Disclaimer: I own nothing
Warnings apply throughout- PTSD, Bullying, Child Neglect
Her name is Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third. She is the only child of Stoick the Vast and Valka the Fierce. She's also betrothed to the only male heir of the Berserker tribe, Dagur the Deranged. Dagur didn't always have that title but he earned it after countless battles and especially after he was done with his dragon training.
Dragon training is a defining moment in a young Viking's life and is a coming-of-age ceremony and as such the winner gets to kill his or her first-ever dragon in front of the rest of the tribe or tribes. Depending on the luck the gods have bestowed upon the tribe with the amount children born and whether or not a disease has swept through usually determined the number of children involved, if a group was smaller they'd join with an allied tribe rather than pushing back their coming of age ceremony with a younger generation. The ages meant to compete for dragon training are 14-17, no one younger may compete.
Some of the girls in many different tribes didn't even get to compete in dragon training because they were married off as soon as they were classified as a woman and they got to prove their worth on the birthing bed instead of on the battlefield. Hiccup is going to be one such girl. She's going to be married to Dagur the day she turns fourteen so all of the wedding preparations were happening as soon as humanly possible. The final test for dragon training would be taking place right before the wedding so that the tribes would go from one high to the next.
Dragon training was also going to be run a bit differently this year as well on Berk because the Berserkers would be joining them. Even though there are enough teens between the two different isles to compete separately they thought that it would be better to combine their training due to the wedding taking place a few days after. As a result of the combined dragon training many Berserkers and even a few other tribes were already making their way to the isle of Berk to see how the teens would do.
Dragon training took place around the same time for every isle but it also depended on the climate just the same. Berk always had the harshest weather but there was normally a lull for a month or two before the weather became almost unbearable so it was shocking that they were attacked the most. Berk gets attacked by dragons from the dragon's nest about 2-3 times a week on average sometimes more but rarely less. Devastating winter was the one month a year they didn't get any attacks which confused many of the Vikings but they'd take what they could get. Right before their harshest winter weather though, they'd celebrate Snoggletog and have a grand time.
Snoggletog was the one time of year Vikings would be fairly pleasant to one another. It was also the one time a year her father would at least acknowledge her by either gifting her with a new outfit, weapon, or cloak to keep warm. Gobber the Belch, her father's right-hand man and her mentor would either get her a new sketchbook or a weapon if Stoick hadn't already. For Snoggletog she normally traded with Johann for her father and Gobber or she'd save up for most of the year and craft an expensive weapon for either of them.
She also usually crafted something special for Dagur as well. She'd made Dagur many things over the years as well. She'd crafted him a dagger set the first year of her learning how to forge and had created many different things as the years went on unless he wore through something she had given him a previous year. She only got better in the forge as the years went on.
She was also lucky but unlucky in a sense that she got to learn how to forge when she was seven. Many Vikings couldn't start a trade until they were nine at the youngest. Nine was also usually the age they were allowed to start fighting with weapons as well. Before then it was up to a parent's discretion when their child got to learn how to fight. Many parents even bred their children just to be warriors. The Jorgenson and Hofferson clans are two who are known for their bravery on the battlefield and many of them die with honor.
Jorgenson and Hoffersons, depending on if their clans were participating. One or the other normally won dragon training and other similar competitions. This year for dragon training the oldest son and daughter of the Hofferson clan would be involved with dragon training and from the Jorgenson clan it would be their only son competing.
For the Berserkers that have already arrived, it was mostly just the teens and their parents. When they arrived they were given time to settle in but once they were settled they were assigned tasks to help out the village before training was set to start. One such task for the teens was to help the fire brigade whenever there was a raid. Tonight is one such night.
Hiccup had fallen asleep at her desk the previous night and had gotten close to three hours of sleep before she was woken up by the shouts and dragon roars and calls that were going on right outside her bedroom. Hiccup hurriedly changes into a fresh pair of clothes before she starts to rush out the door. As she opens the door a Monstrous Nightmare sees the movement and fires but she's able to close the door quickly enough that it's the only thing to sustain damage. She gives it a second before she opens the door once again and rushes out. She needed to get to the forge to help Gobber but she also couldn't afford to be caught by her father or he'd scold her before taking her to the forge himself to make sure she got there safely because he thought of her as a damsel in distress that needed protecting. She wondered if the main reason he cared about her safety and protection is because she is a bartering tool for the tribe.
Hiccup got to the forge without any issue and once she's through the threshold Gobber starts speaking to her. "Nice of you to join the party! I thought you'd be carried off," Gobber tells her snarkily as she puts on an apron to prevent her clothes from being burned. It was something that was enforced by all of the men in her life and that was the excuse that they gave her. Gobber is Stoick's best friend and right-hand man, and an uncle figure. He's also her boss and master as she's learning how to build weapons as his apprentice.
"Who, me? Come on, I'm way too muscular for their taste!" She says as she lifts a huge hammer-like thing to put in its place on the wall.
"Well, they need toothpicks don't they?" Hiccup then opens up the windows and Vikings start to place down their broken weapons. As that happens a dragon flies above and lights a nearby house on fire which the fire brigade starts to put out with their buckets. Hiccup turns away from the fire brigade and she and Gobber grab the weapons while continuing their banter.
The fire brigade consists of all of the Berk teens and it was something that the Berserker teens were also assigned during their stay. Astrid, Asmund, and Delilah are the main leaders of the fire brigade but with the Berserkers being included; Anders took the lead on directing his people. Once the Berserker teens were shown quickly they all took an area in town that they were in charge of. They all pretty much had to refill their buckets in the same area though and it caused them to butt heads a bit during the job.
The two in the forge take a slight break in bantering as Gobber asks her a question. "So, you'll get to see that boy of yours soon enough, excited?"
Hiccup blushes a bit before she responds. "Of course I'm happy! I'm also a bit nervous but now really isn't the time to discuss that."
"Oh? Why's that?" Hiccup shoots him a look before she focuses back on the blade she's sharpening. "Fine, fine, don't tell old Gobber."
Hiccup sighs before she slowly brings out a necklace that she had tucked in her shirt. "This came last night courtesy of one of the traders. My father handed me the letter along with the parcel that contained this." The 'this' that she was referring to is a necklace of a Skrill with two emerald eyes. The metal is a pure silver that shines in the dim light of the forge.
"That boy really cares for you."
"I know he does Gobber and I-" She cuts herself off as she didn't want to admit more information to Gobber than what she's barely admitted to herself, much less her soon-to-be husband.
Gobber gets a knowing look before he responds. "I understand lass, what the two of you have, comes maybe once in a lifetime, if you're lucky that is. Many don't find what you have in another person, much less their own children."
Hiccup nods and their conversation dies out from there. Hiccup re-tucks in her necklace as silence settles around the two. Eventually, they hear shouts of a Nightfury and Gobber starts to change out his prosthetic and announces to Hiccup that he's needed out there. As he leaves he bumps into one of Hiccup's inventions, a bola launcher, and it launches and hits a nearby house. Gobber glares at her as she tells him it was a calibration issue.
Hiccup continues in the forge until Gobber comes back once the sky starts to lighten up and the dragons had mostly been taken care of. Many Vikings seemed happy as they dropped off or came to pick up their weapons. Since the raid was over Gobber and Hiccup would be allowed to take their time when it came to fixing weapons. Hiccup was still continuing with fixing weapons as her father and Gobber entered. Gobber had started to continue with the work and Stoick had pulled Hiccup away to go get a quick breakfast at the Great Hall.
On their way to the Great Hall, Stoick starts up a conversation, "So what was in that parcel that came from Dagur yesterday?" Hiccup slowly grabs the tucked-in chain and shows her father the dragon necklace. He looks shocked at first but then chuckles a bit.
Hiccup gets a little self-conscious and holds the necklace closer to her. Hiccup also decides to change the topic, "How many more dragons were caught for training?"
Stoick becomes more stoic, "We caught five more dragons on top of the seven we already have. It's enough to start with but we'll still need more. Hagan also thinks that he and Peng possibly injured the illusive Nightfury as well, so once breakfast is done we're sending out a search party for it."
"Oh," Hiccup looks a bit sad but it's quickly off of her face before Stoick can get angry. "Where do they think they got it?"
"They think it went down near the east side of the island, which means I don't want you going out into the woods today. If that dragon is out there it won't hesitate to end you!"
"What about on the west side of the island near Raven's point? Can I go that way at all? If the dragon is injured it probably can't go that far, can it?"
Stoick gets a bit frustrated and lets out an exasperated sigh, "Hiccup, what I said is final!"
"But I know the woods better than anyone else and if anyone could avoid a dragon, I can! Besides, with the different dragon contraptions that are out there-"
"Hiccup! How many of those have you stumbled upon?"
"Maybe a hundred."
"A hundred?! No one has that many!"
"Well, the village itself has laid out fifty because Gobber and I made those ones. Johann has traded at least twenty with different clans over the years and then Gobber and I have been asked to make plenty of others over the years for people. They're all logged where they're placed and they all have some sort of engraving or ownership tag on them."
Stoick groans. "I don't care how safe you think it is out there, I want you to wait at least a week before venturing out there by yourself!"
"Fine." The two fall into silence before Stoick breaks it once again.
"You know Hiccup, I saw the look you got earlier when I chuckled at the necklace. I wasn't laughing at you, I was laughing at the fact that he reminds me a bit of myself when I was first courting," Stoick pauses but shakes his head. "You can ask Gobber that story some other time. That boy really cares for you and I'm glad that this arrangement is working for the two of you."
Hiccups nods shyly and the two finally reach the Great Hall where they go to their table. Hiccup sits to the left of her father and his closest men sit around him. The spot on Stoick's right is left empty as it's reserved for Gobber. Stoick's men consist of Spitelout, Peng, Hagan, Duffnut, Wallace, Dane, Ack, Hoark, and Starkard. The men start to strike up strategy and Hiccup pays a little bit of attention to the conversation. They're mostly talking about going to look for the Nightfury to see if they were actually successful with capturing it. Stoick said that he'd give them a week but no longer than that as they'd have to go on at least one more sail for the nest before winter set. The men around the table agreed before a silence enveloped the group other than the men's joyous laughing and bantering and of course, the smacking that was giving Hiccup a headache.
Hiccup grew a fond smile on her face as she thought of Dagur. Dagur used to smack along with his men but when Hiccup expressed to him how much she disliked it, Dagur soon found that it was also annoying once you pay attention to it. Dagur eventually got his men to stop after threatening them and while Hiccup was grateful towards him she wished he didn't resort to violence to resolve it. While Hiccup was trapped in her thoughts Gobber approached the table and started to discuss the true extent of the damage that the town had taken and had grabbed a sketch that Hiccup had made a month back.
Hiccup looked a bit shocked that Gobber had grabbed it from her back room but that was why she had her lock box in her room that she had crafted not long after she was gifted the back room of the forge. This lock box was a secret from everyone and it was heavy and would be hard to lock pick or destroy. It was one of her most innovative designs that no one knew about or how to work. Gobber may have shown her how to craft locks but he showed her many different locks and mechanisms that he didn't even think of anything that could be combined with booby traps that would also spring up, right when you think that you got the mechanism picked.
Stoick looked a bit shocked by the design and so did the other men. The men immediately thought about how it would put their children out of jobs for the fire brigade but then it was argued that the teens would still have their jobs of putting out the smaller fires but this would extinguish most if not all of a house fire due to a dragon attack. The idea was as simple as a trough being hung above every house in the village and then having a pulley system to simply tug the rope and the fire would diminish, if not be extinguished.
"When can these be started on?" Stoick asks Gobber.
"As soon as we're done repairing weapons we can start on them as early as tomorrow. Any weapons that can't be salvaged can be repurposed for this project."
"Are you going to need any help besides the runt?" Dane asks.
Hiccup continues to pick at her food once the question is raised. "Hiccup will do just fine."
Stoick gives Gobber a look before commanding the opposite. "Your children can help but only if they obey Gobber and leave Hiccup alone. If not they can train before dragon training starts."
Stoick notices that Hiccup is just picking at her food and dismisses her. Gobber had started eating not long ago and the men still had plenty to discuss. Stoick demands she stays out of the woods and the forge and she nods. With her being banned from her two usual places she decided that she'd get a jump start on her chores. She didn't have very many household chores as her father just slept in their house and didn't do much else than that and she hated being cooped up for long so the messiest place in the chief's hut was her desk.
She made it home in no time, she picked up her desk that she spent late last night sketching at. It took about five minutes and a few of the drawings she hung up on her wall the rest she put in a separate pile that could be burned later as they were just drawings of the villagers. The villagers hated her drawings and the way that she depicts them in the drawings even if the drawings were a hundred percent accurate. The drawings were mostly of them doing their daily tasks or even showed the older generation training the younger ones. She was always interested in the way that people looked while they were focused and so she liked to capture that on paper, even if no one else enjoyed it.
Most of the time though her drawings were of weapons and how to improve them or even her crazy inventions as everyone had dubbed them. Many of those inventions though were used within the town. They were pitched much like how Gobber did earlier in the Great Hall. Vikings hate change but if they were small details that could help life instead of making it harder they hated it at first but eventually opened up and got used to the idea so it worked out for everyone.
As much as Hiccup enjoyed her ideas being used she also hated the fact that she never got credit for the designs and the fact that Gobber was almost always the one to grab the designs from her back room and bring it up to Stoick and the other men and they'd cast a vote to bring the idea to fruition. As much as she enjoyed bringing her ideas to life she didn't like the fact that she didn't get any credit and if she were to bring her ideas to her father or Gobber they'll dismiss her until a month or even a time longer until they see the design and decide that they want it for the village. It's similar to whenever she's crafting a weapon for Dagur; her father and Gobber will see what she's doing and will also want something similar either for themselves or someone else.
Hiccup was used to this treatment by now and the only reason she got any sort of respect was because of who her betrothed was. She was protected and was hardly let out of the village unless she escaped it but even then she was expected to be gone from the village no longer than half a day or else they'd send out search parties and if they found her then she'd get scolded all the way back to the village and then once they were in the village she'd get scolded in front of the rest of the village. There were also times when she and Gobber would lose track while working in the forge and her father would come to fetch her as she had to make sure that she looked well rested for her betrothed even if he wasn't expected on the island for another year. They all treated her as if she were a damsel in distress but on top of that, they showed her that the only worth she'd ever get for herself was with her marriage to Dagur.
The other teens her age bullied her or just outright ignored her. The other heirs were the same exact way, they just made sure to not say their comments anywhere around Dagur. The other two female heirs, Tantrum and Camicazi mostly ignored her. Cami would act friendly but she'd choose Tantrum over her. Even then Cami wasn't someone that Hiccup could trust because if Cami knew then, soon enough, everyone else would too. Camicazi and Tantrum also liked to hold things over her head as well, which made them worse than any of the male heirs and other teens in her village. With the male heirs they knew better than to cause physical harm to her as it would either create a war or Hiccup would tell Dagur and they'd get a beating from him for hurting his betrothed. The teens on her island mostly just kept to insults and a push or shove or tripping her every so often or even locked her into any small space with a lock, but they couldn't ever do anything that would leave a bruise or else they'd be yelled at by Stoick and when Dagur came to visit, he made sure that they'd regret it.
Dagur was the only person that she could trust with anything. Dagur knew everything that happened in her life and she knew almost everything about his. They really didn't say too much over their letters in case anyone were to open them up and read them, so they didn't say anything too personal. Whenever they met up in person though, nothing was a secret. They told each other things that the other wasn't supposed to know but with how the two always managed to ditch their chaperone they were able to get away with it. Even if they were under the watchful gaze of a chaperone they were able to tell each other in a hushed tone that no one but their betrothed could hear. It infuriated everyone to no end but they also couldn't do anything about it, Stoick and Oswald weren't the happiest about the sneaking around and the fact that the two were able to keep secrets from everyone else. The two fathers also weren't too upset with this revelation as it meant that the union would outlive them for centuries.
Stoick claimed that Dagur made Hiccup stronger and Oswald claimed that Dagur was always softer around her. Oswald was also kind of thankful for Hiccup as she kept Dagur in line and kept him from attacking just anyone. This was especially helpful at the annual chief's meeting because even though the heirs were meant to pay attention as they'd be taking over sooner than anyone would hope. Dagur and Hiccup almost always sat by one another at these meetings and when Dagur started getting frustrated with how the meetings were going Hiccup was always there to nudge him to calm down. He didn't always want to listen but if Hiccup glared at him enough he relented. Despite Dagur and Hiccup being betrothed and only seeing one another twice a year, if not less, they always paid more attention to these meetings than the other heirs.
Between meetings was an entirely different story though. It didn't matter what island they were on, between meetings the two always disappeared and evaded their chaperone and fathers. The two were never late to a meeting and the other heirs were even baffled at how long or even to where they disappeared to. Whoever's island they were on, it was especially astounding because they thought they knew of every hiding space. Every hiding place was different depending on the island. It was the hardest to find them whenever they were on Berk or Talon though as they are their home islands and they had years of practice with hiding on those islands as the Berserkers and Berkians met once a year and they both had their own private place. Dagur had fewer spots as he didn't need to get away as often but Hiccup had places in and around the village and many different places in the woods.
Hiccup is stirred from her thoughts of Dagur and how much better he treated her by a breeze blowing in and blowing the letter that she had received from him last night. She knew that she'd have to put it away in her lock box before anyone could read it or even use it as leverage against her. She was just a little shocked that she had forgotten to lock it up the night before. She grabbed the letter on top of anything else that needed to be locked away and put them in her lockbox. As she was doing that she noticed her makeshift map of the woods and got an idea.
...
It was a few hours later and all of the men and warrior women in the village met up in the Great Hall as Stoick had to debrief them on the plan before the first ice set in and they wouldn't be able to sail for a few months. As everyone was gathering, Hiccup made note and once she saw everyone in there she dashed for the woods. She was tired of being cooped up in the hut. She had cleaned it and done the laundry in two hours and in the final hour she was sitting bored in her room as her father discussed with his closest warriors about going on another hunt for the dragon's nest.
Hiccup didn't really care about finding the dragon, much less wanting to run into it, she just needed some fresh air away from being stuck inside and she couldn't go to the village due to her tormentors and the village in general. She went to the opposite side of the island where they assumed the dragon had fallen. She had heard the men discussing how they had searched the woods and couldn't find anything but they would be planning a longer search once they were done with their meeting and while the rest were packing they'd be looking for the dragon.
Hiccup was aimlessly walking through the forest for about an hour when she stumbled and fell, right into a fallen branch and into a hole of some sort. When she slowly stood up, she realized that it wasn't a hole and that the branch was from a fallen tree. As she looked around, she realized that she was deeper in the woods than she originally intended and as she looked on further she didn't see an end to the drag marks, so she decided to follow them. The tracks were fairly deep and she followed it all the way to a slight slope. When she reached the slope and looked up, she saw none other than the dragon.
Hiccup quickly ducked and her breathing became heavier. She was not only nervous for her life but also, the fact that she was going to be in so much trouble when they discovered that she discovered the dragon. She slowly peaked her head back over the small hill and sure enough, the dragon was still there. She felt a twinge of sympathy for the beast. She slowly started to make her way toward the dragon and hid behind the boulder that was near the dragon. She took in a deep breath before she rounded the corner and that was when she truly saw the state of the dragon. The dragon had an arrow in one of its tailfins and must have tripped a bola trap as well.
That was when Hiccup started to mumble to herself. "I can't believe they did something like this." Hiccup slowly made her way over to the backside of the dragon and took a look at the arrow in the tailfin. The arrow had embedded itself through the tail but there must've also been multiple arrows that pierced the tailfin as it looked like it was hanging half off. "Oh, I'm so sorry for what they did to you." Hiccup slowly placed her hand near the end of the dragon's tail and it stirred. Hiccup backed up a little scared but then she went back towards the tail and she gently removed the arrow.
Once she removed the arrow, she tore off a piece of her tunic and held it against the wound, she also grabbed a few fallen tree branches and made a splint of sorts for the tailfin. It may not help but it was definitely worth a shot. The dragon did not like the fact that Hiccup was poking and prodding around him but he also understood in a way that she was trying to help. When she was done with the tailfin she went around to the head of the dragon and pat his head.
"I'm sorry that they did this. I have to cut you out of these ropes so don't be nervous and try not to move too much, I don't want to accidentally nick you with my blade." Hiccup slowly moved her tunic out of the way and grabbed her dagger. The dragon immediately bucked but Hiccup slowly patted his trapped wings and tried to reassure him. When the dragon calmed down a bit she began to cut away the ropes. After a few minutes, the dragon was free. He tested out his wings and legs a bit before he looked at the human who had freed him. He huffed a bit at her but he licked her face in thanks before he lopsidedly took off. Hiccup was a bit in shock but then slowly made her way back to the hut.
Her tunic would have to be scrapped but it wouldn't be the end of the world as she could either buy more material and make a new one herself or even trade with Johann. When Hiccup entered the chief's hut the fire was low, due to no one being home and so, therefore, she restoked it before she went up to change. All of her green tunics were still drying, so she put on her newest tunic, which she had received a month back when Gobber and her father noticed that her green ones were a bit worn and stained. This one is red in color and made the red in her hair pop a bit more.
Once Hiccup was changed she decided to start on dinner. As she was making dinner her father and Gobber arrived. The two men said a quick hello before they started to talk to each other. Hiccup pays a little bit of attention to what the two of them are discussing as she's cooking.
"...you think is going to win dragon training this year Stoick?"
"I don't know Gobber. We have a few strong ones but so do the Berserkers."
"Between you and me, who do you think and want to win?"
"Is this because you're planning on betting with others in the tribe and want me input?"
"Stoick, you know we have to get in the bets before training actually starts, or else it won't count."
"I've never bet on training before and I don't plan to start now. Though the top choices for the best warrior would have to be either Delilah, Astrid, Asmund, or Anders. Snotlout may be a Jorgenson but he's a bit too arrogant to win anything this year. The Hoffersons have double the chance of winning with two children in the running but Anders is a wildcard with the Berserker blood running through his veins."
"Out of four of them though?"
"Asmund would be my choice. Though with the hot-headedness of Berserkers, Anders will be close."
"Got it. You're almost never wrong with your predictions Stoick."
"It comes with being chief and knowing how to read others."
The two of them quickly eyed the prying Hiccup before Gobber continued, "We both know that, that's not the real reason. Before Valka, you were quite hot-headed yourself, she balanced you."
"That may be true but my prediction still stands."
That was when the stew was done and Hiccup pulled it off the fire before she dished out their servings. It was a lamb stew as she knew that her father would be leaving sooner rather than later and a hearty meal would be better than anything else, especially since once they were on the open sea, it would be rationed dried fish and cold porridge for their journey. Occasionally they'd be able to get yak jerky but that usually only lasted a day on board with everyone only getting a piece or two.
As the three of them ate the conversation veered slightly away from the journey and the two addressed Hiccup. "Hiccup, while I'm gone, you'll be assisting Gobber with dragon training. You are not to be in the ring for any reason! You can help set up the maze but I don't want you in the ring at the same time that a dragon is loose. You may release a dragon or a few but that is the closest you get to the beasts, understand?" Stoick commanded.
"Yes, I understand."
"Good."
Just as the three were finishing up Hagan and Spitelout burst into the chief's hut.
"Stoick, we found something!" Hagan starts.
"What is it?" Gobber asks.
The two eye Hiccup before Spitelout decides to break the silence. "We found where the Nightfury went down. The arrow was cast aside and bloodied, we also found huge drag marks and it must've gotten caught in a bola trap as well as the ropes looked like they were cut."
"The ropes were cut?"
"Well they were frayed, we assume that the dragon was somehow able to claw its way out or get another one to free it but it wasn't in the area. We found black scales near the location as well. The dragon may be injured but chances are it flew away despite being injured."
"If you give us one more day to try and find it I'm sure we will or we won't which proves that it just flew away with its injuries and it'll be back once it's recovered enough," Hagan tells him.
"Fine, you can have one more day to look for the beast, if you're unsuccessful we'll give up and head straight for the nest."
"Thank you, Stoick!"
The two men then reluctantly left but with how they were loving the smell of the stew, Stoick had Hiccup dish some out to give to the two men. Hiccup was dismissed as the men sat with their stew.
"I take it the wife still can't cook and that it's Astrid's night to cook?" Gobber asks with a laugh.
Both men grumble but reluctantly nod. The men then start to discuss who they were going to bet for dragon training and tried to get Stoick's opinion but he said that he refused to participate and that Gobber already asked for his opinion. The men are quite loud and helped themselves to the small barrel of mead that Stoick kept in the house. Hiccup was upstairs and drew the dragon that she had seen earlier, it wasn't the best but she drew the way his eyes were much like that of a puppy dog. When things started to quiet down and she heard the door open below she quickly put her sketches into her box.
Once her drawings were safely tucked away, she went downstairs to start cleaning up. The stew was gone and her father was already in his chair facing the fire. He was whittling and any of the shavings of wood were tossed right into the fire. It was slightly dark out but the sun wasn't quite set yet. She went to the well in town and collected a bucket of water before making the trek back to the hut. When she got back to the hut she dumped the water into the pot she used for cooking earlier and put it over the fire. She pulled it off before it could reach a boil and grabbed a washrag. She then started to wash all of the dishes, she saved the big pot for last as it touched the flames directly and when the dishes were done she went out back to dump the water.
When she came back in, she realized that her father was asleep and so she quietly shut and locked the door before making her way up to her room. She didn't go to bed right away, she once again sat at her desk and let her mind wander on what type of things could help the village. She also thought up inventions that wouldn't kill a dragon but would instead trap them or at the very least slow them down from taking their livestock. That was how she fell asleep, she was drawing up ideas and inventions before sleep ultimately consumed her.
TBC...