Stoick the Vast did not believe in coincidence. To do so would go against everything he knew.
Therefore, when a messenger burst through the doors of the Great Hall, pale, panting, and clothed in the garb of a different chieftain, he knew it had something to do with the upcoming conference. What could be so urgent, he wondered, that would make this stranger move with such haste in the middle of the night? He had received no word of any ships docking in the harbor, but then, single man vessels could be hard to spot at night.
From the look of him, he had traveled some way. The crest of the Bashem Oiks stood out, carved into his helm and on his gauntlets. Their Chief had been an ally of the Hairy Hooligans for some time. This year, they were to host the meet.
Upon his entering, the festivities grinded to a halt, villagers and performers alike stopping to stare as the doors burst open and this stranger rushed in, as if the devil were chasing him.
Stoick stood from his place at the head of the table, face breaking out into a scowl. Whatever it was, it could damn well wait until after the feast.
"Storming into my celebration unannounced? This better be urgent, stranger. Speak your business and have done with it."
The man came to a stop in front of Stoick. Sweat soaked his furs, and though he looked likely to collapse, he did not falter. He merely stood up straighter and met Stoick's eye, gaze full of purpose. Well, he had balls if nothing else. He liked that.
"I've been sent to tell you that the meet is being postponed."
Stoick's eyes widened. "What are you talking about?"
"Someone has made an attempt on the lives of our Chief and his heir. A few weeks hence we received messages from two other tribes claiming the same. Somebody's tryin' to take us all out."
The Viking Chief felt his stomach drop to his feet, glancing around the Great Hall with a sinking feeling.
He didn't see Hiccup or Toothless anywhere.
His son had kept his distance ever since Stoick had approached him the other day, and he'd let him, but now he was regretting not keeping a closer eye on the boy. If what this stranger said was true, he shouldn't be left alone.
Nevertheless, he had no proof. How was Stoick to know if this was even from the Oiks' Chief at all?
No. He needed more than just the word of a stranger. He drew himself to his full height, glaring down at the messenger. "Do you think I'm an idiot, man? What proof do you have of this?"
Stoick had been so caught up in his musings, he hadn't noticed the man digging through his satchel until he pulled a scroll of parchment from it, stepping forward to hand it to Stoick. The Oik Chief's official seal faced outward, and he broke the wax to unfurl the parchment.
His heart sank farther into his chest with every word. The messenger's story…it was all true. Stoick had known the Chief for practically his entire life. He would know his hand anywhere, and this letter was no forgery.
Hiccup. Oh Gods above, the boy was always wandering off by himself. He was the perfect target. Toothless was usually with him, which gave Stoick some measure of relief, but dragon though he might be, they could still be killed. Every member of his tribe was living proof of this.
He scanned the room with a grim eye, struggling not to betray his rising apprehension. He was being silly. Toothless was a Night Fury. If there was anywhere Hiccup would be safe, it would be by his side.
Nevertheless, he was not just the boy's chief. He was his father. Fathers worried over their offspring, and Stoick was swallowing panic despite himself.
As his eyes rapidly scanned the Great Hall, they fell upon Astrid Hofferson. Now, he couldn't say he knew her well, but he did know fear when he saw it, and it was all over her face. That was unusual for any Viking, least of all her. He had only ever known her to be every inch as fierce as the reputation she'd earned for herself.
"Where is Hiccup? Where is my son?"
Before he could say another word, the piercing cry of a Night Fury shook the foundation of the Great Hall, casks of mead, goblets, and dishes of food toppling over as the earth shook beneath their feet.
Stoick didn't think. He was running before the trembling ceased.
Toothless was angry.
He could smell the blood, could feel it staining his snout where he had nudged his rider, and it infuriated him.
He was angry.
Oh, he was so very angry.
He roared, and though he could smell the scorched flesh of the offender who had dared to harm Hiccup, it did nothing to satisfy him. He wanted to rip him apart with his teeth and drain him of all the blood in his body for daring to spill any. How dare he?
How dare he touch what belonged to Toothless? How dare he harm that which made him whole?
His body trembled with pent-up rage, and he circled around Hiccup in distressed agitation. The boy was not moving now. Was not speaking, was not moving, was not caressing him or hugging his neck, and Toothless did not like that. He did not like when Hiccup was still.
He recalled another time when he could smell blood in the air. A time when his human's pale white leg had turned to ash and mangled bone.
He roared, rejecting it with all of his being as he fired a shot into the air, wishing it were the one who dared attack his rider.
No.
He would not accept this. He would not ever, ever let anyone hurt Hiccup again.
He would keep everything away from him.
He would kill the whole world to keep him safe.
Toothless could do it. He could do anything for Hiccup.
Anything for him.
He settled on his haunches and pulled the human closer, snarling as he heard others approach. It did not matter to him that he knew all of their scents, could identify them without having to see their faces.
They were people.
They were alive.
That meant they could harm Hiccup, and they would not pass.
They would not.
They would die first.
"Hiccup!" a voice shouted. Toothless recognized it as belonging to his human's sire. He was close enough to see them now. Close enough to recognize Toothless, clutching the boy to his chest, and he knew that this was Hiccup's sire, but he did not care.
He had hurt him before. He could hurt him again.
Toothless roared, firing a shoot near his feet as a warning. If he had wanted to hit him, he would not have missed.
Toothless did not miss. Not ever.
He growled low in his throat as the man called Stoick launched himself toward them again, only to be stopped by the one with a hook for an arm.
"Are ye mad, Stoick? What makes ye think running full speed at a pissed off Night Fury is gonna get ye any closer to Hiccup?"
"What do you expect me to do, Gobber, watch my boy bleed to death? Can't you see his shoulder?"
The human men kept arguing, but Toothless did not care what they had to say. Especially when his boy stirred in his arms, a low moan escaping his lips.
Toothless nosed him with his snout, cooing in a way he hoped would sooth his rider. He watched as the boy blinked up at him, a weak smile tugging at his lips as he raises a shaking hand to brush his cheek.
Then he gazed at the scene happening behind them, turning his head so that he could see the men arguing. His face was pressed into Toothless' chest, his back facing them.
"D-Dad?" His human's voice trembled. It was so weak the others must barely have heard it, but they did, and Stoick broke free of the hook-man's grasp.
"Hiccup!" The man called Stoick screamed, and he looked a sight. Eyes wide, fists clenched, face wild with worry.
Toothless sniffed the air again. It still smelled of blood.
Blood and fear.
"You have to let them help me, bud. I can't…g-get the arrow out by myself."
The Night Fury whined. Did the boy understand that he could die if they hurt him? They had done it before, they could do it again, and Toothless was tired of it. Toothless did not want people to hurt Hiccup. He readied a shot of plasma, opening his mouth as it built up in his throat.
"No. Toothless, no. I-I know…bud. I know. But you have to trust me. P-Please…I need their help. They won't hurt me. I promise."
More of the villagers were gathering now, and Toothless knew that some were angry. Some frightened. Some confused, and others so many mixtures of emotion, the Night Fury could not name them all. But he could also see people with their hands on their weapons or over their mouths, and Toothless growled low in his throat, because they could try to kill him, but it would not happen. He would not fall to those axes.
He would not let them take Hiccup from him.
Hiccup was afraid now. Toothless could smell it on him, and he did not like that, not at all. So he whined a bit, troubled.
His human caresses his cheek again, and he felt the calm wash over him even before the boy spoke. "You have to listen to me…b-bud. I know you're angry, and I know you're scared, but it's okay now. You kept me safe. It's okay."
Toothless nuzzled him and licked his face.
I did not keep you safe.
I let him hurt you.
I let them all hurt you.
How could Toothless let this happen again? How?
He whined again, and Hiccup sagged against his chest. "It's not your fault. I'd be dead if it weren't for you, Toothless. T-That's…all that matters now…" The human's speech was broken off by harsh coughing, followed by a groan.
Toothless once again looked at the arrow in Hiccup's shoulder. He could snap off the shaft himself, but he would never be able to take out the rest without another human's help.
Just then, he noticed another face he hadn't seen, her scent hidden among so many others in the crowd.
She was the human of Hiccup's heart.
Stormfly's rider. Astrid.
She approached him carefully, hand outstretched, face turned away, before coming to a stop just in front of them. There she remained motionless.
And Toothless knew she had also hurt Hiccup before. They all had. But it was also true she had not for many moons. And if she was putting her trust in him right now…did that not mean he could trust her with his rider too?
He roared in distress and hung his head. Had he no choice then?
The humans seemed to understand something had passed between dragon and rider, because Toothless looked up at them, wary, but no longer hostile. If he had to let someone fix Hiccup, it would be his sire, and Astrid. No one else.
Resigned, he pushed his snout into Astrid's hand, and when the human called Stoick approached them once again, he let him come.