"I can't believe you two let it escape!" Astrid barked. She flew in formation side by side with the rest of the riders.
"I can.. Idiot! We worked for hours to get it contained!" Ruffnut reached out and began whaling her brother. Who tried to defend himself from his sister's punching onslaught.
"Well fighting's not going to retrieve it." Eret spoke up, breaking up the fight. Ruff gave her brother one final pounding before turning her attention to the task at hand.
"Let's split up, block off its path. We'll herd it back that way." Hiccup ordered.
The group of six riders split from one another as they begin to chase down the loose dragon. As Hiccup had hoped, the stray dragon would turn its course after a rider blocked off its path. Slowly but steadily, they began making their way back towards the arena.
"So...How did the test go?: Astrid had asked as she flew alongside Hiccup, blocking off an escape route. They were able to close ranks now that the path was closing.
"Well..." Hiccup began, but Astrid cut him off.
"I knew it! I knew she couldn't be trusted.." Astrid hissed, gripping her saddle bar tightly.
"The thing is, she never managed to get in the saddle. Thanks to Snotlout and Tuffnut." Hiccup finally admitted, flinching when Astrid shot him a glare.
"Test? Nobody said there'd be a test involved." Ruffnut cut in, misery in her voice at the thought as she joined ranks.
"For the new kid. Seemed kinda panicky. And scrawny. Actually they reminded me of you at that age, Hiccup." Tuffnut snidely remarked with a nasally chortle. Ruffnut chimed in with laughter as well.
"He was a scrawny, panicky mess." Ruff agreed to the memory.
"Thank you for reminding me..." Hiccup sighed in defeat as he briefly hunched over in his saddle.
The others closed in and formed an arc. Blocking the dragon's escape as they began to herd it back to the arena. As it tried to lash out, they would break rank to avoid injury before retaliating with a blast of fire. Motivating the Nadder in the direction they wanted.
"Alright. Let's go in at this nice and slow." Hiccup ordered. They broke formation and began to approach the Nadder with caution. Making it impossible for it to stay aloft as they made their descent.
"Look out!" Astrid shouted. The Nadder shot a blast aiming right for the twins. They broke ranks, narrowly avoiding the sudden attack.
"That was close.." Ruffnut sighed as they glanced back at the scorch mark on the side of the mountain above the arena.
The Nadder had turned and shrieked. It was about to make a break for a weak point in the formation when a sudden blast from nowhere blocked off its path. Valka had approached them astride Cloudjumper.
"I had a feeling you would need help." She flew in overhead, blocking the Nadder's escape.
The sound of rocks cracking and breaking apart from the scorched rubble was heard. The Nadder dove for the arena. Hiccup looked towards the sound as he noticed the path the boulders were falling.
"Come on Toothless!" Hiccup shouted in panic. He tucked himself tight against his saddle as Toothless jack knifed into a nosedive.
Renee watched the action playing out above her as they tried to herd the dragon back to the arena. She was mesmerized by their flying acrobatics. She hardly noticed Valka had left her behind to join them. Her instincts told her to run upon seeing not only the rogue dragon diving towards the arena. But a rock slide following close behind. She stood in place, frozen in fear like a deer caught in headlights. It was the Nadder that made landfall first, right above Renee. This prompted immediate reaction from her. She ducked, pulling the cloak around her tight as if thinking it would shield her. Then she heard it. The sound of dragon fire followed shortly by the sound of rocks pummeling the ground. She wasn't sure if she was dead.
"Are you alright?" Hiccup shouted towards the curled up youth as he made landfall.
Hearing his voice, she pressed her hands against her face and arms. Checking for injuries. She then emerged from beneath the heavy cloak as she looked out. It was the deadly looking clawed feet she saw first. When she looked up and saw how close she was to the rogue dragon. She immediately scrambled to her feet and ran as fast as she could for the arena entrance. The others had landed. Blocking her exit. Falling back, she could see there was no escape.
"I thought you were kidding. She really DOES resemble Hiccup. Bet she squeals like him at that age too." Snotlout sniggered.
Renee scooted away, not liking the sound of whatever Snotlout had planned.
"So this is the new recruit? Not much to look at.." An unfamiliar voice spoke.
Renee had looked up. Surrounding her were new faces. She recognized Snotlout, Tuffnut, and the irate glare that belonged to Astrid. But before her was a portly looking young man. A female version of Tuffnut whom she assumed were twins. And a broad-framed strapping young man among their ranks.
"Wait, what? Recruit? No. She's no.. No. Before Snotlout and Tuffnut let the Nadder escape, I was trying to see if we could trust her." Hiccup flustered as he dismounted his saddle.
"She's not going to be staying long anyway.. Right Hiccup?" Astrid looked towards him.
"Depends on whether we can get her back to where she belongs." Hiccup admitted with a hopeless shrug.
"Perhaps Eret's on to something." Valka mused. Since having watched the dragon protect the child, the gears in her mind have been turning.
The thought of riding on the back of a dragon made Renee feel ill to her stomach. If she couldn't hold herself on a rollercoaster. She didn't think she could take the adrenaline rushing G-force of a dragon.
"Absolutely not." Hiccup contended.
"And why shouldn't we give her a chance? She might be what your young Nadder needs." Valka gave her son a convincing smile.
"Her? The rogue? Partners? It's a bit too advanced for someone like her. Mom.." Hiccup argued. His mind was already made up. But it seemed to him that his mother had other ideas. He was beginning to understand what his own father went through raising him.
"Perhaps. But opposites have a funny way of attracting and balancing each other out. Those same forces brought you and Toothless together." She defended.
Hiccup paused. He looked to the black dragon that was ever his second shadow. Remembering what it was like to be afraid, trying to find his place in his lot with the others. Then it all changed the moment he encountered Toothless.
"You're going to let a fishbone train a rogue Nadder? This aught to be good for some laughs. She won't last a day!" Snotlout laughed.
"I give her a week." Tuffnutt chimed in.
"Care to put a wager on that?" Snotlout looked towards him with a grin.
"I'll give you— two axes and a mace if she quits by the end of the week." Tuffnut offered up.
"Already got three. And I've got my eye on a mace for Snoggletogg. But that blanket of yours is tempting." Snotlout chuckled.
"No! MY blanket was not part of the deal!" Tuffnut stomped his feet in objection, only to be shoved aside.
"You've got a deal!" Ruffnut chimed in.
"Guys!" Hiccup called out to the argument before him. "No one is quitting because she's not going to be a dragon rider." Hiccup had made it clear that this was too dangerous, even for any of them. They've tried all week to get the dragon tamed so they could control it. And every advancement left someone bruised, beaten, or bleeding.
Renee painfully listened as the others mocked her physique. While placing bets on when she would quit. It felt like being called hiccup by her uncle and the others all over again. She knew she was a doormat. She knew she couldn't stand up for herself, let alone others. She wanted nothing more than to wake up from this nightmare. To be back in her safe, warm bed. Under the same roof she shared with her parents. But she was in a bizarre back water world with deadly consequences at every turn. If she was going to survive and make it back to New York in one piece, she was going to have to stop being a baby and woman up.
"I'll do it." She forced herself to agree to the idea. Standing to her feet. She didn't like it anymore than Hiccup, but she had to put forth every effort. Her mind wondered what the worst possible outcome would be. If she were to fail this like she had failed the trust exercise. But then she reminded herself that this would be a chance to prove not only to the others. But to herself as well that she can do something and come out on top instead of being a disaster.
"Looks like she's made up her mind, son." Valka smiled.
"No. Absolutely not. It's too dangerous." Hiccup continued. Helpless in the argument.
"I've been afraid... All my life. If I can tame this dragon, then I can tame my fears." Renee bargained. She looked at Hiccup firmly.
"Oh Gods.." He muttered to himself, pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation.
"Alright, fine. You win. But you've got to understand that it's not fun and games training a dragon. There are skills you need to learn that will benefit both you and your partner in the field." He spoke up to her as if he were teaching a class. His voice carried over the arena as he talked.
"Your first lesson is to try and earn your dragon's trust. To earn the trust of a Deadly Nadder, there are two methods. You can approach from behind. And gently smooth its quills down—" Hiccup was interrupted. He glanced over towards Renee.
"Pass.." Renee gulped. She could see how sharp those barbs looked along its tail. She remembered the deadly accuracy of Astrid's Nadder with those barbs. She didn't think she had the courage to do this. If horses bucked when you approached them from behind. She didn't wanna know what would happen if she approached a Nadder from behind.
"The second method is to sneak up on its blind spot and give its jaw a hearty scratch." Hiccup continued.
"One question.." Renee held her hand up. "Where exactly is a Nadder's blind spot?"
"That's up for you to discover on your own." He crossed his arms. Of course he wouldn't let her get hurt. If he had to, he would step in before things got out of hand. But she had to learn this on her own. There would be no one helping her.
"The important thing a rider must do when training their dragon, is to name it. To name a dragon is to bond with it." Hiccup continued, watching Renee begin a slow approach. The Nadder seemed preoccupied with preening.
"A name?" She replied as she turned to look back at Hiccup, only to duck in reflex when she heard the Nadder shriek. She looked towards the dragon that was to be her partner. His colors were darker than the other Nadders she had seen on the island. Electric blue ringlets highlighted against his dark purple scales. She then glanced up as the sound of thunder rolled across the skies. Announcing another storm approaching. Dark clouds were rolling in and she felt she had an idea.
"I've got it.." She spoke to herself as she continued her advance on the dragon.
"I'm going to call you, Thunderhead!" She proudly declared as she stood before the dragon. The Nadder then turned his attention on her. It tilted its head. With a sudden burst of speed, it charged after her. Renee had no choice but to turn around and retreat. Running for her life while the dragon chased after her like an angry rooster nipping at her from behind.
"Definitely not his blind spot!" She shouted as she ran, trying to avoid being bit all the while trying to run through an obstacle course of debris. She dove head first over a water trough before huddling behind it in fear. She panted, holding her hands over her head. Fearing being bit or worse. Missing her opportunity to try and scratch its jaw as the dragon's head hovered over her.
"This is going to take a while.." Hiccup sighed to himself as he glanced towards Toothless beside him. He glanced towards the others, laughing at the spectacle. He then got an idea.
"Besides dragon training. You are going to go through bravery training." Hiccup announced.
"Bravery training?" Renee repeated, poking her head up from behind the trough in disbelief.
"Yes. Bravery training. Training a dragon alone, won't help you to be brave. You need extra help. And for that Astrid is—"
"Absolutely not.." In a huff, Astrid was off. Fleeing the arena. She didn't want anything to do with the new kid.
Seeing Astrid leave, Valka followed after her.
"Oh..kay.. Fishlegs. You're going to teach her what you know about being brave." Hiccup then announced. It was clear something was not right with Astrid. He understood that she has trust issues. But this was a whole new level of mystery.
"Me? But what do I know about being brave?" Fishlegs asked. Unaware he was already ignoring the coarse sounds of Snotlout's taunting laughter. It grew louder.
"Fishface? Are you serious? He's scared half to death every time we're in battle! If anyone should be teaching anyone about being brave, it should be me." He boasted, striking his thumb against his chest.
"You're absolutely right Snotlout." Hiccup acknowledged.
"I am?" Snotlout looked on, confused. Only to puff his chest out when he realized that they appreciated his idea for once.
"He is?" The group rang out collectively. Wondering if their chief had lost his marbles.
"Every one of us has something that helps us focus in the line of fire. And it can help her feel stronger about herself. I believe that this knowledge will help." Hiccup explained as Renee finally rejoined them in the middle of the arena.
"Do you think it can work?" Renee had asked, not feeling secure about the idea. Hiccup's friends were intimidating looking to her. She wasn't sure if she could trust some of them, either.
"I have faith it will work. You just need to build up some self confidence. That's all." Hiccup reassured her.
Renee looked up at Hiccup. She could sense he believed in her. But she didn't exactly have that much faith in herself. She watched as he retrieved a helmet from his saddle and placed it on her head.
The helmet was heavy against her head. It slid down over her eyes. The horns on either side were small, and inverted compared to the others' helmets.
"If you're going to go through dragon training, you're going to need a helmet." He explained, smiling as it sunk down around her eyes.
Renee had grabbed the helmet by one of its inverted horns. Lifting it to where she could see.
"Now you look like a rider." He praised.
Renee couldn't help but to force a smile. She had this awful gut feeling she was going to go through hell. And she had agreed to it.
Foot falls approaching the arena in a hurry had drawn her attention. She looked up and saw her for the first time. She was taller than her, but scrawny like her. With each flex of her arms, she could see an undertone of muscle. She wore her long cornsilk hair in a single thick braid that bounced with her gate. The teen had to be no less than a year older than her.
"I'm afraid dragon training has canceled for the day, Helga. At least until we get the arena cleaned and repaired." Hiccup announced. The riders had dispersed around them. Already getting to work removing boulders to clear the floor.
The other teen had locked eyes with Renee as she approached them. Renee gulped, recoiling in fear at the death stare the other teen gave her. She pondered whether everyone there had it out for her.
"This.. Outsider didn't have anything to do with this.. Did he?" The teen, named Helga sneered. Her voice honeyed, with an undertone of death. It was clear to Renee that the teen towered a solid foot and a half over her. She shrank in her shadow. Renee did not want to get into a fist fight the first day. It was not her idea of a good first impression.
"No, actually it was your cousin and Tuffnut. She's going to be joining your class." Hiccup announced.
"Wait.. Him! You can't be serious! He's not one of us!" Helga whined. She didn't exactly take to the idea of a stranger learning their secrets.
Renee had then picked up on Helga's pronunciation. She had confused her for a male.
"Take it up with Valka.. It was her idea, not mine." Hiccup sighed. He watched as the youth gave Renee one final glare before trudging off in defeat.
"You'll have to forgive Helga. Not all Hooligans are as accepting of outsiders among their ranks. We will have to get you into proper clothing. Those rags you're wearing now won't protect you from Berk's harsh summer winds. And as long as you stay with us, that means you walk like us. You talk like us. You think like us. No more of… …This." He gestured non-specifically to her.
"But you just gestured to all of me..?" Renee had looked herself over before looking up at Hiccup with a confused look. Only to see a startled look in his eyes. A simple shake of his head had changed all that.
"As long as you stop looking and acting like you're from someplace else, and blend in. You'll fit in." Hiccup tried to recollect his point.
Renee understood exactly what he meant now. When in Rome as they always said.
"I wouldn't know one thing about being brave. But I do know how to ignore what people think about me."
Renee's start to Dragon Training began with trying to get Thunderhead's trust and it wasn't easy. She had tried several approaching methods. From rushing at him, which only turned into a game of chicken, to sneaking up to him from many angles. Finally when she ran back for the cover of the water trough, she looked up. She had remembered how he couldn't see her from the first time she hid there.
Seeing Thunderhead above, she reached up and gave his protruding jaw a hearty scratch. As if she were loving on a big dog back home. She beamed with excitement, up until she felt the dragon lift his mighty head. She hung on tight as he then began to shake his head, trying to dislodge her from his jaw. Finally she lost her grip as she was flung up against the wall. Her very breath escaped her as she slid down. Her helmet falling down around her eyes.
"If you ignore what others say about you, you'll feel better about yourself." Fishlegs explained as he picked up a large boulder from the earlier rockslide. As if on cue, Snotlout shouted from the sidelines.
"That's your big strategy? Ignoring?! Haha!" His mockery drew Renee's attention. Distracting her as she picked up a large rock to help. But when she looked at Fishlegs, she could see that his back had turned to Snotlout. Proving that he was ignoring the coarse words Snotlout shouted.
"If you can do that, you won't feel so out of place all the time." Fishlegs promised as they carried their debris towards the arena entrance.
"Look out!" Renee shouted, only to be too late. Fishlegs had stepped on a discarded hammer and had fumbled his footing. His body began spinning as he tried to regain his balance. He lost his grip on the boulder he was carrying as it then went flying, right at Snotlout!
"Mommy.." Snotlout whimpered as the boulder then collided into him. He flew back against the wall of the arena. This action prompted a wince from Renee as if feeling his pain from the impact.
"You okay?" She watched as Fishlegs picked himself up and dusted himself off.
"Happens more times than you think." He laughed.
"Do you think he is okay?" She then asked, looking towards a fatigued Snotlout.
"Oh yeah he's fine. He gets pummeled by Hookfang on a daily basis so he's built up a strength to deal with quite an impact." Fishlegs explained with a smile. He then picks up the hammer he tripped up on.
"When it comes to being brave. Nothing beats staring at your fear. And laughing at it." "And pranking it!"
By day two, Renee was trying to get her brand new dragon saddle on Thunderhead. Gobber, despite being intimidating looking to Renee. Was more than happy to help her with what she needed. Like with trying to earn Thunderhead's trust. It proved difficult and dangerous to saddle the rogue Nadder. She had tried to sneak up on him and throw the saddle on his back. But this action had again prompted the dragon to chase her. It was when the feeding trough in the arena filled with fish that she saw her chance.
Thunderhead grew distracted by the meal long enough for her to sneak up and throw the saddle on over his back. But before she could latch the cinch into place around his girth. Thunderhead noticed her and knocked her away with a sudden spread of his wings. Renee had tumbled back and watched as her hard work slid off the side of the Nadder with a loud thunk. Thunderhead emit a hearty squawk, as if mocking her.
"The best way to face your fear is to approach it head on." Tuffnut said as he and Ruffnut lead Renee across the arena.
"Our initial teaching method would have had Hiccup kill us. But this is the next best thing!" Ruffnut explained as they approached Hookfang.
"I'm afraid to ask. What was your first plan?" Renee wondered if it was better off not to ask.
"To seal you in a dark cave with fireworms." Tuffnut smirked. Renee had gulped. Oh yes, she was better off not knowing.
"But it was a little extreme. So we decided —" Ruff was cut off by her brother.
"The next best thing to facing something truly terrifying." The twins moved in front of Renee, blocking her view.
"The Monstrous Nightmare!" The both of them chimed in unison. They then separated, revealing Hookfang. He lifted his head, looking towards them with suspicion.
"Hookfang is a certified Monstrous Nightmare." Tuff said as the twins then got behind her. Before she realized it, they were pushing her towards the dragon. Renee dug her heels into the ground, bracing against any scattered rocks for leverage. But she was still pushed forward against her will.
"All you need to do is go right up to him. Tell him that YOU ARE NOT AFRAID!" Ruff shouted in Renee's ear.
"If you can tell that to a Monstrous Nightmare, you can stand up to any of your fears." Tuff said as the two then stepped back. Renee looked up at Hookfang who loomed over. She gulped as she spoke up.
"I am not a-afraid of you." She clenched her eyes shut.
"Louder!" Ruff called from behind.
"I don't think he heard you!" Tuff shouted.
"I am.. Not AFRAID!" She forced it out of herself as she opened her eyes, looking up at Hookfang.
"Yeah. That's right. I'm NOT afraid of you." She repeated, feeling pretty confident in herself for once. She could hear the twins cheering her on behind. Yet that confidence was soon short lived as she watched Hookfang lower his head towards her.
In a flash, she was staring down the throat of a dragon as Hookfang roared in her face. She froze up before she fell over where she stood, passed out from fear. Hookfang sniggered upon seeing this before returning to his interrupted nap.
"Well... It almost worked." Ruff said. The twins shrugged between each other.
"You wanna know what makes me brave? First, you've gotta be strong.."
Renee was escorted back to the Haddock house. Simply to play it safe the first few nights after training. Vikings were still on edge having another outsider among their ranks. And Hiccup didn't want to risk any trouble. She had found herself making camp on the floor of the main room nearest the fire pit during her stay. Using her backpack as a pillow and a spare sleeping fur as her blanket.
In the time that she was there, she had learned that Hiccup was chief of this quiet viking settlement. Having only come into reign one year ago. She already knew he was a better chief than her uncle was. And she found herself looking up to him with respect seeing how he governed his village.
By the fourth day, Renee was finally in proper viking apparel. She wore a brown fur tunic on top of a rather itchy green knitted wool shirt. A skirt of buckskin leather clung to her waist from a spike lined belt. A second skirt of steel-blue cloth fell loose over leather pants. Which tucked into fur lined leather boots. These boots came up to her shins. Brown cloth wrapped tight around her forearms in the form of bracers. Each bit of cloth wrapped between her thumb and index finger. The clothes she wore were much nicer than the rags her uncle had provided for her.
She finally had her saddle on Thunderhead as well after several tries. Today would be the day she would try and get in the saddle. She was excited that she hardly noticed her body ached from her training. Presenting Thunderhead with a rather large cod, she approached him.
"Thatta boy. Nice juicy fish all for you." She spoke soft, holding it out to him by its gills. Once Thunderhead took the fish, she proceeded to try and get in the saddle while he was distracted. Left foot in the stirrup, she hoisted herself up gently against the great beast's body. She smiled to herself as she looked down at Thunderhead from the side of the saddle. All was going according to plan. With her weight against Thunderhead, she didn't go unnoticed.
He whipped his head around, tilting it to get a better look at her. He then reached back with his beak and with a yank, popped her off the saddle. She dangled upside down below him. Thunderhead held onto her by the seat of her pants, her arms crossed over her chest.
"It can't get any worse.." Finally a loud triumphant shriek bellowed from Thunderhead. She fell to the ground with a loud thud.
"No, no, no! You gotta lift with your legs!" Snotlout shouted. He watched in comfort from the distance. His idea of teaching Renee to be brave was to be strong. If you were strong, everyone feared you. At least ..that was the idea. And that entitled back breaking labor.
Renee had to lug boulders far bigger than her chest from one area of the arena to the other. Finally her body couldn't take it any more. She fell forward on top of the boulder she was trying to carry. She didn't think all these lessons were working at all.
"Maybe letting Snotlout teach was a bad idea.. Huh bud?" Hiccup stood at the entrance of the arena. He glanced towards Toothless who in agreement, shook his head. Hiccup then entered the arena. Approaching where Snotlout was reclining against the water trough.
"I told you to teach her, not do your chores." Hiccup barked as he stood over Snotlout, blocking his view.
"What? I'm teaching her! She's a limp noodle, Hiccup! How can she feel proud of herself if she's a twig?" Snotlout defended his teaching. He got to his feet.
"Well, yeah.. Okay you've got some what of a point. But a boulder? Snotlout?" Hiccup argued.
"And that's the point!" Snotlout returned.
"Look, you gotta crawl, before you can run!" He explained as he gestured towards Renee who was at this point pushing the rock to her best ability.
"I ..Think she has the basic idea behind your lesson." Hiccup sighed. Renee finally gave up on trying to push the boulder as she lay sprawled over the top of it, panting from exhaustion.
"To be brave, you must be able to defend yourself before you can defend others."
Renee stood before Thunderhead. Her shoulders hunched. She stared him down. Thunderhead looked up from preening himself towards her. She was beaten, bruised, and humiliated all week by this dragon. Normally she would have given up by now. Much like she did with horseback riding when she was seven. But with a newfound sense of moral building inside of her, she was not going to give up so easily.
"I am not going to be humiliated by an overgrown reptile." Renee announced. She began to approach Thunderhead.
Offering food to him didn't work. Being nice didn't work. It was time she tried being authoritative. She had to stand her ground.
At first it appeared as though he was going to let her approach him this time empty handed. She hadn't gotten but two feet away from him before he spread his wings threateningly and began to rush her.
Renee had tried to stand her ground. But her self preservation instincts were still too powerful. She turned and once more began to make a bee line for the watering trough. She huddled behind it, waiting for Thunderhead to give up on looking for her.
The trough began to tip as water sloshed over the side and spilled over her shoulders. Before she could peer over the trough, Thunderhead managed to knock it over. The water spread out everywhere, soaking Renee and the ground. Thunderhead taunted her with his squawk like laughter.
"It's official. My dragon… Is a jerk." Renee sulked, only to glance towards him. A wry smirk crossed her lips as she flicked her hand towards him. Water sprayed him in the face. He shook his mighty head before turning away.
"I told you, I can't fight." Renee argued. Eret stood before her.
"When I'm through with you, you will be able to hold a sword to defend yourself. You can't rely on your dragon to protect you. He won't always be there." Eret explained. Withdrawing his blades, he handed one of his swords to her.
Hiccup walked along the edge of the arena, observing the two. It's been near a week since Renee had immersed herself into their culture. She was already starting to blend in with them, as if she were meant to be one of them. He observed as Renee took the sword with her left, then put it in her right.
"Jet said the same thing." Renee scoffed. She tried to hold her own against Eret.
The fighting seemed to go on for an hour. Renee was knocked off her feet more times than she could count. She lay on the floor where she had fallen, trying to collect her breath before Hiccup came into view. Slowly she rose to her feet.
"I think I know the problem." He interjected. Taking Renee's sword, he forced it into her left hand.
"Try it with this hand instead." Hiccup offered as he stepped back.
Renee flinched when she spotted Eret coming at her. To her surprise his sword bounced off hers when she raised her blade to block. It felt natural for her as she moved her blade with the flick of her wrist. Blocking and swinging the blade to keep up with Eret.
Out of the peripheral of her vision, she could see Helga and two other teens watching from the bleachers. Distracting her enough for Eret to knock her off her feet yet again.
"But, how did you know?" Renee had asked, her breathing hastened as she got back up.
"Happened with me too. Once I stopped listening to what they demanded, and followed what felt natural, it all came through for me." Hiccup explained.
Hiccup approached, standing in Eret's place. Renee took stance. Uncertain of facing off with Hiccup. She watched in fascination as his blade extended and locked into place.
"That's your sword?" Renee had asked in amazement.
"A little something I invented. It's mostly a tool used for dragon training. But it has come in handy. Like Eret said, you can't always rely on your dragon to be there for you." Hiccup explained. He spun his blade around deftly. Taking her moment of awestruck he lunged at her.
The two scuffled across the arena. Renee found it hard to keep up with Hiccup. For a viking with one leg he was always two steps faster than her. When she thought it couldn't get more difficult, he lit the blade on FIRE. She was facing a primitive LIGHTSABER.
"Now you're just showing off!" Renee laughed nervously. She could feel the heat wafting off the blade as their swords collided.
"I didn't call it the Inferno for just any old reason." Hiccup admitted with a roll of his shoulders.
The blades locked once more as Renee struggled against Hiccup's strength. Her feet were beginning to give way beneath her. She struggled to stand. Seeing this, Hiccup took advantage and swung his left leg out, knocking Renee onto her back.
She landed with a loud thud and lay where she fell. There was a new feeling coming through the pain. Was this what accomplishment felt like? She was beginning to enjoy the glowing feeling. Hiccup soon entered her vision with a stretched hand. He jerked her to her feet the moment she took his offered hand.
"Maybe now I can show my uncle I'm not as useless as he thinks." She beamed with pride.
"You've still a long way to go. But I am seeing progress in your training." Hiccup smiled. Retracting his blade he reattached it back on his right thigh.
Renee smiled. She then glanced back up to the bleachers where the teens were watching. Tomorrow she was to begin the real dragon training. She had an uneasy feeling that they weren't going to accept her as easily as Hiccup and his friends have.
Author's Note: Helga Jorgenson finally makes her first appearance. I held out for as long as I could by not making her canon to this AU. But I'm a sucker for the "Bully becomes best friends with protagonist" trope. And the "Bully becomes the love interest of the protagonist" trope. I'm weak.