When they docked again, Hiccup was standing there, waving them in. Herby was snuggled down in his pouch and Nina felt her stomach knot uneasily. Was she right about Hiccup being trustworthy? Would he tell anyone? Had he?
"Hey," they greeted each other. Nina tied the ship up and brought the sail into its resting stored position, before disembarking.
"You didn't tell anyone, did you?" she asked.
"No, but I have some kind of interesting, but not the greatest news," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. She looked at him curiously. "Dad's told me that I'm gonna be in Dragon Training tomorrow. I-" He stopped, falling silent.
"Let's head to the glade," she said. He nodded and they walked through town, him with his eyes focused a few feet in front of them, thinking. When they arrived, they sat down on the log. Nina glanced around before letting Herby out of his pouch. He dropped down behind them and slinked through the brush before popping back up and sitting boldly between them. "What did you stop yourself from saying, Hiccup?"
He sighed, his shoulders sagging. "I'm not sure I want to be in Dragon Training," he admitted at last. "Before I met the Night Fury and it spared me, before I met your Terrors-" He petted Herby, who arched his back into the touch. "- I would have gladly gone in, trained until I dropped, but now...I don't think I can. If I go in there, I...wouldn't feel right learning to kill dragons."
"Then go in to learn about them. I know you can learn everything they know about dragons from a book, but that book has so many inaccuracies it's almost a fairytale. Learn from the dragons themselves, using common sense, of course," she said with a chuckle. He smiled at her and her stupid heart beat faster. She batted her eyes at him without even realizing it and Herby focused on empty air beside her, pounced and bit at the air, chewed a bit, then swallowed. "What was that about?"
"Nina have no-see-em by eyes," he said. "Pests, but good tum-tum." He patted his muscular stomach as though having eaten a delicious snack.
She sent him a dubious look, thanking him with her eyes only.