Heather Together Chapter 2
Heather spent the morning walking around Berk. She casually asked people about the population, the docks, the catapults, the quality of their weapons, anything she could think of. She made sure not to ask the same person more than one question, so no one's suspicions would be raised. But, little by little, she was forming an accurate picture of Berk as a military target.
In mid-morning, people started migrating toward the edge of town. "What's going on?" she asked someone.
"Dragon Training," he replied. "It's the final round of the year. It looks like Hiccup is going to win it all, with his dad watching!" She joined the crowds and found a place among the other spectators.
The ring was set with a double row of flimsy-looking wooden obstacles that would never stand up to dragon fire. Apparently they were only for hiding behind, not for any real protection. Six young people, including Hiccup, filed into the ring with weapons in their hands; the crowd cheered. Hiccup was wearing a new horned helmet that somehow looked too big for him. He saw her and waved.
Then the dragon was released – it was a Gronckle, she thought – and the six young warriors scattered in search of shields. Snotlout found one just in time; the dragon spat a fiery ball that hit his shield just as he was picking it up. "Snotlout, you're done!" called the training master. The beefy young man slunk out of the arena and found a place next to Heather.
They watched as the dragon disposed of one opponent after another, until only Hiccup and Astrid were left.
"The smart money's on Hiccup," Snotlout confided to her.
"Does that mean you bet on Astrid?" she asked innocently.
"Yeah. How'd you know that?" he demanded.
Astrid found cover behind the same obstacle that Hiccup was using. Heather couldn't hear them over the roar of the crowds, but it looked like she had some strong words for him. Then they separated. The dragon was circling the ring in search of more targets... and then it found one. Hiccup had left cover and was standing at the edge of the ring!
"Hiccup, be careful!" she shouted. The dragon charged at him. At the same time, Astrid broke cover and rushed behind the Gronckle with a loud battle cry.
Heather wasn't quite sure what happened next. Hiccup had dropped his weapon, shield, and helmet somehow, and met the charging dragon with an outstretched arm and empty hand. His back was to her; she couldn't see what he did. But suddenly, the Gronckle's eyes rolled back into its head and it thudded to the ground, limbs dangling limply in all directions. Astrid rushed up behind it, about three seconds too late to strike a blow. The crowd roared. The fight was over!
Snotlout banged his fist against the safety rails, angry because he'd lost his bet. Astrid was even angrier; she threw a full-scale tantrum in front of everyone, and nearly decapitated Hiccup in the process.
"Maybe Hiccup should subdue that dragon while he's at it," Heather said to Snotlout.
"Yeah, she's a spitfire," he agreed. "Not that there's anything wrong with a dragon-esque attitude. I like 'em spirited. That makes it more fun to break 'em so they're meek and obedient. Do you think girls should be meek and obedient?" He leered at her.
She smiled back. "Did I ever tell you about the time I broke a boy's nose because I didn't like the way he looked at me?"
"No, Heather, you didn't." He was still leering. "Why don't you tell me all about it?"
"Keep looking at me that way, and you'll know all about it, first-hand." She returned to watching the action in the ring, completely ignoring a crestfallen Snotlout. He returned to the ring to see the final outcome.
The town's Gothi had apparently chosen Hiccup as the big winner of Dragon Training. He looked less than enthusiastic as his friends paraded him around the ring (except for Astrid, who was left seething in their wake). He didn't see it as an honor, obviously. That made him a minority of one, judging by the reactions of everyone else in town.
How had he knocked that dragon out with his bare hands?
Heather had an enquiring mind, and enquiring minds want to know. Some of her curiosity was on behalf of her project, but some of it was just for her.
When he slipped out of the ring, she followed him. Astrid was also following him. She saw Heather doing the same thing, and dropped back to remain unseen. Heather was intent on following Hiccup; she never knew that she herself was being trailed.
He got to the cove, also unaware that he'd been tailed. "We're leaving," he called to his dragon. "Let's pack up. Looks like you and me are taking a little vacation. Forever." He paused to open his pack and make sure everything he needed was inside.
When he glanced up, he found Heather reclining on a rock just a few feet away from him, smiling at him. He'd never had a pretty girl smile at him before; it rattled his cage badly. "What the... uh, uh, what are you doing here?" he stammered.
"I just want to know what's going on," she said calmly. She slipped down the side of the rock, stretched languidly (which threw him even more off balance), and smiled again. "Nobody knocks out a dragon with his bare hands – it just can't be done, and every Viking knows that except you, because you just did it. Then you win your village's top prize, and all you want to do is run away? Nothing about this makes any sense."
"I know, this looks really bad, but I actually have my reasons," he said nervously. "Remember Toothless?"
At the sound of his name, the black dragon bounded happily out of the shadows... and saw Heather and stopped with a vicious snarl.
"I don't think he remembers me," she quavered.
"It's okay, Toothless! She's a friend!" The dragon didn't look pacified. "Toothless is the reason I did so well in Dragon Training. By spending time with him, I learned things about dragons that nobody ever knew before, like how to tickle them so they faint."
"You spend time with it?" Heather said dubiously. "You make it sound like some kind of a friend. A real friend!"
"He is a real friend!" Hiccup replied. "He's kind of the only friend I've got." He rested his hand on the broad black muzzle. "He doesn't care if I'm weak, or if I break things, or if I'm not the perfect Viking. He just likes me. And I like him, and we look out for each other."
Heather gazed at them through narrowed eyes. "A Night Fury... is your best friend? You're asking me to accept a lot on your say-so."
"I can prove it," he said firmly, and gestured toward the dragon. "Want to go for a ride?"
She considered the hostile-looking dragon. Hiccup apparently had something more in mind than the short flight they'd taken the day before. He clearly trusted the creature, and it seemed just as clear that the creature didn't trust her.
Still, she had to find out what this dragon/rider pair could do. Savage would want to know.
There was also some curiosity of her own. There was something about this thin, quiet boy, this un-Viking, this loser – no. He was not a loser. Losers don't outdo all their peers in Dragon Training. Losers don't tame Night Furies, and ride them, and direct them in flight. Whatever Hiccup was, he was no loser.
A loner, then? He seemed to want company; he just didn't have any, except for his dragon. He seemed quite happy to have her company. She could certainly take advantage of that.
But taking advantage of him... that was something different. It just felt wrong. She'd used people before and hadn't batted an eyelash over it, if it had to be done. Why couldn't she just harden herself and do what she had to do?
Somehow, this thin boy with his clear green eyes was shaping up to be one of the most complicated people she'd ever met.
Whichever way she played it, she knew that, if she wanted to learn more about him, she had to get on his dragon's good side. She nodded and climbed onto the dragon's back. "Hang on," he suggested. Suddenly they were airborne and climbing fast.
Half a minute later, when Astrid finally found the entrance to the cove, it was deserted. She scowled and stormed back home, just as angry and frustrated as before.
Up in the air, Heather was getting concerned. "If we keep going up, we're going to hit our heads on those clouds."
Hiccup looked back at her and smiled. "Once we get close enough, try to touch them." She waited nervously until the nearest cloud was just above her head, then let go of his shoulder with one hand and reached up.
"Oh!" Her hand went right through it, like it wasn't even there! She wasn't sure what she'd expected, but this floating mass of fog wasn't it. She swished her hand from side to side, then cautiously let go of him with her other hand and ran both hands through the white, puffy mass. Toothless somehow sensed her delight, and kept a steady distance to the clouds as they glided silently through the air.
"What do you think?" Hiccup asked quietly.
"I think you've made the most amazing discovery since our ancestors found Iceland," she sighed. "Maybe better."
When the sun was gone, they looped up right through the clouds and came out above them. It was clear here, and cold. She leaned closer to Hiccup for warmth. Then she saw the aurora in its full glory, undimmed by any clouds, and she gasped with delight. Both her arms wrapped themselves around him; she sighed contentedly. If this was what it meant to ride a dragon, then she wanted "in" on that action.
They caught sight of Berk from above. This was probably Hiccup's favorite sight; to her, it was just one more little town. He seemed quite content to just ride around in the sky while she embraced him. She felt oddly content as well. She rested her chin on his shoulder. She realized she was smiling.
Stay detached, Heather, she warned herself. You've got more important things to do than give your heart away.
Would it be the death of anyone if I did what I came here for, and still enjoyed my time with a nice guy? she asked herself.
Nice guys make things complicated, she answered herself. Just get the information you need, get out, and don't come back. There's too much at stake to do anything else.
I don't want to do it that way, she rebuked herself. So there.
Suddenly, the flight turned unpleasant. Toothless took off on his own course, ignoring Hiccup's attempts to control him. They found themselves in the middle of a flock of dragons, and did their best to not look like prey.
Heather would have been happy to forget the rest of that flight. The crazed plunge into a volcano, the immense nest lined with dozens of unhappy dragons, and, worst of all, that giant thing that ate dragons whole! From now on, when Heather heard about a Monstrous Nightmare, she would call it a Nightmare Junior. This immense dragon in the mountain was the real monster, the real nightmare. They barely escaped when it lunged at them.
They were both still shaking when they returned safely to the cove. "What are we going to do?" she asked him.
"We have to think this through," he replied. "If we tell the others how we found the nest, they'll know about Toothless and they'll kill him."
"That's even worse than you killing a dragon in the ring tomorrow, right?" she asked.
"I'm not looking forward to that part, either," he confessed.
Suddenly she realized – there was someplace else she had to be, and she should have been there an hour ago! She began to run away... and stopped. She turned back, walked over to Hiccup, and kissed him quickly on the cheek.
"That's for an amazing ride," she smiled. "Thank you." Then she turned and ran away, leaving him touching his cheek in amazement, glad that Astrid hadn't seen it.
Toothless ambled up next to him, letting out an amused rumble.
"W- what are you looking at?" he stammered.
Heather ran at full speed back to the beach where she'd been dropped off, hoping against hope that Savage would still be there. He was there, and he wasn't happy.
"I don't like being kept waiting," he snarled. "Make your report, child."
She rattled off figures – Berk's population, the number of warriors, the catapults, everything she could think of.
"That's all correct," Savage nodded, "and it's all old news. Tell me something Alvin doesn't already know! Otherwise, he might start wondering why he's wasting food and water on those parents of yours."
She'd hoped it wouldn't come to this, but he left her no choice.
"There's a boy who made friends with a dragon," she blurted out. "He rides it and gives it orders. He won the town's Dragon Training because he knows more about dragons than anyone else, including the warriors."
"Really?" Savage was intrigued. "Yes, that's something Alvin will want to know about. I'll be back in a week. Bring this boy with you, or don't bother showing up at all!"
"Bring him?" she gasped. "Bring him to Outcast Island? How am I supposed to convince him to do that?"
Savage leered at her, much like Snotlout had done at the training ring, but even less pleasant. "He's a boy. You're a girl. Can you figure it out, or do I have to draw you a picture? I like those kinds of pictures." He licked his lips in a way that made her cringe. "Bring him any way you can, but if you want to see your parents again, bring him!" He turned and climbed back into his ship before she could say another word.
Now you've done it, Heather, she thought. You can sacrifice Hiccup, or you can sacrifice your parents. They're all innocent; you're the guilty one, and you'll walk free no matter who you choose. Doesn't that make you feel warm all over?
It's a mess, was the only reply she could give herself.