccup!"

Hiccup held in a sigh as he considered his options. Astrid gave him a worried look while Fishlegs simply shrugged. Finally, he decided it was best to just get this over with. "Alright, Snotlout and Eira will work together - as partners. That means you can't boss her around, Snotlout."

Snotlout crossed his arms and scoffed. "I wouldn't do that."

Hiccup ignored him. "Eira, you said earlier that you prefer peaceful tactics. Well, think of this as a chance to show how much you really know people. I haven't known Snotlout to compromise on anything, so if you can get through to him, I'll admit you're skilled."

Eira brightened. "That would be excellent. Thank you, Hiccup."

"And when I win," said Snotlout, "you'll have to admit my skill."

Astrid frowned. "This isn't a competition."

Snotlout waved her off. "Whatever. Can we start now?"

"By all means," Hiccup said. He watched as Snotlout and Eira strolled off together. He really hoped he would not come to regret this.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Astrid asked, echoing his own thoughts.

"I don't know," he admitted, "but I don't think it will be a total disaster. At worst, maybe Eira will wake up to reality a little. And who knows... She may actually know what she's doing and have a positive influence on him."

"I sure hope so."

"That was easier than I thought it would be," Snotlout said as he walked with Eira along a path among the trees.

"They seemed nervous about us spending time together," Eira said. "Is there a reason?" There was some sort of tension between him and the rest of the group for sure, but she could not decipher who was in the right. She liked all of them, and she was usually a good judge of character.

"They're overreacting. Don't worry about it." He stopped once they were a good way from the village and turned around to face her. "Let me see where you're at by going over a situation. You're concerned about dragon hunters, right?"

Eira nodded. "Among other things, yes."

"Good. Let's say we're on a mission with the riders to rescue dragon eggs from a dragon hunter ship. The hunters capture our dragons and threaten the same for us. What do you do?"

Eira closed her eyes while she ran the situation through her mind. She remembered her training with her father and brother. They had taught her a variety of tactics depending on the specifics. Still, she came up with a general idea how it could go down. She opened her eyes and looked at Snotlout. "Assuming there is no immediate physical danger, I would try to reason with the hunters and appeal to their better nature."

Snotlout stared at her like she had two heads. "Are you serious? That's a joke, right?"

Eira frowned. "No. My people talk first and fight second."

"Well, your people are wrong. You should always fight first."

Eira felt a sudden rush to defend her home, but she pushed the feeling down. She had to practice what she preached. "Not if there's a chance to solve things peacefully."

Snotlout shook his head. "While you're busy chatting, you may lose your opportunity to strike. It's not worth the risk. They're our enemies, Eira. We can't afford to show them mercy."

"What if they don't have to be our enemies? I was sent here to convert others to the ways of living peacefully with dragons."

"I didn't think that meant the hunters. They're never going to change."

Eira balled her hands into fists and looked away. "You don't know that."

Snotlout sighed. "We're not going to get anywhere with this." His tone turned gentle, helping her to relax. "Why don't we call it a day, and we can practice tactics tomorrow?"

Eira gave him a tepid smile. "That sounds good to me. Walk me back to town?"

He flashed her a grin. "Of course, my lady." He held out his arm for her, and she giggled as she accepted it.

Her frustrations suddenly seemed far away. She now could see why Hiccup had been concerned about her and Snotlout clashing. However, just because they disagreed did not mean they could not get along. They would find a way to reach an agreement, no doubt.

The next day, Snotlout and Eira met in the arena with their dragons. They warmed up with some basic flying maneuvers and then practiced hand-to-hand combat. Snotlout found the girl to be quite skilled - though still no match for him - so he knew it was not lacked of ability that caused her reluctance to use violence. Perhaps she did not have enough real-world experience.

"Now we're going to go through a simulation," Snotlout announced. He had gathered Tuffnut and Ruffnut to help him out. "They're the bad guys, and that-" he pointed to a crudely made doll on the ground behind Ruff "-is their prisoner. Find a way to rescue him without your dragon."

Eira nodded. "Alright." The twins took aggressive stances while she approached them.

"Don't come any closer or you will pay!" Tuff said in a fake deep voice.

"You will never get our prisoner back!" Ruff declared.

"Why not?" Eira calmly asked. "What are you going to do with him?"

Ruff smirked. "We're just going to have some fun."

"If you give him back, we can all have fun together."

The twins exchanged a look. "Nah," they said.

"Just rush in there and save him!" Snotlout shouted. Honestly, did she have to make this so complicated?

Eira took a deep breath and raced forward with her head down low. She darted past Tuff, but then Ruff leapt at her and knocked her to the ground.

"We win!" Ruff exclaimed.

Snotlout groaned and shook his head. "Why didn't you just attack?"

"Because they could have harmed the prisoner if I threatened them," Eira said as she slowly stood up. She winced but did not complain about anything hurting. "It would be better if there were two people. Aren't we supposed to be working together as a team?"

"She has a point," Tuff said.

"Fine," said Snotlout. "I'll do it with you this time." Everyone returned to their positions.

"You'll never take him!" Ruff declared.

"I'll take care of this one!" Snotlout said as he ran towards Tuffnut.

"W-wait!" Eira said. "Maybe we should-"

"No time for talking. Just go!" Snotlout successfully tackled Tuff and pinned him to the floor. When he looked to the side, he saw that Ruff had captured Eira once again.

"Let him go or she gets it," Ruff said with a smirk.

Snotlout jumped off of Tuff and ran towards the girls. Ruff quickly got up, pulling Eira with her. At the last second, she pushed Eira forward and jumped to the side. Snotlout ran into the red-head, causing them both to tumble to the ground.

"And now we make our escape!" Tuff said triumphantly.

"You two don't have this 'work together' thing down," said Ruff.

Snotlout sprang to his feet when he realized he lay sprawled across Eira. He helped her up and then looked away awkwardly. "So, uh... I thought you knew how to fight."

"My goal was to rescue, not fight," Eira said quietly.

"And how did that work out for you?" He told himself to be patient with her, but he could not ignore his growing frustrations.

She frowned. "I didn't have time to think. Maybe you can just act and have it work out, but I need a moment to take in our options."

"Options are good," Ruff said.

"In a real scenario, you won't have time to stop and think," Snotlout said. "If you want to keep up with me, you need to learn to act first and think later."

"He's got a point there," said Tuff.

Eira shook her head. "We're supposed to work together. We need to find a way to compromise."

"We're experts at compromise," said Ruff.

"Why compromise when I'm always right?" said Snotlout.

"Except when he's not," said Tuff.

Snotlout glared at him. "Will you two shut up?"

Tuff appeared to look offended. "I thought you wanted our help!"

"We can see where we're not wanted," said Ruff.

Snotlout rolled his eyes as they stalked off. Then he turned back to Eira. "I think I need to show you what my strategy is all about. Once you understand, you'll see that I'm right."

Eira took a deep breath. "Only if you let me show you how do things. Then we can decide who's right."

Snoutlout could not help but admire the determination in her eyes. "Fine. It's a deal." Soon enough, he would have her on is side!

Eira did make an effort to learn from Snotlout. Even though much of what he showed her made her uncomfortable and went against her natural inclinations, she attempted to see things from his perspective. She could tell right away he was really into action and fighting his way to victory.

Honestly, it probably was the typical viking strategy. The problem was that Eira's people were not typical vikings. This meant she had the burden of proving that her way was worthwhile, and that started by making others feel heard.

She soon found this easier said than done. Snotlout's exercises and drills wore her out, and she could tell he noticed she slowly lost interest. She really was trying - but violence did not come naturally to her unless she was defending herself or a loved one. And she definitely needed to think through strategies before acting.

Finally, her turn arrived. It surprised her that Snotlout had actually relinquished control to her. He let her set the agenda for the day and followed her lead. They started off with a leisurely fly around the island. Then she found a peaceful meadow where they could talk.

Eira smiled as she watched Hookfang sniff a daisy. "This place is beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yeah, sure," said Snotlout. "What are we doing here exactly?"

"I thought this would be a nice place for me to explain the philosophy of my culture. Unlike you, I am not action oriented, so it is better if we talk about it first."

Snotlout looked like he wanted to object, but he simply crossed his arms and said: "Fine. Explain away."

Eira smiled. "Thank you. The people of Torvald believe in a concept of harmony that states two things that are opposite exist together within individuals, and therefore opposites may coexist between individuals."

Snotlout furrowed his eyebrows. "That doesn't make any sense. You can't be something and its opposite at the same time, like strong and weak."

"Are you sure about that? How about water? When we first met, you assumed water is soft and weak - which it very well can be - but hasn't Swiftwings shown you it can also be hard and strong?"

Snotlout frowned. "What about fire?"

"Fire can be very destructive and dangerous. It spreads quickly and consumes everything in its path. But it can give life as well as it can take it. Fire keeps us warm in the winter and cooks meat to make it safe to eat. The differences between these two sides are more extreme in fire than water, and it is often the case that those with the most potential for evil also hold the most potential for good." She motioned to Swiftwings and Hookfang. "Just as dragons can be our worst enemy or our greatest ally."

"Even if you're right, I still fail to see how this applies to fighting bad guys."

His eyebrows knit together as if he were trying hard to understand but could not quite grasp the concept. Eira could tell she was losing him in the abstract. She bit back her frustration and focused on finding a way to make it easy for him to understand. "If you can obviously see something in your opponent - whether a trait or emotion - you can infer the opposite and use your reason to pull it out and restore balance."

Snotlout shook his head. "You're still not making sense. What is your strategy to win? It'd be much easier if you and your dragon just rushed in and attacked."

Eira held in a sigh. "Easier isn't always better. I can't tell you what my strategy would be in a general situation because it depends on the details. Whether to talk or attack... that takes practice to senses what's right. What I can do is show you how to relax so you can better make that decision in the moment." She shook off the doubts that it wouldn't do any good. This boy was new to her ideas; of course he would be confused at first.

Snotlout shrugged. "I don't see what good it will do, but knock yourself out. I have nothing better to do."

This time Eira did sigh. She was glad he liked her or else she doubted she would even get this much cooperation from him. She hoped she had not bitten off more than she could chew.