Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD
A/N: Sorry this took so long, guys – I've had writer's block, and I can't promise the next chapter will be any faster.
In other news, if you don't already know, a while ago I wrote a Let it Go parody song for HTTYD. Well, Twidash FTW Harmony Dash has sung a cover of this song! Here's the link: www. youtube watch? v=ee3Ju0ALVfY & feature= youtu. be
She didn't have the best equipment to work with, so the audio's a bit hit and miss, and she admits she's not the greatest singer…but I still really appreciate that she gave it a go, because nobody's ever done that before. If anyone else wants to take a shot, just let me know!
Warrior or Whisperer – Part Three
Later, after they'd both cleaned themselves up and Hiccup had tied cloth tightly around Toothless' strained wing joint to soothe the painful hot aching, he and his dragon went back to the ring. Eret and his crew's dragons had lifted away the chain netting above it, to let Torch escape, and the remainder hung limply down the sides.
Ragnar and his fellow chieftains had been persuaded to come into the ring with Hiccup and Toothless, if only so that he didn't have to strain his voice to speak to them. Without the metal chains between them and the ring, the rest of the Smoking Bay tribe didn't seem as eager to watch.
"Well then, Hiccup Haddock," Ragnar announced, as he and the other chieftains formed a semi-circle before the pair, "You are the first outsider we have ever invited to an Althing, and the first to request it be held out of doors. What say you to that?"
"I'm honoured" Hiccup answered respectfully, before getting back on topic. "Shall we get started, then?"
"Aye! I've told these men of the dragon you had me parley with. When you told me the beasts knew our tongue, I had to say I didn't believe you until that one you called a Queen bowed her head to me. Am I sure you didn't teach her to do that?" Ragnar asked, with only a little suspicion in his voice.
"I promise I didn't."
"Do you really expect us to believe this?" a familiarly scornful voice demanded. Hiccup turned to see the brown haired, arrogant looking chieftain looking at him and biting back a sneer. "Dragons understanding what we say, I've never heard of anything so insane. Who here agrees?"
There were many loud murmurs of agreement; a few of the men didn't agree, but they didn't disagreeeither. "Silence!" Ragnar thundered, before glaring at the speaker. "If you're calling him a liar, then you're calling me one too, Darius" he accused, and the man scowled, but didn't protest.
"I can prove it" Hiccup insisted, turning to face his dragon. "Toothless!" he called, and the Night Fury's attention was instantly fixed on him.
"Toothless, can you understand what I'm saying to you?"
The dragon nodded his head up and down in a clear 'yes'.
"Do you know where we are?"
Another nod. Hiccup asked, "Are we in Lapland?"
Toothless shook his head. Then Hiccup asked, "Are we in Iceland?"
This time, a nod again. The chieftains and the onlookers alike muttered to one another. Hiccup's confidence grew a little, until Darius protested, "This is obviously a trick. You're giving the dragon signs to tell it when to nod and shake its head. I've seen it done with horses."
"His head" Hiccup corrected automatically, "and you're welcome to ask him a question yourself; uh, yes or no questions only, please. He can't really answer you otherwise."
"I shall" Darius decided. He looked at Toothless and barked imperiously, "Pay attention, dragon!"
Toothless did the exact opposite just to make a point, yawning nice and wide to display his fangs and looking away. Darius looked indignant at being ignored; the other chieftains either looked affronted on his behalf, if they were on good terms with Darius, or pleased and trying not to show it, if they weren't.
Hiccup shrugged, although inside he was just as rankled on Toothless' behalf. "Yeah…he doesn't really like just being called 'dragon', like that. I mean, he is a dragon, but it's just not special, you know? C'mon, bud" he cajoled, "Play along just for now, okay?"
Toothless huffed. *You owe me for this* he glared warningly, half-jokingly at Hiccup. Then, dragging his paws and playing at reluctance, he faced Darius and fixed the man with a look that could best be described as, well?
"Do you know what we call you, dragon?" Darius questioned, ignoring entirely what Hiccup had just said about the generic term. Toothless' dislike for the man grew a little bit more. How would you like it if someone only called you 'human', human?!
But he had to play along, so they would believe, and he nodded.
Then of course the annoying human had to go and ask a question he couldn't easily answer. "What do we call you?"
"Hey! I just said, yes or no questions only" Hiccup protested, but Toothless held a wing out to cut him off. He didn't like this Darius but he knew a challenge when he heard one, and he would do his best to meet it. So he licked at his lips, stretching his tongue, and tried to say 'Night Fury' like a human, aloud.
The closest he could get was a short low yowl and a high shriek, and there was another sound that he knew but could not make with his mouth the way he could with his mind. He felt Hiccup's eyes on him full of amazement and felt their bond pulse with pride; Toothless purred gratitude and love back to him.
It did not matter if his calls sounded like 'Night Fury' or not; his other half was proud of him for trying, for being so clever, and that was what mattered most. Then another chief asked, "Are you a Night Fury?"
Toothless nodded, more enthusiastically than before. The murmuring grew louder. The man who had just asked him a question said wonderingly, "It really is as if he can understand."
"But surely he's just hearing your tone of voice?" a more doubtful chieftain suggested.
"Toothless' hearing is excellent" Hiccup agreed, "and he can easily pick up on the change in pitch that means a question…but even then, he'd still need to know whether to nod or shake his head in answer. If he was guessing or doing it at random, he'd have gotten a question wrong, and so far, he hasn't. The only time he wasn't able to answer properly was when Darius asked him a question he had no clear signal for…but you still tried anyway, cos you're a clever dragon" he cooed at Toothless.
"So, what, if wild dragons raid us, we should just ask them if they want our food and wait for them to nod?" Darius asked sarcastically. Hiccup was tempted to ignore him.
"Wild dragons don't nod!" another chief protested, "…do they?"
"Well, sort of" Hiccup shrugged, "The gestures that mean 'yes' or 'no' to us mean different things to dragons. Shaking their heads is an invitation to play, and nodding – well, bobbing their heads is a greeting. A handshake, for creatures who don't have hands. They can be taught to do it our way, however.
"But if you want proof it isn't the questioning tone he's listening for…" Hiccup pulled a strip of red cloth from beneath his armour, and held it out to his dragon. "Toothless, c'mere."
The dragon didn't know exactly what Hiccup was planning, but he allowed his rider to blindfold him, trusting his other half unconditionally. Hiccup had the nearest man confirm that the blindfold was secure and hiding everything from Toothless' sight. Then he asked everyone to be quiet, and directed Toothless to walk around the perimeter of the open ring, with nothing to guide him but Hiccup's commands.
It was unsettling, to walk in perfect darkness and not search with echoes as he normally would, but Toothless made it all the way around back to Hiccup, who pulled the cloth away and rewarded him with some herring that had been left in a barrel nearby, along with lots of secret praise.
"I've seen enough" Ragnar decided, "I can't say I believe that all dragons understand us, but I can't deny that your Night Fury seems to."
Hiccup looked up from where he was petting Toothless. "I can ask Eret and his crew to demonstrate this with their dragons, so you can see it's not just him" he suggested. Ragnar considered this, and then nodded in agreement.
"But if they can understand us, why don't they act like it?" one of the chieftains inquired.
"Well, just because dragons can understand what we're saying, it doesn't mean they're always going to listen. They probably don't see the point – after all, we can't understand them" Hiccup pointed out. Well, with a few exceptions, of course he thought to himself.
"Indeed. Yet if I didn't know any better, I'd almost think you could understand them, Hiccup Haddock" Ormar remarked casually…a bit too casually. Hiccup and Toothless gave him odd looks, both made a little bit uneasy. Did Ormar know about…?
"Yeah, it might seem like that" he said vaguely. "It's not really…I mean, I understand their body language, if that's what you meant?" He didn't know why he'd made that a question.
"Not entirely. The way you calmed the Typhoomerang in the ring without a word, and tamed those three wild ones. I don't know how you do it; I don't suppose you can let us in on the secret?" he asked, tentative and hopeful.
"Uh…no – I mean, uh, there's no secret. I just have a…a way with dragons. They like me, for some reason, but anyone can learn to befriend and live alongside dragons peacefully."
Ormar smiled apologetically. "Of course. I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me. Please, Hiccup, continue" he invited, gesturing for the man to keep talking.
Hiccup blinked again and shook his head. "Right, yes! So, uh, I guess the best place to start is with how to earn the trust of a wild dragon so they don't try to kill you…"
Before he could begin explaining, however, they heard shouts beyond the ring, and the whistle-crack of stones flying through the air and striking targets, followed by dragonish shrieks. "Something's wrong" Hiccup murmured unnecessarily – he ran, and Toothless followed, with Ragnar and his fellow chieftains not far behind.
They emerged from the ring to find warriors loyal to their chief, as well as Eret and his crew and their growling dragons, facing off against some of the townspeople. Toothless instantly recognised the ones in the front as those who had been trying to drive them away when they first arrived, and bristled, biting back a snarl.
"Shut up, all of you!" Ragnar shouted at the top of his lungs. The crowd quieted, but only so much that the next person to yell could be heard clearly.
"We want these madmen and their pet freaks off our island!"
"Silence! Hiccup Haddock and the rest of the dragon riders are here at my invitation, and they will not be sent away any time soon. That is final!" Ragnar declared firmly. Rather than settling the matter, however, it only fired the 'human purists' up more.
"Don't you see what they're doing, chief?" the man who seemed to be the ringleader demanded. He pointed an accusing finger at Hiccup and declared, "This… Dragon Whisperer has you under his thrall! If he wants to put his people under the tyranny of dragons, then so be it, but why are you letting him do it to us?!" There were shouts of agreement from his supporters.
"How stupid are you lot?" Eret retorted, incredulous. "Hiccup isn't a tyrant - he's not trying to take over your lives, he's trying to help make them better. You're all just too stubborn to"-
"Better?!" a woman shrieked, "You think it would be better for us, to have dragons everywhere, eating all our food, burning our homes to make 'nests', their horrid fangs and claws so close to our children?! I don't want my children anywhere near them!"
"Look, lady, your kids are your problem" –
The arguments began anew, and a few fights started breaking out. At his command, Ragnar's warriors went into the fray to break it up – then a roar rang out. A couple of people screamed, then all was silent, and all eyes were on Toothless and Hiccup.
Hiccup waited a few moments more, and then cleared his throat. "Alright, everybody, just calm down. Eret, I appreciate you trying to help, but…you're not. I know you're frustrated, but throwing insults back at them isn't going to solve anything."
Eret had the decency to look chastened, and Sky Fire lowered his heavy head submissively. "Sorry, boss"/*Sorry, Alpha-Hiccup* they both apologised.
Hiccup nodded, and then turned to the distrusting, resentful faces of the naysayers. "As for you guys…I don't know what you've heard about me, or if you just don't like dragons in general…and you know, if you don't like dragons, that's…that's fine. I know not everyone is going to agree with me."
He looked first at the leader of the group. "I'm not trying to help dragons take over your lives; but making peace with our dragons and learning to live with them, was the best decision my people ever made. I just want to spread that peace" he explained. The man glared at him suspiciously, but said nothing.
Then he turned to the woman who had been arguing with Eret. "I'm not gonna lie and pretend that living with dragons is easy, cos it isn't. But nothing worth doing is – and it isn't as hard as it might seem. It turns out, dragons can last a lot longer without food, without starving, than we can; and you guys wouldn't even have to give them your food! They can find their own.
"And they're not gonna burn down houses to make nests; dragons nest in caves, not in the ruins of human buildings. The worst you'd have to deal with is them, y'know, marking their territory in slightly inconvenient places" he explained, trying not to seem too awkward about it. A few people pulled faces when they realised what he meant, and he was sure he heard some muffled sniggers.
"As for having them near your children…I'm a father, I know how you feel. My daughter is four years old, and in all that time, the dragons of our pack have never deliberately hurt her. There's barely been any accidents, either – again, I'm not gonna lie and say there were none, but that's all they were, accidents.
"Yes, the dragons have sharp teeth and claws, they can't help that, but they're far more careful, especially around little ones, than people think. If you make peace with the dragons around here, they'll come to see you – all of you – as part of their pack, and packs stick together. They'd protect your children just as much as their own hatchlings. My wife and I know that if we left our little girl alone with the dragons, she would be completely safe" he declared confidently.
The woman still looked doubtful. Well, if they needed convincing… "Can I have a volunteer?" he asked boldly. *You don't mind being petted by a complete stranger, do you?* he asked Toothless.
*Why didn't you ask me that first?*
A voice piped up from the crowd. "I'll do it!" It turned out to belong to a teenage boy with long blond and rather damp hair. He was accompanied by a gaggle of other teens of varying ages, mostly boys and a few of their girlfriends. At the sight of him, Ragnar scowled and crossly demanded, "Where in Odin's name have you been?"
The boy shrugged. "At the lagoon, like usual? Oh, hey, you must be the dragon guy!" he grinned at Hiccup, holding a hand to shake. "Name's Mikel, call me Mik."
Hiccup grinned back. He was about to respond, but Ragnar interrupted him.
"Mikel! Show our honoured guest some respect" he snapped.
Mik blinked. "But dad, I don't know how to formally greet…uh…what's your title?" he asked Hiccup.
"Eh, titles aren't really my thing. My name's Hiccup. How would you like to pet a Night Fury?"
The crowd gasped. Hiccup had to resist the urge to roll his eyes; he knew Night Furies had a fearsome reputation, and for good reason, but Toothless was standing right there and clearly not being aggressive…but, he thought, trying to be fair, none of them know him like I do. He stepped aside to show his dragon standing behind him, looking as docile and harmless as possible.
Mik's eyes widened, in amazement rather than fear. "No way. Guys, are you seeing this?" he asked over his shoulder; his friends cheered and egged him on. "What's his name?"
"Toothless – and before you ask, it's because he has retractable teeth" Hiccup explained, before adding, "Trust me, okay?"
"Uh, sure…"
"Toothless, pretend you're a wild dragon who just got startled by a human."
Huffing in mock-exasperation, Toothless looked at nothing in particular for a moment, then pretended to 'notice' Mikel, started, and growled. Mikel jumped a bit, and then 'exclaimed', "Oh, no! A wild dragon! Help!"
He's worse at acting than I am. Hiccup was liking this guy more and more. He stepped back and addressed the crowd at large. "Crash course! What to do when faced with a wild dragon. One, don't stare at them. Two, stay very still. Three, calmly repeat the words 'no threat' a few times" he explained, hoping Mik would get the hint and play along.
For a second the teen just stared blankly – then it clicked, and he said in a sing-song, baby talk kind of way, "No threat. No threat. Niiice dragon. No threat…" Toothless abandoned his posturing to give Mik a thoroughly unimpressed glare through hooded eyes. *I am not a hatchling*he insisted, despite not being understood, but he hoped his expression conveyed his feelings.
Hiccup suppressed a grin at his dragon's look of indignation. "At this point they'll either ignore you and fly away, or come closer to investigate" he informed the townspeople, whom he suspected were only being quiet because they were too bewildered to do otherwise.
Toothless caught on much faster than Mikel, and dropped the glare of disdain to edge towards him, nose twitching, pupils wide. Mik froze, looking genuinely nervous for the first time since he'd volunteered. "It's alright, Mik" Hiccup encouraged him, "just look away, and hold your hand out."
"Look…but how am I meant to know if he's about to bite me?!"
"He won't. Trust me. Trust him. Just do this."
All eyes were on Mik and Toothless. Silence reigned. Everyone – protesters, dragons, riders, chieftains, townsfolk - were trapped in a strange, tense limbo. Finally, Mik screwed his eyes shut, and tentatively held a hand out towards the dragon. The crowd gasped, drawing in a collective breath.
Toothless sniffed at his fingers, and then moved closer to press his snout into the teen's palm. Mik's eyes opened in shock – the gaggle of friends and hangers on who'd accompanied him let out muted cheers. A few of them applauded. "See?" Hiccup said to Mik, who was standing there looking kind of dumbstruck. "It's not so hard to befriend a dragon."
Mik started to grin. "So cool…" he murmured, petting the Night Fury. It's scales were really smooth, and it was warm…he'd sort of figured it might be, they did breathe fire after all, but that wasn't the point, the point was he was petting a Night Fury!
"Scratch under his chin, he loves that" Hiccup suggested, just before another protester – the leader – exclaimed, "Don't think we'll fall for this, dragon lover!"
"Fall for what?" Eret asked incredulously. "What do you think he's trying to do here? Did you even listen to a word he said?"
"Oh, we heard him alright! Making himself out a peacemaker, showing off his tame beast and trying to tell us that dragons won't be even more of a nuisance living amongst us. They don't belong here! This is a town, it's our town, and we don't need another outsider coming here and telling us what to do."
The crowd shifted restlessly, and there were cries of agreement from the other protesters. "Wait, another outsider?" Mikel frowned, "Are you talking about whatshisname – the guy with the wolf who showed up last year?"
The man ignored Mik and turned instead to his father. "Chief, with all due respect, the last time you listened to an outsider, we were drawn into a pointless war" he declared, "and now you turn to counsel from another outsider, the very man that Adulfr Haukeson rallied us against in the first place!"
Ragnar looked furious. "That's enough, Isak! You've said your piece. Now listen to me, all of you!" he commanded, "I've seen with my own eyes how Vikings and dragons can live side by side, no different to our hunting dogs. Whether you like it or not, there may well be dragons living amongst us someday soon. So I suggest you learn what you can from the Dragon Whisperer whilst he's here, and I'll hear not another word of protest!"
Isak scowled. The crowd started to disperse, many of them shooting Hiccup and the other riders dirty looks. Mik's friends hung about, and one of them asked, "So can we have a go?"
The Althing became somewhat derailed after that. The chieftains retreated to consider what they had seen and heard; Mik and his friends gathered around to pet dragons and ask a thousand questions. When the young heir discovered that they'd been there almost the whole day and not been in the hot pools, he practically dragged Hiccup towards them by the crook of his arm. To be fair, it was relaxing, and Hiccup could almost forget about what Isak had said.
That evening, Ragnar threw a feast for the visiting chieftains, and invited Hiccup and his allies as guests of honour. After dinner, they sat outside with mead, "For after all, 'tis such a glorious evening!", with the Northern Lights flickering and swaying through the air above.
Tinni and Uggi greeted and talked with the chieftain of their own tribe, trading news. Jorge, Noam and Òskar started singing raucous seafaring ballads, in not even close to harmony, and all the dragons near them fled except for Noam's Rock-Tail, Limestone, who happily gurgled accompaniment. Aksel chatted with Mik and his gang, Alfgautr arm-wrestled with various men, and Safira fended off advances by joining the contests and almost breaking wrists.
It was Eret who first noticed something was wrong. "Hey, boss, what's up?"
"The opposite of down."
"Ha, ha" Eret deadpanned, "Seriously, though. Is this about those jerks at the ring earlier?"
Hiccup sighed. "Eret…do you think we're doing the right thing?" he asked, "If people don't want things to change, who am I to say they have to?"
Eret groaned. "Hiccup. You can't let them get to you, that's exactly what they want. Nobody likes change, but it happens whether we want it to or not. Some people just need a good sharp kick in the pants" he declared with feeling.
Hiccup's mouth twitched into a smirk. "Why do I get the feeling you're not speaking metaphorically?"
"Point is, people don't know what's good for them. I never would have met Sky Fire if it wasn't for you, and that's one of the best things that's ever happened to me" Eret smiled, as the Nadder affectionately nuzzled his shoulder. He scratched under his dragons chin in response.
Now it was Hiccup's turn to sigh. "I'm just getting sick of people comparing me to my enemies" he confessed. "First it was Drago, now Adulfr…I just don't understand it. They called for war and I'm calling for peace, so how am I the enemy here?"
*Because they are egg-for-brains* Toothless announced bluntly. Hiccup snorted in amusement.
"What?"
He quietly told Eret what his dragon had said. "Yeah, well, he's right. And you'd be an egg-for-brain if you took that lot seriously. It's them who're in the wrong, Hiccup, not you" Eret assured him. Hiccup smiled gratefully at the older man.
"Thanks, Eret."
"No problem, boss."
That night, as they were settling down in their lodgings, Toothless announced, *Something is still bothering you*.
Hiccup didn't bother to deny it. *Do you think Ormar knows about the heart bind?* he asked.
*Do you?*
*I think he knows something - or suspects something. All the comments he's been making; how he's heard rumours of blood magic, he asked if I could understand dragons, he even said it was as if I had the blood of a dragon. Doesn't that seem kind of suspicious to you?*
The black dragon hummed thoughtfully. *You could try asking him what he knows* he suggested, *that seems like a good place to start. He might not know as much as you think*.
*What if he does?*
*Why would it matter?*
Hiccup blinked…to his surprise, he had trouble coming up with a good answer. *The fewer people know about the heart bind, the better…right?*
Toothless stared at him in sheer disbelief. *Hiccup, everyone on Berk knows that we're heart bound. Eret and his crew know that we're heart bound. Rumours about it have spread all over the archipelago and beyond by now. It's not exactly a secret. The only part we haven't told most people is…that we'd die together* he pointed out, slipping into their direct mental link.
All this was true. *What do you think we should do?*
Toothless hummed thoughtfully, stretching as much as he could. What was it with humans and sleeping in such small spaces? *I think you should talk to Ormar in the morning. Tell him the truth – not all of it, but what you can. I think you should let him and Ragnar hear thought-speak…things will be much easier if they and Flare Twirl can talk to each other properly*.
*Are you sure about this?*
*Not a bit, but whatever happens, we have each other. Besides, aren't rumours and misunderstandings and all that sort of thing the reason the whole mess with Adulfr started?*
Hiccup sighed, and smiled. *You're right. I don't know what I'd do without you. Thanks, bud* he said gratefully, resting his head against the dragons flank and yawning, *Goodnight*.
*Goodnight, Hiccup*.
The following morning dawned crisp and clear…Hiccup and Toothless were woken what felt like far too early by a knocking on the door. Reluctantly, Hiccup crawled out from beneath his dragon's wing, straightened his clothes and attempted, futilely, to flatten his hair. Deeming himself at least somewhat presentable, he fought back a huge yawn and opened the door.
The messenger on the other side explained, "Sorry, sir, but Chief Ragnar asks you to come outside as soon as you can. There's been an…incident." The solemn way he said it told Hiccup that whatever was going on, it was not good. He washed his arms and face in a basin, changed into a fresh tunic, and put his armour on. He hooked Inferno to his belt and they emerged from their room, heading out to the courtyard.
When they emerged, it was to find an angry mob waiting for them, which wasn't exactly how they had planned to start the day. Ragnar was standing at the front of the crowd, his warriors between them and the dragon riders. Hiccup wasn't sure if that made him feel more nervous, or less. "Is something wrong?"
Chief Ragnar was not one to beat around the bush. "There was a dragon attack last night" he announced.
"What?!"
It was then that Eret emerged, looking just as dishevelled as Hiccup felt. "What's going on?" he asked, frowning.
"As I said, an attack. The nearest smokehouse were raided last night, as were the docks" – Ragnar's explanation was cut short when Eret asked incredulously, "And you waited till now to tell us? By Tiermes, we would have helped if you'd"-
"They were silent" Ragnar snapped, looking none too happy at the interruption, "whatever sort it was, the dragon was sneaky. We only discovered the damage ourselves an hour or so ago."
Hiccup was immediately suspicious. "Show us" he commanded; Ragnar stared at him a moment, and then nodded.
"This way" he announced, beckoning. Hiccup vaulted onto Toothless' back and the Night Fury followed the chief at a swift trot. Both of them held their heads high and ignored the stares, accusing more often than not, that came their way. As the rest of Eret's crew came shambling out, he told them to saddle up and follow him at once.
The storehouse door was hanging off its hinges. Inside, the place was ransacked. Barrels of salted fish had been broken open, their contents devoured completely; hooks on the ceiling marked where strings of curing meat and fish had been torn down, the remnants now scattered upon the floor. The only thing that hadn't been touched were the barrels of eels.
"It's terrible" Ormar lamented. "Everything gone, and it will take us months to restock all the food we've lost. Thank Freyr it is still summer, there may yet be time…"
Ragnar rounded on Hiccup and said accusingly, "Haddock, you told me the dragons and their Queen could be trusted, that they wouldn't raid us – and now this!"
Hiccup squared his shoulders, refusing to be cowed by the larger man. At his brother's side, Toothless spread his wings as far as they could go – it was a little easier this morning – in solidarity. "Why are you so sure that a dragon did this?"
Ragnar stared at him in disbelief, and waved a meaty hand at the destruction in the storehouse. "Can you not see? Claw marks in the floor, teeth marks in the ropes – everything eaten but the eels, which you said yourself dragons hate – it's right in front of you, man!"
Hiccup frowned. "None of that is proof it was an actual dragon" he insisted. "Someone is framing them - I've seen this before, in my own village, years ago. And I have a pretty good idea what their motive is, too" he added meaningfully.
Isak demanded, voice thick with righteous indignation, "You accuse us of sabotage, outsider? Of treachery?"
"He has a point" Eret came to Hiccup's defence at once, "If anyone would have a reason to frame the dragons, it'd be you lot. And would you quit calling him 'outsider'? He has a name, you know."
"Thank you, Eret" said Hiccup, giving the older man a pointed glare. He stood on Toothless' back to be seen better and called out, "Did anyone actually see a dragon break in here?"
The crowd shifted and muttered amongst themselves, and Hiccup felt vindicated for a moment before an elderly voice croaked out, "I did. I saw it, right before it sent me flying into th' wall". A grizzled warrior with a wooden stump in place of his right leg, and a bandage wrapped around his head, limped out of the crowd.
He spat on the floor and introduced himself. "Nikolas Nilsson. That there is my storehouse, it's been in me family for generations. I was inside stoking up the embers, when I heard something growl outside the door. So I went to investigate, and I pulled it open to find a dragon outside, looming over me, and I couldn't even cry out before it knocked me with its head and sent me flying. I'm lucky I wasn't burned to a crisp!"
The crowd muttered restlessly. Hiccup frowned. "Alright, so if it was a dragon, and to me that's a big 'if', what kind of dragon was it?" he questioned.
"Well, I didn't get a good look at it" Nikolas huffed, "It was dark, and the beast attacked me. But it was huge, with a long sort of snout, and big fangs, and bulging yellow eyes…"
"Sounds like a Monstrous Nightmare to me" Isak said smugly, "and isn't it odd that this storehouse was raided, and so was the catch at the docks down there" he said, pointing down the path towards the harbour, "and you and your dragon riders were staying right up there" he finished.
There were cries of protest from the rest of Eret's crew. "Do you have any proof? Cos all I'm hearing is a load of hot air" said Eret. "Our dragons are trained. They wouldn't do something like this, and anyway, they've been in the stables all night."
"All of them?" Isak challenged him, "what about him?" He pointed at Aksel, and remarked, "He rides a Monstrous Nightmare, as I recall, but I don't see one here."
All eyes turned to Aksel, who had come with Safira on her Nadder because his own dragon hadn't been there. "Okay, yeah, Cinder flew off last night" he admitted, "but that doesn't mean she raided your storehouse! She's a good dragon. Eret, Hiccup, you've got to believe me" the young man begged, looking between his captain and his captain's boss worriedly.
"At ease, Aksel, we do believe you" Eret assured him. He looked relieved for a moment, and then the worry returned.
"Could one of you give me a hand looking for her? I thought she'd be back by" –
He was cut off by the sound of wingbeats and a shadow falling over the crowd. Everyone looked up, shielding their eyes against the early morning sun, as a honey coloured Fire-Scale with red-orange markings flew down to land near the other dragons. "Cinder!" Aksel cried in delight, rushing over to greet his dragon. She purred at him, her long forked tongue darting out to lick his face, and he laughed.
"Aww, I missed you too! Where've you been? Oh, Cin, you've got a bit of fish stuck…" Aksel trailed off, and dropped the hand that had been reaching up to pick out the fishtail skewered haphazardly on one of Cinder's fangs. Puzzled, he stepped back and asked, "Hey, girl, where did you go last night?"
The drakaina looked from her rider to the crowd, to the ruined storehouse door, and let out a worried whine. *What's going on?* she asked nervously, *Alphas, am I in trouble?*
*What were you doing last night, Cinder?* Toothless asked her, but before she could answer, the crowd was right off jumping to conclusions and making things so much worse. Humans.
"It was that one!" Nikolas cried, "I'm sure of it. That's the beast that attacked me last night!"
*I didn't attack him!* Cinder protested, *He-*
"I saw a Monstrous Nightmare flying towards the docks last night! I know I did!"
"Stop calling her that! She's not Monstrous at all, they're called Fire-Scales now!"
"I saw it too!"
"It landed here! It came down to land right here!"
"You're all being ridiculous!"
"Are you calling me a liar?!"
"No, I'm calling you an"-
"Silence!" Ragnar boomed at the top of his lungs, and a hush fell over the crowd. "We have no time to waste bickering about what really happened last night – but rest assured, I will find out, and if I find out that this was sabotage, that there is treachery afoot, whoever is responsible had better pray I never find them, because no force on this world will stop me from bringing justice upon them" he warned.
Everyone glanced at each other uneasily. "And if it isn't treachery?" demanded Isak, "Will you stay your hand then, if he asks you too?" he accused, nodding at Hiccup.
"No, Isak. If it is the dragons then they will be punished too, and you are not going to stop me defending my people, Dragon Whisperer" Ragnar warned Hiccup. The Berkian said nothing; he would intervene, if Ragnar tried to hurt the dragon – if it was a dragon. All of Hiccup's instincts were saying trick, and he was determined to prove it.
Ormar stepped forwards and announced, "With all due respect, chief, I think we should hear what Hiccup has to say about all this. He may yet have some advice to give us."
The chief nodded. "Aye. Let's hear your advice, Dragon Whisperer, and we'll talk about your accusations later" he declared, with a pointed look.
Hiccup turned to his allies first. "Aksel, you and Cinder stay here, I want to talk to you. Eret, you and the others go out fishing, bring in as much as you can. We can't replace the meat, but you can make a start on the herring and cod" he pointed out. Eret saluted and mounted up; the other riders followed suit, and they took off towards the open sea.
Then, Hiccup turned to Ormar. "Could I talk to you in private, please? It's important" he insisted.
Ormar replied, "Yes, of course. After breakfast, perhaps?"
"Yes, that's fine" Hiccup nodded. "But first, I'm going to look for clues to what really happened here" he said, gesturing at the ruined storehouse.
"I'll help" Aksel offered. Cinder hung back, unsure if she was in trouble. *Alpha-Toothless, I didn't*-
*We know you didn't do this. Just keep watch, okay?* he told her, before following Hiccup inside the large wood cave.
*I hope you're right about telling Ormar* Hiccup said to Toothless, as Ragnar and Ormar began breaking the crowd up and ushering them all away.
*So am I*.
This was really not how they had planned to start their day.