Guys, I can't thank you enough for the overwhelming support on just the first chapter. I'm not going to lie, the How To Train Your Dragon fandom is my favorite one to write for because you are all so great! I've decided to start working on this chapter to get over my excitement for the upcoming release of the movie trailer for the second movie. If you haven't heard (and don't mind a few spoilers), head on over to Berk's Grapevine and see what they've got there; it's neat!

Review Replies:

Midnight' Dragon Conqueror: Well…I tried. Hope this was quick enough.

Guest (anonymous): Thank you very much!

Guest (anonymous): There will be Hiccstrid. Most definitely. It's not a How To Train Your Dragon story without that. Haha. When writing (or reading), my guidelines are 75% action and 25% romance. It works out well that way. As for the speeds, I was basing it off the races from Riders of Berk (the TV show) where Stormfly and Toothless were closely matched in speed. Perhaps Hiccup is holding Toothless back in those races, but I sense that he also has a competitive nature (as seen briefly in the episode about Thawfest).

Next chapter starts…now!


Chapter 2: Encouragement

Astrid and the others had started to head back to the Dragon Academy when she noticed that Hiccup was no longer with that. When she glanced backward, she noticed that he was still standing by Gobber. Something must be up and Astrid figured that they should go see what was going on. Clearing her throat slightly, Astrid caught the attention of the two other boys and they walked back to Hiccup and Gobber.

"So…" Hiccup sounded nervous. What is going on? "What do you need to talk to me about?" Oh. Astrid knew that Hiccup did not like it very much when someone told him that they needed to talk with him. She could not imagine how that would feel, those lingering feelings from back when the village looked down on him like he was not better than the dragons they had mercilessly hunted and slaughtered.

"I guess I don't really need to talk to you. I just have a message to deliver to you really quick. Your father is the one who wants to talk with you. He told me that you are to go see him immediately."

Astrid watched on silently as Hiccup paled slightly. She knew that it shouldn't be that bad. Talking to her own father was not a hard thing to do, but Hiccup and Stoick were still working to mend their relationship which had weakened greatly over the years.

"Um…yeah, I'll get right on that," Hiccup replied, stumbling slightly in nervousness over his words. Gobber left to begin on untangling Barf, Belch, and the twins. Hiccup took a deep breath and turned back to his friends. "Well, we can end for the day or Astrid can run the academy until I get back from talking with my father."

Before Snotlout and Fishlegs could give their own opinions, Astrid spoke up. "I'll run the academy. It'll be fun." She saw Hiccup give a small grateful smile which she returned. "Snotlout, Fishlegs, go on ahead to the academy. I'll be there in a minute."

Knowing better to argue with Astrid, the two left quickly. Though Astrid's attitude had softened greatly since the war between dragons and Vikings ended, she still had a temper and everyone who knew who knew better than to infuriate her.

Astrid made sure the boys were on their way to the academy before turning her attention back to Hiccup. The head dragon trainer was still standing where he had been as if rooted to that very spot. "Hiccup, are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm okay."

"Then why are you shaking?" Astrid knew that she had won. Though slight, she could see that he was shaking as if his very nerves were trembling.

"Because…because I'm cold?" Hiccup replied, but his tone made it sound as if his answer was more of a question.

"Uh-huh…" Astrid slowed her reply, a clear sign that she did not believe what he was saying. "You know that you can tell me what is bothering you."

She could see Hiccup finally crack. Yes, he did have the stubbornness of any Berk Viking, but there were always limits and he had clearly reached his. "It's just…hard to talk with my father. We've been trying, you know, to mend the tattered bond between us, but it's still awkward. Most times, we still just ignore each other anyway. What could he possibly want to say to me?"

It was like watching a dam break down. Hiccup, usually so calm and confident when leading the academy, let all his emotions gush out, all the feelings that had been building up for who knows how long.

"Hiccup, it's going to be hard and, yes, awkward. Fixing something like this is, but if you both don't take time to just talk to each other, it will never fix and, if it does, it will take much longer than it should."

With a sigh, Hiccup gave in. "I guess you're right, Astrid."

"Of course I am." Seriously, did you ever really doubt me, Hiccup? "Now, the longer you stand here and think about this talk, the more stressed you will feel. Just go and see what your father wants. I mean, it can't be that bad." She could see that Hiccup looked absent-minded, as if he was not entirely listening and was, instead, lost in his thoughts. "Hiccup, did you even hear a word I said?"

"Uh…yeah, sure. You said to…um…just go and talk to my father and stop worrying so much about it."

Either Hiccup really had been paying attention or just knew her too well. Astrid figured that it was the latter. "Go on, you know where to find me when you're done. I'll be at the academy with Snotlout and Fishlegs…and maybe the twins if Gobber gets them untangled and they don't kill each other first." Astrid turned to head back to the academy but was quickly stopped by Hiccup.

"Astrid, thank you. I feel a little better about this talk now."

"It'll be fine, Hiccup. Come back and see us at the academy when you get done." To Hiccup it may have sounded like Astrid requested this to have him talk over whatever he was about to hear with her so that he would feel relieved after the serious talk with his father. In reality, though, Astrid was just curious about what was so important that the village chief summoned his son and interrupted him from running the academy.


Not much to say about the chapter. Although, I said this probably wouldn't be out until Saturday, I needed something to take my mind off things. The official trailer for the second movie comes out tomorrow. Do you know how freaking excited I am for that? Hint: That's another reason why this chapter is so early! I'm sure no one is complaining, though, am I right?

Next chapter: I'm going to say the next chapter will be up when I mentioned (Saturday after 10 PM US East Coast time).

As always, thank you all for reading and supporting Wheel in the Sky!