How to Train Your Dragon: The Novelization
Chapter 15: The Makings of Greatness; Something Stupid and Crazy
Berk Council Hall
Hiccup was thrown into the darkened hall of the Council Hall, and crashed on the ground. He slowly groaned as he crawled up on his knees, as he slowly got on one. He rubbed his neck in slight pain after being thrown in by the guards. But the pain wasn't the least of his problems; no, they were the very least at this moment. Things had gone from bad to worse at this moment. His father had now seen his secret with the dragons, he had told is best friend to run away, forever leaving him, which was probably better considering the Vikings didn't go after Toothless. But now, they had Draco, and would probably kill him off. But now, this was the least of the problems, as Stoick, and a very calm Unfer, made their way in, with Stoick fuming at this point as he walked past Hiccup as he got back up on his feet.
"I should have known…" Stoick huffed, his voice just breathing with fumes as his glare didn't go on Hiccup at this time, "I should have seen the signs…"
Hiccup finally got up, and sighed, knowing that he was gonna get his face ripped off. But he had to set the record straight for him, "Dad…Sir…"
"WE HAD A DEAL!" he shouted, with his back still turned to him. Unknown to them both, Unfer was smiling at this, with wicked glee.
"I know, I know, Dad," Hiccup tried to defend, but failing miserably as he rubbed his face, shaking his head in woe. Then he finally looked up to his father as he confessed, "…but that was before I … oh gods… this is so messed up…"
Then Stoick finally turned around to face his son, still fuming at this moment, and interrogated, "So everything in the ring was a trick? A lie?"
"Well, yeah. But, well… not everything was a lie. It was… just a new way to fight them… without killing them," HIccup confessed, but shook his head as he got back to the matter at hand, as he pleaded to his father in despair, "I screwed up… I should have told you… take it out on me, be angry at me, charge me, but please… don't hurt Toothless or Draco!"
The chief turns on his feet to face Hiccup, palpable rage seething throughout him, his voice dripping with disappointment and betrayal. "The dragons? That's what you're worried about? Not the people you ALMOST KILLED?"
"They were just protecting me! I've been with them for three months. If they were dangerous they would have killed me by then. But they're not dangerous; what I've seen and learned from them is proof enough…"
"THEY'VE KILLED HUNDREDS OF US!" Stoick shouted back, not listening to reason to his own son.
"AND WE'VE KILLED THOUSANDS OF THEM! NEARLY DRIVING DRAGONS LIKE DRACO TO EXTINCTION!" Hiccup shouted back in defense for his friends, as well as the rest of his kind. But then, he explained, thus causing something to slip up, as stoick went on not bothering to listen to his son, "They only fight to defend themselves, that's all! They raid us because they have to; if they don't bring food back, they will be eaten themselves…" HIccup took a deep breath as he continued on, letting his loose lips sink the Viking's ship, "There's something else… in their cave… on their island… it's… a dragon like no other… and it's being controlled by…"
"THEIR CAVE? THEIR ISLAND?" Stoick finally stopped, facing his son as he stomped forward to him, looking him down, almost as if he would pull off his son's head. "So, you've been to their nest?" His face contorted into a look of insane rage as he interrogated him, "How did you find it? TALK!"
"No, I didn't!" Hiccup honestly told him as he shrugged, "Toothless… only dragons can find the nest!"
Stoick picked up that bit of information as he stepped back a bit, looking out to the open door. It was then that Hiccup saw his father's eyes widen, and at that moment, his heart sunk. He could tell he had just gotten an idea, one that Hiccup didn't like at all. "No… no, no…"
Stoick turned to Unfer as he ordered, "Unfer! Order a search party; tell them to get prepared with every blade imaginable. Find this hidden dragon canyon, there you'll find the Night Fury." at that comment, Hiccup's eyes went wide with fear as his father continued, "When you find it, disable its legs, tear its wings off, and make sure it's nearly beaten close to death that It can't fight back! I! WANT! THAT! NIGH FURY!"
"If I may beg pardon, Stoick," Unfer stated as he walked towards Stoick, placing a reassured hand on his shoulder, with Stoick looking rather suspicious of Unfer's change of character, "Why waste effort on finding a dragon… when we have the former leader of the nest at our beck in call?" Stoick stopped for a moment, thinking on that, as Hiccup saw the change in his father's eyes.
"Dad, no, it's not what you think it is…" Hiccup pleaded once again, "You don't know what you're up against! This dragon… It's like nothing you've ever seen!"
He shoved his son aside, completely disregarding the warnings, and proceeded to step out of the chamber. But Hiccup wasn't about to step down as he continued to warn him, "I promise you, you cannot win this one! Dad… no!"
Hiccup's heart was tossed in a sea of complex emotions, wrenching in a mix of fear, anger and desperation. couldn't he see that this was a suicide mission; one in which the whole village could get wiped out if this Red Death, or its rider, was provoked. In a last act in exasperation he ran to his father, yelling at him, hoping that he would finally heed his warning, "FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE, WOULD YOU PLEASE LISTEN TO ME, BEFORE YOU KILL EVERYBODY!"
Then suddenly, a heavy blow across the face threw Hiccup almost seven feet away from the two Vikings. Hiccup groaned as he was able to get on to his knees before getting up. It was at that moment, he realized the blow was pretty strong, considering he felt blood trickle down his mouth from his nose.
He looked up to his father, who was looking at him above, showing now that he saw his son beneath him now. "You throw your lot in with them…" he stabbed at his son as he went on, "You're not a Viking. You're not one of us." And then he let the final blow nearly cut his son's heart out as he finished, turning his back to him, "You're not my son."
The words, cold and piercing, stabbed through his heart like a poisoned arrow. The strength drained out of his muscles, and he went limp.
The steel caged doors slam shut, clanging together. As the tear rolled down the side of his face, burning tracks on his cheeks, he saw Unfer stop for a moment to turn at him. And he gave the most bone-chilling smile ever, as he turned for the door. It was then that Hiccup heard his father yell to the village, "Prepare the ships! Have the ships ready to set sail for the Helheim Gate by tomorrow's Dawn!"
And the doors closed on poor Hiccup, as he was on his knees in the dark, lowering his head in defeat.
But Stoick was feeling saddened, at what he had said to his son. He stopped outside for a moment, as he was almost close to shedding tears for what he had done. He had exiled his own son, his only son. But he had to remain firm as he took a deep breath, and continued onward.
Unfer, on the other hand, was as happy as a silent and ignored clown, as he whispered with darkened glee, "And so the Final Stand comes in…"
That Night
Dragon Training Coliseum
The mighty Golden Fleece was chained to the arena's floor, barely making a move at all. The hooks had been taken out of his flesh and wings, and left unseen scars, as he was slowly healing up. The dragon was close to sleeping, until he heard the sound of footsteps. So far today, Vikings, whether elderly, mid age, or child, had come over just to spit, pelt, or throw fruit at him. There were no guards, seeing as how the Vikings saw that he wasn't gonna try and escape, what without risking getting harpooned in the air or ground.
"Come out, Hiccup," Draco gently ordered, "Come out of the shadows where I can see you." HIccup did so, as he walked over to the dragon, and stopped as he was close enough to him. Draco gently smiled to the boy as he replied, "You look awful."
"Yeah, well, it hasn't been a great day for me, recently," Hiccup chimed in, wearing a half-sad smile on his face, until it turned into a frown as he stated, "Draco. You know what my dad's planning to do, right?"
Draco sighed at this, knowing he would be used to lead them to the Nest… to the Red Death. He nodded gently, "I know." he then sighed again, "In leading them to our nest, it will end the war. Thought it will be Alvin and the Red Death that will end it, not your father."
"You could just break out of here," Hiccup pleaded.
"Then they'll use the other dragons they have hear to locate it," Draco replied. The two were silent at this moment, but he looked to Hiccup, and saw that the poor boy couldn't take what was happening very well. He then looked to Hiccup and decided to change the subject, "Hiccup." The boy looked to him, and he went on, "There was more to your training than just simply to gain you strength. I failed once with Alvin, in hoping to form a new bridge for both races. I would have enabled to start again, but I had to wait and find the right human. A human who wouldn't repeat Alvin's mistake, and allow his hate for being an outcast cloud his judgment. Someone who could remember the Once-Ways, remember that even in the darkness, there is still light. All that one has to do is not blink in order to see it."
"Well, it's pretty obvious I'm not the right guy for the job," Hiccup sighed in self-loathing, and looked away, "I lost everything today: my dad, my tribe, my home, Astrid, Syn, Fishlegs… even my best friend." He sighed heavily, "Dad was right: I'm not a Viking."
Draco looked to the boy, who was wallowing in self-defeat. But the mighty dragon wasn't about to allow the young boy to simply just give up. And neither was he going to give up on him either. Before Hiccup could leave, Draco extended his wing out, scooping up the young lad, as he dropped him back on to his feet.
He then lowered down to the boy's eyelevel as he lectured, "Now… you listen to me, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III," he then gently jabbed his right index clawed finger into the boy, making sure not to gut him as he pointed out. "No one in your village sees it in you, but I see it, as does Toothless," he comforted the lad, as he encouraged him deeply, "You've got the makings of Greatness, deep inside you. But you've got to take the first flight, and soar through your own path. Stick to it, no matter the storms." Draco then stood up, almost towering over the boy, as he stretched his wings out, as he finished, "And when the time comes you get the chance to test the strength of your own wings, and show everyone, even the world, what you're made of… " he then turned away, smiling as he nearly whispered, but it was enough for Hiccup to hear, "Well… I hope I'm there," closing his eyes as his wings stretched out to the sky, "… Catching some of the light that comes off your silhouette that day."
There was a moment of silence between them, until Draco held out his left claw, "Um, by the way… you lost this, I believe."
Hiccup took the object that was in Draco's claws, and was a bit stunned. It was his Viking helmet, only it was pretty damaged from the brawl during the ring from today. Hiccup sighed, as he let a tear drop down his face… but he shook his head, and ran out of there, leaving the Golden Fleece to look at his retreating form.
The Next Morning
The whole village was ablaze to get ready for their final battle against the winged fire-breathing beasts. Catapults were being loaded on to the ships, as the ships were being made ready to set sail until ordered. Swords, arrows, bows, axes, and other weapons were being loaded and readied as well. The Vikings were getting ready, and they weren't about to mess this battle up, nor leave one dragon left alive.
Stoick strode down to his ship, along with Snotlout's father, and Gobber as well. But Stoick stopped for a moment, looking around, and asked, "Where's that weakling coward, Unfer?"
Gobber shrugged as he answered, "Not sure. We searched his house and anywhere else he would be at, but no sigh or hair of him."
"Figures," Stoick grumbled, "It doesn't matter anway. Odin, Help us. That Viking's been as useful as Loki's Horns in battle." he then looked and saw a few of the Vikings pull a wheeled platform, holding Draco a prisoner still. "At least we still have our prize compass."
They pulled him towards one of the larger ships, the one that would be leading the assault. They pulled him onboard, and then latched him up with as much chains and ropes as possible. Then two of the men tied up his mouth, and then put a muzzle on it, along iwht a latch collar to hold him in place. But for some odd reason, he didn't even resist; it was almost as if the dragon accepted the fact it was a prisoner.
"We reach the Helheim Gates in two months," Stoick shouted, as he and the others boarded the ship.
As the ships made ready to leave port, Stoick had to hopefully look upward, up to the cliffs. He silently prayed that at least Hiccup would have been there. But he wasn't.
Stoick sighed, as the ship began to pull away from the port and towards the waters. Stoick made his way to the front of the ship, where Draco was at. When he looked at the dragon, and the dragon looked at him, Stoick leaned in to its face. He then spat out venomously, "Lead the way home… Devil."
And the ships sailed away, leading them all to the biggest battle of their lives.
Or their last.
A Week Later
Standing at the one place Stoick had looked at on the cliffs, the young exiled Viking boy stood, with his mother's torn helmet in his right hand, overlooking the ocean that led to the Helheim Gate. Hiccup had stood there for nearly a week, ever since the ships left with Draco. he looked out on the ocean, his eyes glazed over, expressionless in defeat. Inwardly, he probably would've laughed sarcastically. How unfair life was to him; he thought that things would finally light up for him, but then it all came falling down into darkness once again. There was nothing left for the young Viking boy to live for on this world.
His best friend had run away, in which he tried to find him. But it was no avail, as Toothless was nowhere to be seen, not even at the canyon hideout. At first he thought that he had been captured, but no one had made mention of capturing a Night Fury. Meaning that the young dragon was out in hiding somewhere. In which it was probably best this way, considering Toothless would have been in constant danger of being hunted down. But this was worse than having him been caught and used to find the Dragon's Nest.
And was what even worse, his mentor, Draco, had been captured, probably locked up and being forced to lead them to the Helheim Gate. To the Red Death; the unstoppable dragon that could probably set them all aflame, as well as fly over here in less than a day and torch the whole thing in one blast. They were probably torturing him while on their way to the nest… making him feel the pain that they said they had gone through these past 300 years…
A lone tear rolled down the left side of his face. His heart sunk, heavy with guilt. Neither Draco nor Toothless didn't deserve this. The two were innocent, all of it was his fault. If anyone deserved that treatment, it was him, or so Hiccup believed. He was the one to blame for everything – Toothless's injury, Draco's current situation, even the impending deaths of all those brave men and women, who at this moment who were on those ships, geared and prepped for the final showdown that will cost them and Berk dearly.
'If only I had listened to Gobber and my father that day… all this would not have happened,' he though to himself. Destined to live the rest of his life wallowing in sorrow and hate, he sighed and let his shoulders slumped, dejected.
Hiccup didn't see it though, but Astrid had silently walked over to where he was. She looked saddened at him, knowing full well he wasn't taking this well. Silently, she walked up and stood next to the Viking, almost three feet from him. If anything, this was like back at the Council Hall on that rainy night of their first training day three months ago. Although, back then, Astrid wanted nothing to do with him, but now… well, things were different for them both now.
The two just stood on the Cliffside for the next few minutes, uncomfortable in their silence. But then Astrid finally spoke up once more.
"It's a mess." She finally spoke out, but sounding a bit awkward to him as she spoke, while twiddling her hands together. "You must feel horrible; you've lost everything, your father, your tribe, your mentor, your best friend…" Her voice wavered; she probably felt the same way Hiccup was feeling at this point.
"Thank you… for summing that up." Hiccup replied dryly, not knowing what else to say as the words just tumbled out of his mouth.
"Why couldn't I have killed that dragon when I found him in the woods?" he asked himself, feeling he should have asked it now than earlier ago, "I mean, it would've been better, for everyone…"
"Yep… the rest of us would have done it." Astrid contemplated his rhetoric. But then she turned to look at him and asked him something pretty big, "So why didn't you?"
She then noticed that he paused, as the lone question hung in the air, echoing around them both. He appeared to be stunned; it was obvious to her that he actually hadn't thought of it before. All these months, and he didn't know why he didn't kill Toothless in the first place.
"Hiccup, why didn't you?" She repeated the question once more, hammering it into his head.
His mouth was dry, as Hiccup tried to form a coherent string of words, "I… I don't know… I couldn't."
"That's not an answer!"
He sighed as he looked at her, nearly frustrated as he asked, "Why is this suddenly so important to you?"
"Because I want to remember what you say," she replied, placing a hand on his right shoulder, but gently, which was a bit out of character for her, "Right now."
He turned to her and he saw in her eyes the same strong look of determination that he saw in the ring all those times during training.
Hiccup sighed as he just let loose a string of excuses, "Fine! I was a coward, I was weak! I wouldn't kill a dragon!"
She retorted firmly, "You said 'wouldn't' that time…"
"Well, whatever! I just wouldn't! alright?" he shot back at her, as he shouted in frustration, as he went on, "I mean, what? 300 years on this island, and over countless Viking warriors, and all of a sudden, I'm the first one who wouldn't kill a dragon!"
He looked away, frustrated that life wasn't done screwing with him yet. Astrid sympathetically smiled at him, thinking the same thing about his situation. Suddenly, Hiccup felt a warm, comforting hand on his other shoulder. A soft feeling pressed up against my back, and Hiccup nearly went a little red at what he realized it… or who it was. It was Astrid, just like she did when they were both on Toothless that day, on her first flight.
"First to ride one, though," her soothing voice jolted his conscience. "So…?"
He finally broke down, opened his heart, reaching in to feel for those emotions that had eluded him this far. Hiccup finally recalled the events of that day, and he came to a realization.
"I… I wouldn't kill him…" he started as he turned around, facing Astrid face to face, "… because… he looks as frightened as I was. I looked right at him… and I didn't see a mindless vicious beast that we were taught to believe when we saw them… instead… I saw myself…"
Astrid was taken aback, a little surprised, but she smiled, satisfied at the answer. She looked out at the ocean as she stated, "I bet Draco's felt the same thing when he saw you and Toothless together that day you met too." she then looked into his eyes, and asked, "So what…" but then stopped as she saw that he was leaving, "Hiccup, where are you going?"
"It doesn't matter," he replied, keeping his back turned to her as he walked away.
"HIccup, wait!" she called back to him, "Hiccup!" but he wouldn't listen as he continued to walk away, leaving the Viking girl just standing there, feeling helpless in what she should have done next.
That Night
In the Forest
Near Toothless's Canyon
The night had not been a good one for the young Viking, as Hiccup sat on a rock in the canyon that he and Toothless had stayed in after his training days. It was the first place he looked for the dragon, but like everywhere else on the vast island, he wasn't there. On top of that, it was raining, and pretty hard, but Hiccup didn't even leave the rock he sat on, and was becoming completely drenched in rain. Personally, he wanted to get out of the rain, but… he was hoping for something, like a flu or virus, something to put him out of his misery once and for all. He brought his legs up, and propped his arms on the knees, burying his face into them, feeling down and out. Nothing could cheer him up now… not even..
Valor!
Hiccup pulled his head up, a look of startlement was across his face as he looked around, trying to figure out where that ghostly voice came from.
Valor!
There it was again, as he slid off the rock, trying to figure out what was going on.
Valor! A Rider and his Dragon are sworn to Valor!
Now Hiccup was getting worried, as he looked around, getting creeped out by the voices coming from out of nowhere. As soon as he was close to the lake, he shouted out, hearing more of the whispers, "Alright, if someone's out there, just come on out! And if you're ghosts, then I don't believe in you!"
Then, from behind him, a golden light shined, catching the boy's attention, as he whipped around. There, on the lake, golden silhouettes stood there, blurred by the night, but floating on the water's surface. There were several of them, but they were each in pairs. And from what Hiccup saw, they were humans in strange foreign armor, while each human had with them a dragon, each of different species.
Their presence made him weak in the knees, as he fell on them, still looking at the ghostly golden silhouettes. All Hiccup did was gulp as he whispered, "Alright, I believe in you."
But then, the leader, the one standing in front of them all, spoke out, "A rider and his Dragon are sworn to Valor."
At first, all Hiccup did was remain silent for a moment, not sure if he should say it. But he remembered what he and Toothless had gone through in the training. And that, was enough to remind him, as he spoke out, "A Rider and his Dragon are sworn to Valor."
"Their Hearts Know only Virtue."
"Their Hearts Know only Virtue."
"Their Blade and Claws Defend the Helpless."
"Their Blade and Claws Defend the Helpless."
"Their Might Upholds the Weak."
"Their Might Upholds the Weak."
"Their Word and Roar Speak only Truth."
"Their Word and Roar Speak only Truth."
"Their Wrath and Courage Undoes the Evil and Wicked."
"Their Wrath and Courage Undoes the Evil and Wicked."
And with those last verses, the figures disappeared, putting the night back as the rain continued to go down. At that moment, all the bad stuff that held Hiccup down, washed away and the boy was once again smiling. But then, it became darker again, but only over him, as a dark wing acted as an umbrella, shielding him from the rain. When Hiccup saw the wing, his smile was turned to an overjoyed surprise, as he looked behind him… and saw Toothless by his side.
Immediately, Hiccup bolted right up to his feet, and gave the Night Fury the fiercest hug around his neck as he could. Toothless was a bit surprised by this sudden burst of emotion, but he didn't mint at all, as he nuzzled on his friend's side. He too equally missed Hiccup as much; the week had not been easy for the two of them. But then Hiccup pulled back for a moment, still smiling but seemed a bit serious.
"We're gonna do something, boy," Hiccup told him, and sighed, "Though you might not like it at first."
The Next Morning
Berk
That morning, Astrid was walking along the Elder, as well as the remaining council members, some of which weren't all too thrilled by her suggestion. She was suggesting that she'd take a handful of some of the recruits to try to find Stoick and the fleet, and bring them back. She tried to convince the Elders that there was a dragon on the island: something much worse than anything they've ever encountered, and couldn't fight on their own against. But the elders were turning a blind ear to her.
"You're completely mad," one of them shot out.
"I know, it's insane," Astrid defended, "But if we don't bring them back, they'll all be slaughtered."
"Only a fool would try and stop our victory," a bitter old woman of an elder shot out.
"It's not gonna be a victory," shouted a new voice.
They all turned around, just to see a Night Fury charging right at them. The elders were about to run, but Astrid stood her ground, and smiled as she saw who it was. Then, the Night Fury came to a stop, right in front of them, as they all looked, and saw none other than Hiccup riding atop it. But something was a bit different with his wardrobe, aside from his glove, tooth-forged sword, and the rider vest. On the right shoulder, was his Viking helmet, made of his mother's breastplate, now turned into a shoulder guard, with the two horns at the end and sticking towards him. Astrid smiled, seeing that he had found Toothless, and he seemed a bit more confident now.
"Not without me," Hiccup smirked confidently.
"What makes you think you can do anything?" the bitter elder shot out, pointing at him, "You're an outcast!"
"You're right, I'm not a Viking," Hiccup stated, but his smirk remained as he petted Toothless on his head with his ungloved hand, "I'm a Dragon Rider."
The Elder, the one that had picked him for the final trial, walked towards him and stopped. She looked at him, and then she looked at Toothless, who seemed like a clueless puppy or kitten looking at her. She then looked back to Hiccup, and smiled, "Bring our chief and tribe safely back, young Dragon Rider."
Hiccup looked a little hesitant, understandably so at the Elder's choice in him. Sighing, Astrid walked over to him and took his hand in hers, as she asked, "So what are you going to do about it?"
"Well, probably something stupid…" His reply came across as a little wary, but still determined.
Smiling, she egged him on, "Good, but you've already done that a week ago."
His face brightened up as a plan formed in his mind, the thoughts flying across his eyes, "Then, something crazy." As he and Toothless rode straight towards the coliseum.
Astrid smirked, and motioned to follow him, "That's more like it."
Next Chapter: Alvin the Treacherous and the Red Death; Master and Apprentice Battle
Author's Note: the speech that Draco gave to Hiccup, is just like the one Silver gives to Jim, giving the boy confidence once again. And from both movies… it still brings me to tears as it touches my heart tremendously.