Chapter Two

A/N: In response to...

The Wolf Raven: Haha, I have a tendency for driving people mad... But don't worry! You'll find out what's going on soon enough! :)

Jesusfreak: You'll find out, I promise! XD And I can't quite be sure yet how long it will be but (as of now) I am thinking around 20-30 chapters...

Woah, woah. Okay, so you're probably pretty confused at this point, huh? I mean, Hiccup just agreed to help kill his own father! What in Thor's name is going on?! Well, let's just back up and I'll tell you how it all started...

The Great Hall is packed with Vikings, all of them shouting over each other to be heard by their Chief, each and every one of them wanting to get their word in. To the young boy seated before the excited throng, it looks like they're a vast sea of helmets and fists, their voices so loud it hurts his ears.

Luckily, Hiccup isn't the only one their complaints and requests are directed at. He's seated between Gobber and Stoick, the former of the two feverishly trying to get everyone to quiet down so the council can begin in a relatively organized fashion.

With a little swell of pride, Hiccup remembers he's sitting at his father's right hand...literally. And he has to bow his head so the others won't see his blushing smile. After all, this is an important meeting. One only seasoned warriors and elders are allowed to attend. Not even Snotlout has ever been invited!

"Alright, alright everyone! Settle down!" Gobber bellows above the roar of the crowd. "The Chief has time to hear everyone's requests so just relax!"

Hiccup looks up now, curious to see how they'll react. He's surprised to see that the Vikings seem to be growing quieter. He can actually hear himself think now. Glancing over at his father, he finds Stoick standing up right at that moment and moving as if to say something to the other men.

That's when Gobber puffs out a sigh of relief and sinks back into his chair, offering a wink to his apprentice. He leans over and whispers, "How are ya' holding up so far?"

Hiccup shrugs and tries to look relaxed, despite the fact that his stomach is squirming with nervous butterflies. This is the first time he's ever done anything as 'heir' to the throne...and it's rather nerve-wracking. "Fine." He mutters. "I only feel slightly nauseous..."

The Blacksmith chuckles and smacks him across the shoulder. "You'll be fine." He assures him. "But I'll warn you, these councils get very boring..."

And boy, do they. By the time the third villager speaks up to complain that someone has been tipping his yaks again, Hiccup is practically bored to tears. His fingers are itching to reach for the notebook tucked safely within his vest...but also realizes that would be disrespectful... So, with a disgruntled sigh, he contents himself with turning a bit in his chair to sneak a peek at Toothless, who is curled up behind his seat.

The dragon's ears immediately perk up, a little coo rumbling in his throat when they make eye-contact. Hiccup can tell what his friend is thinking... 'Are we leaving yet?' 'When can we go flying?' 'This is boring!'

"Sorry, buddy." He whispers under his breath. "This might take a while..."

Surely enough, the Night Fury snorts and lays back down. Curling his tail around so the open fans cover his face, he closes his eyes and decides to take a nap while he waits.

If only Hiccup could do that...

"I'm telling you, Stoick! Something is wrong with my goat!" Bucket cries, holding up the animal in his arms. It stares blankly at the wall, chewing on some grass in its mouth.

"Bucket...that's not even a goat." The Chief points out, tiredly. "It's a sheep."

"Are they the ones that lay eggs...?"

It's about this point in the meeting that Hiccup gets the insatiable urge to start pounding his head on the table. But he manages to control himself when he notices something odd among the crowd... Every so often, two of the villagers will part and look down, as if letting someone come through.

He cranes his neck, just barely catching sight of a very familiar blonde braid and a flash steel shoulder guards. He smiles and thanks the gods. Hopefully, Astrid is here to rescue him from this torture!

Surely enough, the Viking girl fights her way to the front of the crowd a few moments later, looking to be out of breath and tired. "Sorry to interrupt, sir!" She cuts in. "But I need to steal Hiccup for a bit, there's kind of...an emergency at the Academy..."

"Is it serious?" Stoick asks, now genuinely worried.

"Uh, no, no!" She replies, quickly. "But we need Hiccup's expertise."

"Well..." The Chief looks over at his son, reluctant to see him leave before the end of the meeting. "I suppose he does have a responsibility to the Academy. Go ahead, Hiccup. Take care of it."

He's already on his feet and hurrying over to his friend. "Of course! Come on, Toothless!" Grabbing Astrid's wrist, he tugs her toward the exit. Toothless scampers after them, looking happy to finally leave this boring place.

Outside the dimly lit Hall, the sun is shining on the island of Berk. It's an unusually warm day and even from here, the voices of children can be heard as they run through the streets, playing games and enjoying mother nature's pleasant surprise.

Hiccup smiles and turns to Astrid as they trot down the stairs, his green eyes shining with relief. "Thanks for the rescue." He says as they reach the bottom step. "So what happened at the Academy? Did the twins break something again...?"

Astrid snickers at him and shakes her head. "It was nothing." She tells him, turning down the path that will lead them to the Academy. He follows without hesitation but wonders what she means.

"If nothing happened, then why did you-"

"Because you looked so miserable." She cuts in, rolling her eyes as if it's the most obvious answer in the world. "I couldn't just pass by with a good conscience, knowing you're trapped in there..."

Hiccup snickers at her and shakes his head. "As much as I appreciate it, you know I was in there for a reason... My dad is just trying to help me...in his own way."

She offers him a quizzical look, her eyebrow arched.

Hiccup sighs, looking a bit torn. "He thinks it's time for me to start learning how to be a Chief...and he's right, I guess... I mean, I've got a lot to learn..." He frowns and glances over at Astrid, hoping she'll have some kind of answer for him.

But the girl is staring into space, obviously lost in thought. Her lips are pulled into a slight smile... "It's a strange thought." She suddenly mutters.

"What is?" He wonders.

"You as Chief..."

Hiccup stares at her for a moment, trying to decipher the odd look on her face. "What do-UGH!" He staggers forward as something slams into his back, momentarily knocking him off-balance.

Astrid catches her friend's arm so he won't fall. "Are you okay?" She asks.

Hiccup looks up, spinning around to see what hit him. And there, about ten feet away, is a man dressed in black... He's running full speed down the street, making everyone in his path jump out of the way. "What's wrong with him?!" Hiccup demands.

"I don't know...looks like he's running from something." Astrid grumbles, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. "We should follow him..."

"Yeah." She releases his arm and Hiccup takes off after the strange man, Astrid in tow. Whoever he is, they have a bad feeling about him...

The kids sprint as hard as they can, catching flashes of their target's black clothes every now and again between various twists and turns in his path, where he ducks between buildings. Once, however, Hiccup notices a paleness among the dark hood. The man's face...he knows they're following him now.

"Man, he's fast...!" Astrid pants, tiredly.

"He saw us..." Hiccup tells her as they bolt around one, last corner. Both teens gasp in shock, skidding to a stop.

"What the...?"

"How...?"

They stare in disbelief at the blank wall before them. A dead end where two houses meet the steep cliff of a mountain side. But the man is gone...vanished into thin air.

Hiccup and Astrid exchanged wide-eyed looks. How could he have gotten away? But more importantly...who was that?