Chapter Three
A/N: *Sings* I hate writer's block~ ...I really do.
In response to...
The Wolf Raven: Oh my god...you totally just got the theme music stuck in my head XD THANKS! But don't worry, as always, everything will be revealed eventually.
Jesusfreak: Yep, gonna be a pretty long one. And thanks :)
Tasermon's Partner: Heh, we'll see ;D And thank you! And to answer your question, the dragons didn't fly after him because Stormfly wasn't there and for Toothless to fly, Hiccup would have had to stop and buckle himself in which would have taken too long. (Trust me, that was my original idea but I figured it didn't work). :)
Hiccup, Astrid, and Toothless are walking up the path they chased the hooded man down, their voices low as they try to decide what they just witnessed. "That definitely looked suspicious to me." Astrid mutters. Her eyes flickering back and forth, paranoid that they'll be snuck up on. "It looked like he was running from something..."
Hiccup nods, gently patting his dragon's head to calm him. "Yeah, he might have been a thief trying to escape the guards..."
"You should tell you father once his meeting lets out." She suggests. "He might be dangerous and it'd be better if Stoick knew."
"I will." He assures her. "But that council won't be over for a few more hours."
Astrid nods, a little smile quirking her lips as she tries to lighten up. After all, it's probably nothing to be overly concerned about... "Then in the meantime, let's go to the Academy. It'll be a relief to have the 'master' teach a class for once." She chuckles.
"The master?" He snorts in amusement.
"Hey, it's better than the Dragon Conqueror!" She points out, playfully elbowing him in the ribs.
"I guess." He agrees with a shake of his head. "But yeah, might as well do something productive while we wait." And so the three of them hurry off in the direction of the Dragon Academy, trying to ignore the creepy feeling in their guts when they think of that hooded man...
"Oh, look guys!" Snotlout jeers from where he sits, resting atop Hookfang's head. "Our 'fearless leader' has graced us with his presence once more! What have we done to deserve this honor, O' Prince Hiccup?" This is what greets the trio the moment they enter the Arena.
And it earns Snotlout a very annoyed look from the other boy and a few snickers from the twins. Hiccup rolls his eyes and watches with mild interest as Astrid storms over and grabs Snotlout's boot, yanking him off Hookfang's back and onto the hard, unforgiving floor. Seriously, when will he ever learn? Probably never...
"Anyway!" Astrid sneers as she drops the irritating boy's foot. "As you guys already know, Hiccup has been really busy lately with Chief-training. That's why he hasn't been here." She cuts Snotlout a dirty look. "But he's taking over for today so-"
"OOF!" Hiccup eyes pop wide open as a pair of powerful, meaty arms wrap around his waist. He wheezes, staring at Fishlegs with a very uncomfortable expression. "Uhhhh...Fishlegs...what are you...doing?" He chokes out behind the bone-crushing embrace.
"Oh thank you, Hiccup!" The blonde boy whispers. "I didn't think I could handle another day of Astrid's teachings... Even Meatlug was afraid to show up today!" He jabs a finger at the Gronckle, who is laying on the floor, munching on some stones.
"She doesn't look too upset..." Hiccup points out.
"She's crying on the inside." Fishlegs assures him, patting his chest above his heart. He finally releases his friend, who staggers away, coughing to clear his air-passages.
"Well, you're welcome...I guess." Hiccup says as he walks to the front of the room, where his chalkboard has been set up. On it, is a crudely drawn picture of a Deadly Nadder. Probably Astrid's work... He smiles at her, noting that she never had an interest in drawing before she found his notebook a few weeks ago...
Astrid simply shrugs and takes her spot beside Stormfly, a coy little grin on her face. Although her eyes scream, 'say a word and you're dead'. So he chuckles and turns to face the rest of the class.
As Hiccup begins his lesson, he finds those nervous butterflies from this morning have vanished. His posture is relaxed and comfortable as he paces the front of the room, noticing how relieved everyone looks. What on earth could Astrid have done to them while I was gone...? He makes of note of asking her later.
That is, until-
"THAT'S IT! WE'VE GOT YOU NOW!"
The teens spin around at the sound of the guards so nearby. Something must be going on just outside the Arena. Hiccup and Astrid exchange knowing looks. Somehow, they already have an idea of who Stoick's men have just caught... They both sprint toward the door, their dragons and the other kids closely in tow.
Surely enough, by the time they get outside, they find four Berkians hauling off a man dressed entirely in black. He's struggling and swearing loudly, shouting threats at everything and everyone. Eventually, they get so loud that one man stuffs a gag into his mouth!
Among the crowd of bystanders, Hiccup spots Gobber. But what is he doing out here? Shouldn't...shouldn't he be with his father, at the meeting? Unless...something happened...? A sinking feeling tugs at his gut as he hurries over to ask his mentor what in Thor's name is going on around here!
Gobber spots Hiccup as he's running to meet him. But the look on the Blacksmith's face is not what the younger Viking had anticipated. He looks...relieved. "Oh Thank Odin, Hiccup!" He breathes, patting the boy's shoulder. "You need to go find your father. Stoick's been worried sick about you!"
"Huh? Why?" Now this is new... Why would Stoick be worried about Hiccup? "Gobber, what happened? Who is that guy?"
His mentor hesitates a moment before leaning in close and whispering, "The guards spotted him trying to break into...your house. From what we've figured out so far...we think he might have been an assassin."
Hiccup pales, his stomach twisting into knots. "A-assassin?!" Who would send an assassin after his father? That is, assuming the assassin was sent for him...
"Shh!" Gobber hushes him. "It's all speculation right now and we don't want the villagers to panic! Keep it to yourself and go find your father." He orders, ushering his apprentice in the direction of the Great Hall. "I've got to try and get this crowd calmed down..."
Hiccup nods jerkily and starts in the direction of the Hall. But something stops him. Namely, a hand around his wrist.
"Hiccup, what's going on?" Astrid asks him. Her searching, blue eyes are locked with his, demanding answers. But she looks a little worried, probably because of the fearful look in her friend's eyes.
"I...I'm not entirely sure myself." He stammers. "But I've got to go find my dad..."
She doesn't release his wrist. Instead, she nods her head tightly and starts walking at a brisk pace, dragging him along behind her, Toothless following right on their heels. "Then let's go. Maybe Stoick will have a better idea of what's happening around here."
When they arrive at the Great Hall, it's much less busy than they would have imagined. Only a few Vikings are seated on the wooden benches and even fewer actually look up when the kids enter through the large, double doors.
Hiccup feverishly scans the room, searching for his father. Even though Gobber assured him his dad is okay, he still can't rid himself of that aching, ominous feeling in his stomach. But before he can even get three feet in the door-
"UGH!" A pair of muscle-ridden arms come from seemingly nowhere and grab him by the shoulders, lifting him straight off the ground.
"Hiccup!" Stoick sighs in relief and pulls him in for one of those bone-crushing embraces he's famous for... Without releasing his son, he says, "I was worried about you! Where have you been?!"
Hiccup pats his father's arm, actually struggling to breathe within his iron grip. When Stoick sets him down, he doubles over and coughs. "I was...at the...Academy...remember?" He sputters through gasps of air.
And his father nods. "Yes...I was just worried you'd gone home..."
The choking boy straightens back up and offers a little, weary smile to his father. "No, I was with everyone else. I didn't even know what happened until Gobber told me..."
"Good." Stoick places a hand on his son's shoulder and smiles back at him.
"Sir, not to interrupt..." Astrid suddenly says. "But what exactly did happen? Hiccup and I saw that guy in the black while we were headed to the Academy...he bumped into us. Who...was he?"
Stoick's expression darkens. "We can't be sure yet...but we think he may have been an assassin sent here by someone to have me killed."
Astrid's eyes widen, a tiny gasp escaping her lips. She looks at Hiccup as if to ask, 'did you know about that?' but doesn't voice her question out loud. Probably because of his uneasy expression and the nervous way he's staring at the ground.
"Has this ever happened before?" Hiccup asks in an unsteady voice.
Stoick squeezes the boy's shoulder comfortingly. "Yes, it's not a rare occurence for someone to try for a Chief's life...but it hasn't happened on Berk since your grandfather was Chief. And it usually happens during times of war or revolution..."
So that leaves the question...who would want Stoick killed nowadays, in times as peaceful as these? Any amount of other Chiefs could want him dead. Alvin or Dagur, for example... But for some reason, Hiccup doesn't feel that either of them would be the type to send an assassin to do their dirty work. Both of them despise Stoick enough that, if they wanted him dead, they'd want the pleasure of doing it themselves.
Hiccup swallows, afraid that this won't be the last time someone might try to have his dad killed... Would they just quit after one failed attempt? Probably not...
And Stoick can see the fear in his son's eyes. He kneels down in front of Hiccup and pats his shoulder. "But for now, we have the assassin in captivity. I'll have him interrogated to find who he was working for."
Hiccup nods but doesn't say anything so Stoick gets up.
"However, I do want you to be careful as well, Hiccup." He says, folding his arms. This causes both kids to look at him quizzically. "You are my son, after all." Stoick points out in a hushed voice. "You're the heir to the throne, Hiccup. Whoever is after me, might be after you as well...
A/N: Hey, thanks for reading and don't forget to review! :D