"Dagur, you hand over the Dragon Eye," Hiccup ordered, and Gustav was surprised by the steadiness of his tone. Hiccup's anger and annoyance was evident in his voice, just as Gustav would have imagined. But what came as a surprise was the calm - the control, the collectedness. The younger viking, watching Dagur closely, saw him grin malevolently.
"I don't think so," he sang, waving the Dragon Eye tauntingly.
"I'm not asking," Hiccup replied flatly. Immediately, an odd sort of sound filled the air, a violet light began to glow, and before Gustav knew what was coming, it had happened. In a blast of blue-white light and searing heat, the ground before him fell away into nothingness, the yawning abyss just inches from Dagur's boots. Gustav flinched backwards, horrified, and watched as the smoke cleared to reveal Dagur's smiling face.
"Ooh," he commented, casually. "It's a long way down, isn't it?" he remarked, as Toothless fired another blast near his feet. He jumped out of the way again as Hiccup spoke.
"Dagur, you've got nowhere to go," Hiccup said, his words punctuated by another blast from his dragon, widening the gaping hole in the ground. Dagur again jumped back but remained unconcerned. "It's over," Hiccup pronounced.
"It's over?" Dagur echoed, and Gustav was astonished to see his grin, his casual attitude that bordered so closely on playfulness. "Really?" he questioned. Gustav only had time to think that Dagur really was deranged, before- "Whoops." The Dragon Eye fell from his grip, straight down into the deep chasm before him.
"Oh no!" Gustav cried, and without thinking, he jumped.
"Gustav!" he heard Hiccup shout frantically, and Dagur's insane laugh echoed ominously from above. But Gustav continued to fall through the air, steadily approaching the Dragon Eye, thinking only that if the thing was lost, it would be only his fault.
"Come here," he muttered, reaching out for the strange object that seemed to hold such importance. A second later, a longer reach, and then his hand closed around the Dragon Eye.
"Got it!" Gustav celebrated, doing a triumphant little summersault in midair. But his joy evaporated as he realized he was still falling steadily, toward what would no doubt be a very horrific end. Turning around, he clutched the Dragon Eye tightly, and looked to see a large black shape getting steadily closer.
"Hiccup!" Gustav called, reaching now for help. If his voice betrayed his fear, he didn't care at the moment. The wind rippled his hair and gravity pulled him relentlessly downward, but in a second, Hiccup was there, slender arm reaching out. Hiccup's hand wrapped around Gustav's arm in a surprisingly-strong grip, and then the boy was suddenly atop Toothless, safe and sound once more.
"We got you, Gustav," Hiccup told him reassuringly, and Gustav couldn't stop the little sigh of relief that escaped him then. "Let's get out of here," Hiccup said, and immediately, they began to rise, flying swiftly to the opening above. The light filtered down to them, the opening loomed closer, and Gustav felt his racing heart begin to slow to a normal pace. He loosened his vice-like grip on Hiccup, relaxing.
Crack.
Toothless roared in alarm, Hiccup tensed, and then- wham. A large bit of rock had fallen from the ceiling, and it struck the three of them with incredible force. They separated, and Gustav began to hurtle down an antechamber, Hiccup and Toothless blocked from view. He heard Hiccup scream as they plummeted, but his own voice seemed to have been stolen by the unexpected free-fall.
Then, Hiccup's screams ceased, and he called out instead, "Toothless!" The dragon in question roared fearfully in response, and the primal sound seemed to contain all of the horror Gustav himself was feeling. Was this how he would die? he wondered wildly. Alone in pitch darkness and stinging cold? Would he die instantly, or was he doomed to suffer a prolonged ordeal, injured and broken at the end of a bottomless pit?
"Don't worry, bud!" Hiccup's voice floated over to Gustav from behind a wall of rock, and though his platitudes were directed at Toothless, Gustav felt marginally less fearful. "Hang on, bud!" Hiccup called again, his shouts mingled with Toothless' agitated roars. And then, silence. What had happened?
Swallowing, Gustav screwed his eyes shut, fearing the worst. He felt himself continue to plummet, felt the hopelessness and terror sweep over him like ocean waves.
"I'm going to have to come up with something in case that happens to us again." Hiccup's voice cut across the emptiness, loud and clear, but even better - casual and perfectly untroubled. Hope ignited like fire within Gustav, and he suddenly found his voice again.
"Aaaaaah!" he screamed, alerting the others to his presence, just as the rock wall that had separated them before suddenly ceased to exist. Toothless and Hiccup turned, streaking for him, but before they reached him, Gustav had stopped falling. A large, warm something had caught him first, and Gustav felt familiar scales beneath his shaking fingers.
"Fanghook! Yeah!" he cheered happily, his voice a couple octaves higher in relief. Another hole in the ground lay close by, and Fanghook and Toothless flew toward it as one, seeking safety from the falling rocks. "Thanks, boy," Gustav murmured to Fanghook. In seconds, they ducked through the other hole, landing safely on solid ground, just behind Hiccup and Toothless. Large boulders and chunks of rock sealed the opening right behind them, but relief coursed fiercely through Gustav all the same. They were safe - for now, at least.
The first words out of Hiccup's mouth were: "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Gustav responded immediately, and then the words that had been tearing him apart all day suddenly came tumbling out. "Hiccup, I'm really sorry."
"I'm sorry, too, Gustav," Hiccup apologized, and Gustav could tell that he meant it. "You're still irresponsible, immature, and reckless," Hiccup cautioned, not unkindly. "But the way you handled yourself with Dagur, maybe you do have what it takes to be a dragon rider... someday," he added pointedly.
"Someday?" Gustav repeated. A small part of him was offended, but the larger part was just grateful to be alive, grateful that things had turned out as well as they had. He smiled, for once agreeable and submissive. "I will take someday!" he rejoiced. A low rumbling echoed from overhead, and bits of rock rained down on them. Fanghook shifted uneasily beneath him, and Gustav himself looked around nervously.
"What do you say you and me find a way out of here?" Hiccup asked kindly, and Gustav hurried forward, not needing to be told twice. Being trapped miles beneath a frighteningly-unstable cavern was not his idea of fun. His insides squirmed uncomfortably as he thought of falling rock, and so he set his mind instead on "someday".
Looking around, he watched as Hiccup and Toothless caught up with them. Toothless was sniffing around the walls, and Hiccup's calculating eyes were carefully searching every nook and cranny. But his posture was relaxed, his features smooth, his demeanor oddly comfortable. Gustav frowned to himself; why couldn't he be that calm?
Fanghook continued to search for an opening, and Gustav let his mind wander, thinking back through his crazy day. He had been so proud of himself for his clever plan, acting like he had sided with Dagur, then leading him into the precarious caves with the promise of a treasure that didn't really exist.
"That's right, Hiccup!" Gustav had called across the deck of Dagur's ship, backing up Dagur's claims that he would lead him to treasure. "We have the Dragon Eye and Fanghook's fire, and you know what that means!" he shouted meaningfully, carefully emphasizing certain words. Hiccup was smart; he would understand. "Untold treasure awaits," Gustav grinned smugly.
He took pride that he had played Dagur so well, so flawlessly. If he could do that, why couldn't he be a dragon rider now? Wasn't he good enough already? Gustav looked back to Hiccup again, who still remained supremely nonchalant, and frowned again. Yes, he had been good, but in hindsight, Hiccup had been better.
As Gustav continued to grin smugly at Hiccup, he was slightly disconcerted to see that no flash of recognition or comprehension had shown in the other viking's eyes. And yet... he had to have understood. But Hiccup only continued to glare for several moments, before stalking over to Toothless' side angrily.
"You are going to regret this," he warned darkly. And if Dagur had had any doubts about Gustav's loyalty before, they were erased at the hostility in Hiccup's tone.
"I don't think so, Hiccup," Gustav replied defiantly, crossing his arms. Hiccup said nothing, but slid easily onto the saddle, and then rocketed away.
Yes, Hiccup had played the part so well that even Gustav had begun to doubt. Maybe Gustav did have room for improvement. Seeing the subtle difference in the quality of their deception, Gustav began to notice other differences between himself and Hiccup. The fear he had felt, and the calmness Hiccup seemed to always exude. The recklessness Gustav admittedly possessed, and the careful calculation of Hiccup. And when Gustav had fell, he called to Hiccup for help. But Hiccup had called for Toothless. Fanghook saving Gustav had been a pleasant surprise, but Hiccup and Toothless seemed never to be surprised by each other. Like they could read each other's minds. Like they were one being, instead of two.
But Gustav had never fallen freely through the ground before. He hadn't deceived a truly dangerous adversary before. Nor had he and his dragon ever faced such real danger. These had all been firsts for him - for them. But Hiccup, he knew, must have done all these things many times.
Gustav glanced once more at the other viking, and he realized, quite suddenly, how much older Hiccup was. Not so much in years, but in miles. In skies flown. In battles fought. In injuries and threats and deception and disaster. And as much as Gustav hated to admit it, Hiccup was probably right. He wasn't ready, not yet. But if being ready meant facing injury and death, enduring pain and taking losses, and facing terror and trouble and tragedy... Then, maybe - just maybe - he really was okay with "someday".