Time to return to Astrid. Has she managed to figure out a trick to teaching the others at the Academy? Let us find out! Well…yeah, I'll just skip to the RRs. I never have anything to say anymore!

Review Replies:

Ferdoos: Thanks!

kitty.0: I would love to just write some stories about younger Hiccup and his mom, but I never know what to write about!

aaquater: Yes, it is quite a small island. Why do you get that feeling? Maybe because the island has that weird "deserted island" feeling? Haha.

lucas andrade.311056: Good question! I have about half of this story planned out so far. My planning is done chapter by chapter, so I know roughly what I want to happen in each chapter. Of course, things (such as the Hiccup flashback) come to me as I'm writing and then I decide whether or not to add them based on if they fit the style of the current chapter. As for when I write, I base my ETAs around my work schedule, which varies slightly on a weekly basis.

Guest (anonymous): Hiccup-sickness…I love it! Guess Astrid is an inventor too! The twig/leaf idea is meant as a temporary solution, so, no, it wouldn't hold up in strong winds. Another storm could possibly mean a more desperate situation for Hiccup and Toothless. We've seen little Astrid (in the TV series) so we could do for some little Hiccup. I'd like to see a visualization of Stoick's line "From the time he could crawl, he's been…different." P.S. Excellent questions. We'll find out soon enough, I suppose. Maybe even within the next several chapters. Now, it's time for more Astrid drama!

Next chapter starts…now!


Chapter 12: To Be A Leader

It has been almost a week since Astrid took over teaching classes at the Academy. Actually, it had been exactly five days and she had made little progress since day one. There had been several days already where Astrid had taught her daily lesson, but she was unsure exactly how much of the training Snotlout and the twins had actually retained. Maybe it's time for a quiz. Still, what good is that going to do? It's not like they'll be graded on it. Pass or fail, we're all still Vikings of Berk anyway.

Astrid found it increasingly harder and harder to wake herself up each morning. Her dreams were no longer nightmares, but, instead, blissful memories or visions of life with her boyfriend. Gods, how she missed him still! I wonder if he has made it to that island yet. If not, he should be getting close. It's been over a week since he left Berk.

A call from nearby brought Astrid from her thoughts. It was her mother, telling her to come eat some breakfast. Astrid's parents were well aware of their daughter's new position as temporary leader of the Berk Dragon Academy and they always did their best to support her. Entering the room where the Hofferson family ate their meals, Astrid took a seat and silently began to eat the food that had been prepared for her. As she thought ahead to the day before her, another day trying her best to teach lessons at the Academy, Astrid sighed.

She had hoped that her parents would not notice, but she had no such luck. "What troubles you, Astrid?" her mother asked her.

Pushing some of her food across her plate, Astrid, without looking up, answered, "I dunno…it's just…I guess that I expected leading the Academy to be so much easier. Hiccup makes it look so simple and, now…I just feel that he's going to return to Berk and see that I did not manage to accomplish anything while he was gone. I don't know what to do…how to effectively lead the classes every day."

Her parents took their seats at the table and Astrid knew that this had somehow turned into an advice chat. She was well familiar with such circumstances; her parents had used this method to give her advice from the time she was small and, most of the time, it did help her to feel much better.

"Being a leader, Astrid," her father began, "is never easy. Have you ever thought about why Hiccup seems to make leading classes look so easy?" Seeing his daughter shake her head slightly in response, he continued, "Let's think about it then. What makes Hiccup so good at leading classes? Or, better yet, what do you know about Hiccup? What type of person is he, Astrid?"

Her father's voice was soft, gently pushing her to answer. Yet, Astrid was hesitant. What type of answer did her father want her to give him? "Well…Hiccup is…" She paused slightly, wondering how she could possibly describe her boyfriend. "…kind, compassionate, and patient. I tried that, but…"

Astrid was cut off by her father. "Yes, Hiccup's personality is one that helps him. From what I've seen, the boy is resilient; he can bounce back no matter what is thrown at him. However, that is not all I'm saying. What else do you know about him, Astrid?"

Might as well state the obvious… "He's the one Viking on Berk who best understands dragons. I mean, he did teach me most of what he knows, but…"

"Yes," her father interrupted again, nodding slightly, "being knowledgeable about the topic you are teaching is helpful. What about Hiccup's heritage?"

Astrid could feel herself starting to get frustrated. You already know the answer to that question, so why are you asking me? "He's the son of our chief. Come on, everyone knows that. What message are you trying to tell me? Why are you asking me to sit here and analyze my boyfriend?"

"What I'm saying is that Hiccup has grown up in the shadow of a respected leader for his entire life. Being a leader is something that is in his blood, so naturally he would be good at it."

"Well, that makes sense," Astrid sighed, sarcastically.

"But," her father continued, "It's not just because he's a naturally-born leader that makes Hiccup good at leading the Academy. It's a combination of all that you just mentioned and more. Hiccup has developed his own style and it works; his style, one probably forged through years of hardships and set-backs, captures the attention of your friends and that is why they listen to him. I know what you're going to say," he said quickly, seeing that Astrid was ready to again retaliate, "I've often heard you say that it seems as if Hiccup 'gives in' too much, that he does not have a strong backbone. That is one important part of being a leader. You will have to make decisions, difficult decisions that will impact everyone. There will always be resistance to your choices, but, if your choices benefit the majority, then some sacrifices have to be made. Do you understand better now, Astrid?"

Thinking about what she just heard, Astrid nodded slightly. "Yeah, I think so. I guess I can try that. Thank you." Standing up, she left her house and headed in the direction of the Academy. On her way, she whistled for Stormfly and mounted her dragon once the Nadder arrived at her side.

As they flew toward the Academy, Astrid remembered back to a night almost a week ago. The nightmare she'd had about Hiccup's death was still fresh in her mind, though she had attempted to push it to the back and not think about it. However, now, she felt uneasy. Something about the nightmare just didn't feel right; it had felt too real. She wondered if she should make known how she felt. I shouldn't be worrying. Hiccup is okay, isn't he? Still the feeling lingered, pressing on her, not letting her forget what she had seen that night. She knew what she had to do. Patting Stormfly, Astrid leaned down, whispering new instructions to her obedient dragon.

Not even a moment later, Stormfly touched down and Astrid jumped off, walking over to the door that stood in front of her. She was hesitant to knock, knowing that the person inside would, most likely, not like what she had to say, but it had to be done. Softly, she knocked and waited for confirmation to enter, words that came quickly after she had dropped her arm. Pushing the door open just enough to enter, Astrid entered a dark home. This surprised her a little. She had been here a few times and there was usually more candlelight than this.

Walking forward, she found the person she was looking for, seated in a chair near the fire pit. This was not the first time she had entered the home to see him seated here. In fact, this time felt very similar to the last.

"What brings you here today, Astrid? I thought you would be over at the Academy teaching the classes for Hiccup."

"I was just heading that way, actually, but…" she paused, realizing that she had been speaking quite quickly. Composing herself, Astrid started again. "Chief…there's something I need to tell you…"


I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to get this up tonight as promised because my dad shut off the internet connection for the afternoon. However, here it is. I hope you enjoyed.

Coming Up Next: Hiccup explores inland on the island. What will he find when he leaves the beach?

Next chapter: I'll probably try to have it posted Saturday after 10 PM US East Coast time.

Thanks for reading and supporting Wheel in the Sky!

Posted: March 10, 2014