How to Train Your Dragon: The Novelization

Chapter 9: Who Kills Dragons, and Who Befriends Them; A Romantic Flight and Deadly Discoveries pt.1

Later That Night

Gobber's Blacksmith Shop

Hiccup sat by his desk, leaning back in his chair, as he looked up at the ceiling. Gobber and everyone else were busy recuperating the failure and near losses from their search at the Helheim Gates, the supposed area to where the Dragon's nest was located. This actually gave the boy enough time to himself for the next couple of hours. The last thing he needed was someone discovering his secret, aside from Fishlegs and Syn.

When they got back, they had promised to keep both dragons a secret, as long as they got to visit the canyon whenever Hiccup did. He figured that wouldn't be a problem, considering that Syn and Fishlegs were more interested in learning more about Dragons… the real facts about them, that is. Fishlegs seemed more fascinated about the different powders and gases that affected a dragon, much like Garlic Grass, Salt Seaweed, Piping Peppers, and even the mineral, Sulfurious.

But right now, his mind was deeply troubled about one fact: winning tomorrow's test in killing the Monstrous Nightmare this Saturday. It wasn't that he had wanted this; three months ago, he would have leapt at the opportunity of killing his first dragon. But now… his friendship with Toothless, as well as his grandson/grandfather relationship with Draco… it had changed everything. It had changed him as well, not just physically… but… it had changed his way of thinking about all the dragons, and how he felt about them all. And then there was the Code that Draco had taught him. For some reason, there was a deeper meaning in the words that Draco had taught him. Whatever it was, for some odd sense to him, it gave both him and his dragon courage, strength, and something else.

He looked to the sketched drawings he made of each dragon from the coliseum, as well as detailed drawings of Toothless and Draco. However, his thoughts were disturbed, as soon as he heard footsteps enter into the shop.

Immediately, he spun around, spouting out his excuses, "Gobber! I'm… I'm sorry, I…" but he stopped as soon as he looked to see who was trying to fit himself through, "Dad?" Indeed it was Stoick the Vast, trying to squeeze his massive frame through the small doorway, as Hiccup stood up, surprised to see his father returned, "Um… sorry to say, Dad. But if you're looking for Gobber, he's not here."

"I wasn't looking for him," Stoic answered, as he finally popped through, and stood up, towering over his son, "I came to see you, son."

"Me?"

"You've been keeping secrets," Stoick bluntly drummed out.

At those words, Hiccup's heart momentarily stopped beating. Cold fear gripped at his legs, as he try to stutter out a reply, "Uh… I… I have?"

"Just how long did you think you could hide it from me?" Stoick replied, as his eyes squinted to razor sharp points, glaring directly at his son.

Hiccup's palms began to get super sweaty, as his pulse began to race in a panic. This is not good. Not good at all. He continued to feign innocent, "I… I don't know… what you're talking about…"

"Nothing happens in this village, or on this island, without me hearing about it." Stoick replied with a hint of annoyed anger in his voice at first, but then softened back down as he walked towards his son, and stopped as they were both now five feet away from each other. "So, let's talk." He paused for dramatic effect, "… about that dragon."

At that moment, Hiccup's legs nearly gave way; he had resigned to his fate. he was probably going to get charged for 'fraternizing with the enemy' or 'going against the village's rules', and Toothless and Draco were probably going to be hunted down. Summoning up enough courage back up, but barely enough, he weakly replied. "Oh gods… no… Dad, I'm so sorry… I was going to tell you… I… I just didn't know how to…"

Suddenly, the chief's face relaxed, changing into an expression of mirth, as he busted out in loud, bellowing laughter. Extremely confused, Hiccup could only follow suit with a feigned laugh of his own. The young Viking look around, just in case someone decided to pull a prank on him in the end. Seeing no one, Hiccup then weakly and nervously asked, "Ha... ha... so you're not upset?"

"What?" Stoick asked in surprise, but regained his elation as he smiled brightly at his son, "I was hoping for this!"

At that moment, Hiccup knew that, once again, they were on completely different wavelengths. "You... were?"

"Believe me, it only gets better! Just wait till you spill a Nadder's guts for the first time, or mount your first Gronckle head on a spear... What a feeling!" I was evident to Hiccup that his father was happy about his success in the ring. Why shouldn't he be excited? After all, his son was finally, in his eyes, doing something right for once.

However, he didn't know what to say at this point, so he led him continue.

"You really had me going there, son! All those years of the worst Viking Berk's ever seen; Odin, it was rough, and to tell the truth, I almost gave up on you. Turns out all this time you've been holding out on me. Oh, Thor Almighty!" Coming closer, he places his hand firmly on his shoulder, "Not to mention you finally gained some meat, albeit a bit small for my taste, you're finally far from being a toothpick anymore." With all the happiness that a proud father could muster, he smiled warmly at the boy as he sat down in the chair right in front of Hiccup as he sat down as well. "With you doing so well in the course, we finally have something in common to talk about."

When that was said, Hiccup looked at him, and he stared back expectantly. Under his stare, the young Viking fidgeted, not knowing what to do or what to say. Until finally, Hiccup asked, "So, um… how's the hunt for the… the Dragon's Nest?"

It was then that the Viking chief's expression changed from elated to exhausted as he took a deep sigh and answered, "Ugh! don't get me started. We were close, but not even close enough. We thought we found the nest, but all we found was an ambush and several dragons waiting at every corner." Stoick removed his helmet as he stroked his hair back, trying to massage his brain, "It's strange though. From the way they acted… it was almost like they knew we were coming."

At that last statement, Hiccup turned a bit in thought about what his father had told him. It's true, Hiccup knew now that dragons weren't mindless beasts, but they weren't known for strategic battle planning. Someone had to be pulling the strings and ordering the dragons as such… someone human. His face was in horrified realization of this as he tried to cover it up when his father spoke up again.

"Ah, but they're just mindless, vicious beasts," Stoick shrugged it off. "Nothin' to get worried about." But then, Stoick reached from behind him as he pulled something out, breaking the ice once again. "Oh... I, uh, got something for you."

Hiccup held the item in his hand, completely stunned as to what it was. It was a Viking helmet, with mid-shortened horns on both sides, and big enough to fit his head. Usually Vikings his age were given these if they were given their rite of passage. But it was clear then, that Stoick, his father, now saw him as a Viking.

"Wow," Hiccup nearly whispered out his amazement, as he looked to his father, "Thanks, Dad."

Your mother would have wanted you to have it," his father stated, which caused Hiccup's eyes to nearly warm themselves at realizing that the helmet came from his mother. He gently stroked the top of the helmet, almost sensing his mother's presence on the helmet. But that changed as soon as his father stated, "… it's half her breastplate." that caused him to cringe a bit, at realizing that he was holding a part of his mother's… unmentionables. He looked to his dad to find the answers, until Stoick tapped his helmet and answered, "Part of a set. It, uh… keeps her close."

"Um, that's great," Hiccup managed to get out, just as Stoick awkwardly made his way out. "Thank you for the breast-hat," he slipped out, but shook his head as he corrected, "I mean, helmet."

But his father was already out of there, giving Hiccup a sense of peace as he let out a huge sigh of relief. Hiccup sat back down in his chair, looking over his sketches, now in a much worried contemplation. However, it was only a few minutes until things were quiet again for him. But that changed as someone knocked on the door, getting his attention.

"Uh, dad… ?" he asked as he turned to face the door, "Was there something that you…?" but he immediately stopped as soon as he saw it wasn't his father… but Unfer. "Unfer!" the young Viking exclaimed with great surprise as the council member stepped in, "Uh, if you're, um… looking for my dad…"

"I didn't come looking for him," Unfer stated to the boy quite cut and dry. "I actually came to speak with you, Hiccup."

"You… you did?" Hiccup asked, feeling a little nervous as he shuffled the dragon drawings aside, and muttered, "Looks like everyone's trying to see me for something today."

"You've been keeping secrets," Unfer bluntly drummed out, with a small smirk spreading across his face.

After hearing that, Hiccup just had to sigh at this, knowing full well this was gonna be like his father. He took a deep sigh out as he leaned back in his chair and replied, "Yeah, you're right. I've been keeping secrets."

"Just how long did you think you could hide it from the whole village? From your father, no doubt?" Unfer replied, as he cocked an eyebrow at the young Viking, while still holding on to his grin.

Hiccup, not worried about it at all, continued to feign innocent, "I know. It was a long run while it lasted."

"Nothing happens in this village, or on this island, without your father, or I, hearing about it." Unfer replied with a hint of annoyed joy in his voice at first, but then softened back down as he walked towards him, and stopped at the side of his desk, nearly five feet from the boy. "So, let's talk." He paused for dramatic effect, "… about that dragon."

Hiccup shrugged as his grin never faded either, "Okay, so what do you wanna talk about? The Volcanoback? I'm pretty sure it'll be an easy win. Though personally, I think Astrid's got it in the bag."

"Actually… that's not the dragon I was talking about." This caused Hiccup's confidence to fane away as his expression went from confident to nervous. Unfer then looked to the desk as he scanned it for a moment, continuing, "I was talking about a certain dragon. A dragon that is, or was, the most elusive and mysterious of them all. A dragon whose size and speed were unknown. A dragon, that was said to be the embodiment of lightning and death. A dragon… no one as ever seen before…" and then he reached for the sketch of Toothless, studying it for a moment, and then showed it to Hiccup, "… until you did."

At that very moment, the confidence that dwelled within Hiccup's face and voice, dropped increasingly. His voice then showed his fear as he tried to convince Unfer, "Oh gods. Unfer, please… don't… I mean, please…"

"It's alright, Hiccup," Unfer stated as he put the picture down and placed his hand on the boy's shoulder to reassure him. "I know that you're only young; making mistakes and such," his voice full of understanding at that moment. But then his tone became serious, as did his face, "But the friendship is forbidden in this village." this caught Hiccup's attention, as he looked fearful to Unfer as he went on, "And if the village found out, they would hunt the Night Fury down and you'd be banished forever from this place."

"Wh-What am I supposed to do?" Hiccup asked for an answer, almost pleading for it.

Unfer, smirking at the boy's pleas for answers, gave him the ultimatums, "Well… if I were you, I would only have the two options: One: you can end your friendship with the dragon, and slay the Nightmare in front of everyone, thereby taking your place as a Viking and proving to everyone that you're not a liability. Or Two: you can runaway with the Night Fury and never return to this place. Ever." a moment of silence past over them, as those words hung deep into Hiccup's head. With that done, Unfer walked out of the shop, but not before he stopped and turned to Hiccup.

"Oh, and Hiccup…" he called out, getting the boy's attention, suspecting he would say something dramatic. But instead, he shrugged and complimented, "… nice helmet."

And with that, he left, leaving the boy's troubled thoughts to swamp his mind.

That Night

Hofferson Residence

The Hofferson was much like the Haddock's home, though they weren't the chief's home at all. But like all the houses all around the village, it too was just as new as the village. The Hoffersons, next to the Haddocks, were the toughest dragon fighting Vikings from here on around in the Hairy Hooligan Vikings tribe. To this, their house was almost as strong and tall as the chief's. it was also the only home that didn't have the Man of the House, for as he died in battle not from dragons, but foreign forces on a raid out in the sea once. So on that, only Astrid and her mother, Ashlin Haddock, were all that lived in the house.

In the bathroom, in what appeared to be a young teen girl's room, the lights were lit, the door was locked and a pile of familiar clothing was on the ground next to the sink and cabinet. In a glass shower booth connected to the bathtub, a slender shadow was seen leaning near the shower heard, letting the water hit the figure. After what felt like a few minutes, the water stopped as the door opened slightly to grab one of the white towels nearby.

The door opened up and out stepped Astrid, wrapped in the towel she had gotten. She took another towel and dried her unbraided hair off as she stepped towards the mirror. If there was ever any doubt of how beautiful Astrid was compared to the other Viking teen girls, this was proof of that. Her body was physically fit; a slim and petite figure befitting that of a girl like her. Her skin was flawless, almost porcelain, with only small minor scars that didn't show very well. She was more than a Viking… if any girl-crazy guy was around, they would say she was a goddess.

At this point, she looked a little gloom for wear, considering what was going on through her head. Tomorrow was the final test, that would determine who would get the honor of killing the Monstrous Nightmare by the end of the week. About two months ago, she had it in the bag; she was the top dragon slayer student in the arena. But then all of a sudden, that toothpick of a boy, Hiccup, suddenly upstaged her like that. Her anger was reflected in the mirror as she was seething with frustration; frustration that couldn't have been washed away from the soothing waters that was pumped from the showers.

Furious, and without thinking, she smacked her balled up fist into the mirror, shattering it a bit. But that didn't stop the frustration seeping into her as she slumped to the floor, on her knees. She let her head hang down a bit, almost remembering a silent promise she had made… a promise to her late father. She had sworn that she would be stronger than any Viking ever, stronger than the Haddocks could ever be. But all that was slowly slipping away, as she was being beaten by the boy she had once protected in the ring. The boy that she had always protected since childhood, believing that he would be their chief someday. And when she thought that he would never show any sign of strength… he suddenly shows up with it, over staging her in front of everybody in Berk.

Then, much to her surprise… she felt warm tears coming down her face, as she whimpered. "Wh-why…?" she asked herself, almost pleading the silence to answer her question, "I'm supposed to be… to be strong! So why… am I… losing to him… of all people?"

The Next Day

Later that Afternoon

Dragon Training Coliseum

It was the final match between Hiccup and Astrid. For the past week, Hiccup has somehow managed to make himself up the scoreboard, putting him at second place behind the female Viking in the class rankings. This placed the two of them in this one final session, and the winner for today would be the one to receive the glory of taking his or her first Dragon life in the arena, in front of the entire village. Namely, they would face against the mighty dragon, the Monstrous Nightmare. Though Astrid, despite her emotional and private outburst at her home, she hoped deep down she would be able to be the one to do it.

Even with everyone present, the two would be having a huge weight on their shoulders with all the eyes watching them both. For Astrid, she planned to win this. Her stubborn attitude wouldn't give up to some underdog. From the beginning, she believed she was the favorite to win, and she intend to live up to that.

The two were pitted up against the full-grown Volcanoback, and boy was it hungry and irritated. The battle course for today was a simple layout of barricades, forcing them both to face the dragon down in direct combat. Not that either one was complaining or anything; it only made it easier for Astrid to take it down. However, Hiccup, now wearing his Viking helmet remained hidden for now, waiting for the perfect chance to strike, or at least avoid the dragon.

The Volcanoback's rock-hard shell back would make it hard for their blades to penetrate. But if she could just get it to reveal its soft underbelly in range, a sufficient strike to its heart should do the trick. One thing was sure, Astrid wasn't going to take any chances today.

Leaping from cover to cover, she bumped right into Hiccup, who was hiding behind his battle gauntlet in shield mode, and a newly forged sword she had never seen, held at the ready. Shoving his shield down, she glared straight into his eyes and shot out, "Stay the hell out of my way." She then leaned in close to his face, their lips nearly brought together, but not close enough as she growled, "I'm winning this."

Not bothering to wait for a reply, she vaulted over him, and prepared to get into position to attack the Volcanoback.

Hiccup nervously smiled at her retreating form as he started to get up, "Good, good. By all means."

He stood up, looking up to the cheering crowd, almost unsure of what to do. If he defeated this dragon, then he would have to go into the Finals, killing the Monstrous Nightmare in front of everyone. If he did and didn't kill the dragon, everyone would grow suspicious, find Toothless and Draco, and then kill them both. As he looked up at the crowd, he spotted the elder and his father, watching over him with pride, as any father would for their child. And then he saw Unfer, knowing full well what was to come. Hiccup sighed in defeat, knowing full well what he had to do now.

Astrid rolled to each barricade, going unnoticed by the Volcanoback as it jumped from one end to the next. Its organic rockets propelling it off the ground with every bound. She leaned against an intact low wall, slinging her axe to her chest, looking over the side of the barricade, keeping an eye on the dragon.

"This time…" she told herself, her voice filled with certainty that Hiccup wouldn't beat her this time, "This time, for sure!"

Her steely determination now strong, Astrid immediately threw herself over the wall, yelling out a battle cry as she charged to defeat the dragon.

To her shocked horror and disbelief, before she could even swing her axe into the beast, she heard a loud thud, and the Volcanoback collapsed on the ground, completely unconscious. The one who delivered the victory, was none other than Hiccup, standing sheepishly next to it and sheepishly and nervously smiling at Astrid.

As the crowd roared with excitement over the victory, her mind went totally blank at this sight. The realization then sank into the female Viking like a tsunami, crashing down on her ego and sanity. She completely lost it as she stomped on the ground, shouting, "NO!" She then began to swing her axe around, swatting the air as she cursed aloud, dropping her inhibitions and venting out all her anger, "NO! NO! YOU SON OF A HALF-TROLL, RAT-EATING, SLUDGE-BUCKET! " … right in front of the entire village.

How was this possible? She had trained so hard for this, only in the end to get beaten by him, of all people. The cheers were all deafening, and they only added to Astrid's frustration; a blinding roar of noise.

After his 'victory' against the Volcanoback, Hiccup strode onward out of there. "Okay… so later."

"Whup," Gobber stated as he snatched the boy with his hook hand before he could get out of there. "Not so fast, Hiccup. The Elder's about to decide."

"Right now? Uh, I'm kinda late for…" he stated, trying to get out of there.

Unfortunately, he wasn't getting out that easily. "WHAT!" Astrid shouted, as she walked up to him, and jammed her axe's blunt end at his throat, infuriated and demanding an answer, "Late! For what. Exactly?"

Both Gobber and Hiccup looked pretty spooked at the young Viking's outburst, and looked to each other. Gobber, silently wishing Hiccup 'good luck', backed away, as Hiccup did his best to cover it up. "Um… what indeed," Hiccup chimed in as he stepped back a bit, with a nervous smile on his face, "You know, forget about it. I was just joking; there's nothing late for…"

"Oh no, you don't," Astrid nearly roared as she grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. She yanked him close so they were almost six inches from each other as she yelled in his face, rage and anger seething from her eyes and voice. "I've had it with this mystery boy routine," she declared as her hold on him tightened and she nearly jabbed him in the chest iwht her finger, "You're gonna start telling me what's going…!"

"Quiet down, everyone. Quiet down," Stoick announced, causing the Viking girl to back away from Hiccup as he continued, "The Elder is about to decide."

The two were broke apart by Gobber, as they all looked to the Elder, who would decide the one to face the Nightmare. Astrid was hopeful that she would still get picked, considering she had enough points to still get the honor of killing the Nightmare. When Gobber pointed to her, the Elder looked to Astrid… and shook her head disapprovingly. Astrid's world started to crumble, as she couldn't believe it. Gobber couldn't believe it as well, as he cocked an eyebrow as he pointed to Hiccup… in which the Elder nodded approvingly with a smile.

For Hiccup, and Astrid, this had to have been a nightmare. Seething, she turned to Hiccup, as she gave him a look of utter hatred burning into her eyes. Hiccup flinched as he gulped, but was patted by Gobber as his smile couldn't have been brighter.

"You did it, Hiccup! You did it," Gobber cheered on the glad with great glee. "You get to kill the dragon!"

"Oh, I did it alright," Hiccup muttered, trying to get away from Astrid's gaze.

"That's my boy!" Stoick shouted in pride for his son.

Suddenly, he was swept up by his fans, as Hiccup tried to be happy by this. "Yeah! Great! I am so…"

Next Chapter: Who Kills Dragons, and Who Befriends Them; A Romantic Flight and Deadly Discoveries pt.2