10 - Hard Questions

"There! Now lemme see it with my own eyes."

Hiccup tore the scarf off his head that was serving as a blindfold and tossed it to the side. It landed on a black scaled leg, which casually shook it off. He was laid out with his belly to the floor, cradled by his dragon's forelegs and head. Even though Hiccup's eyes had been closed in concentration for quite some time, the meager gray light from the open window was barely enough to make out most details of the bedroom. Rain and thunder had moved into Berk and were there to stay, so he decided to do some drawing inside and Toothless was happy to participate in this impromptu experiment.

In the dim light, Hiccup could faintly make out the adornments that littered the walls of his little haven. Above his bed hung his original saddle and tailfin, tattered and charred. Across the room, just next to the opened window shutters that shed the rain while allowing in the meager light, above the flat slab of basalt stone that was the only bed his dragon would accept, his old and charred flight harness was nailed to the wall. Looking that direction was a mistake, though, as a bolt of lightning had him seeing spots for a while.

As his vision recovered, his largest drawing ever, hung between the two "beds", started to come into focus. That project was what had kept Hiccup sane in those first couple weeks after waking from battling the Red Death, back when he couldn't walk for long on his prosthetic leg before requiring rest. She was the gargantuan dragon queen that dominated the minds of all the dragons in the area. The drawing commemorated the victory he and Toothless brought the day she was killed. The perspective was from right next to her head as she dove after the dragon and rider duo. Hatred poured out of every detail, from the eyes squinted in rage to the claws stretched out to take them out.

Toothless was drawn in ahead of the Red Death, body curled, wings extended under his belly and whipping in the wind, plummeting with his back toward the ground as he shot the fireball that killed the beast. Hiccup was pressed down low, hands gripping the saddle, with a knowing smirk stretched across his face.

Actually, Hiccup had also done his best to draw some subtle hints of confusion and uncertainty in certain details of the Red Death, like the set of her jaw, the crossed eyes, and dilated nostrils. He let the viewer draw their own conclusions without comment, but secretly regretted that they killed her. Hiccup's greatest success in life all started when he chose to spare a life any other Viking would have taken. They all thought dragons were pure evil until they learned the Red Death was the cause of all raids. Then, they assumed the Red Death was pure evil, but who could know for certain? Maybe if Hiccup had the luxury of time, he could have gotten to know the great creature better and figured out some mutually beneficial compromise?

He didn't dare try to draw the Red Death happily coexisting with the Vikings and Dragons as he knew exactly how everyone would take such an implication. Toothless would be seriously offended and that alone was sufficient reason to avoid such things.

Finally, Hiccup turned his attention to his newest creation, sprawled out underneath.

"Not bad," he drawled out contemplatively.

This was his fourth drawing today. He was starting to hear some of the unspoken words from Toothless and had decided that blindfolding himself and trying to draw using the visions from his dragon's own sight would be a great way to test and strengthen his receptivity. After emotions, visual imagery seemed to be the next thing Hiccup started to faintly detect - specifically what was seen at the moment. He could not yet receive memories projected from Toothless, but his reception of the basic senses was getting stronger.

Now that the Night Fury wasn't occupied in providing his eyesight for his rider, he huffed at the finished drawing. It was the scene from when Skullcrusher was introduced to Berk. Stoick had his hand placed on Skullcrusher's snout as he greeted the dragon. However, Hiccup could sense Toothless' disapproval over one detail. Skullcrusher stood there with his head level and joy written all throughout his posture, but in reality, he was really so nervous and scared while Skuf had his hands on the dragon's maw to help Stoick gather the courage to touch him.

At least Skullcrusher's clean snout and neck were accurate details in the drawing. With all the vicious fights the large dragon was made to be a part of, dirt and dried blood were caked all over his maw and underside. Fortunately, they found some stiff-bristled brushes and a bucket on the Outcast ship on the way to Berk and were able to scrub it all off. Well, Skuf ended up doing almost all the work. Toothless got to help, at the insistence of Skullcrusher himself, by providing some gentle streams of fire to carbonize some of the blood that wouldn't scrub off the carapace plates and scales. Hiccup had grabbed a brush to help at first, but ended backing away because he "was getting tired."

It was just such an unsettling sight. Hiccup was no stranger to blood from animals. In fact, the skins he harvested from the animals Toothless killed gave Hiccup some buying power whenever a trader came to port. But this wasn't the blood of animals. They were people! They had families and friends. How many widows had to explain to their crying children that Daddy wouldn't be coming home tonight? Or tomorrow. Or ever!

It wasn't Skullcrusher's fault. His conditions were not too dissimilar to the Red Death's control. He was a very brutal dragon, though. He even managed to get some gore on his back. Acting as a translator, Tofa explained how the dragon would sometimes feel so angry and would still be in the heat of rage after killing his enemies. He would feel this urge to do more damage, so he would grind their bodies into the ground, impale them with his horns, and-

The little girl was so adorable and caring, but the way she so casually describes such macabre scenes… She has definitely seen what no human should have to witness, let alone a child!

Hiccup shook the chill from his spine and craned his neck around to look at his friend. A pair of slit pupils, couched in acid green orbs, flicked from the paper to meet his stare. Somebody objected his rider's poetic license in making Skullcrusher look happy and relaxed in the drawing.

"Yeah, I know, it's not entirely accurate, Bud, but that's what I like so much about drawing. When I draw, I have power. I can envision how things should have been. How I wanted it to be different. I can draw the reality I could not create. I have complete and absolute authority-", Hiccup tapped the paper, "-over this."

Toothless raised one of his front paws and flicked Hiccup's shoulder in annoyance with the smooth, curved back of his claw.

"PHHT! Why not?" he demanded. "Nah, I see nothing wrong with making Skullcrusher look calm, confident, and happy when Dad introduced him to Berk. I know better, you know better, but this is just a drawing, anyway, and if I have the power to create with my pencil, then I shall exercise that power. Consider your tail fin, for example. I drew a Night Fury who could fly before I first made a fin to do just that."

Hiccup saw no issue with this form of escape and release. Back before he met Toothless, he had also drawn other inaccurate scenes of a very large and strong Hiccup with his foot resting on a dragon, ax impaling its neck, and Astrid swooning as she clung to his bulging bicep. When Toothless saw it over a year later while shoving Hiccup aside to nose through his drawings - literally - the dragon wasn't offended as Hiccup initially feared. He was amused. Very, very amused. So amused, in fact, that he had grabbed the drawing in his mouth and bolted for the last person Hiccup wanted to lay eyes on it. He wasn't sure if Astrid was amused or offended at her portrayal. The reasons she would punch him in the shoulder are often a mystery.

Toothless chuffed as he made the same connection in his mind. Hiccup groaned.

"Look here..."

He flipped the paper around to a clean side and started to quickly sketch Toothless – something he has become quite practiced and expeditious in doing. Not that it mattered what he drew when anything drawn on this new, clean, almost white paper was a thrilling experience. A small stack of it cost him the hefty price of two tanned seal skins and a bear pelt, but it was totally worth it! The metal pen, which he had forged himself to replace the quill, slid smoothly across the surface to produce nice, dark lines.

He drew the stocky, serpentine neck of his dragon, the wedge-shaped head with the ear fins on the top and sides, but stopped after he roughed out the front legs and wings as he ran out of space on the paper for how large the front half of Toothless was. It was a habit he could never suppress. Whenever he had the luxury of using his pen and the wonderful ink bottle, he just couldn't stop himself. It was so nice having his own pen with his own "Hiccup flair" added to prevent the ink from dripping and spattering.

The Night Fury warbled joyfully as he recognized the start of another drawing of himself. He really liked seeing those drawings as they always displayed some aspect his rider admired of him – his strength, speed, pride, or a really big fish in his mouth, for example.

"When I draw," Hiccup continued distractedly, his pen a moving blur, "I have power. Granted, that power is confined to this paper, but I still have power nonetheless. With this pen, I am Odin. I am Zeus! If I decide that you should have a beard..."

Hiccup started to sketch just that with long, quick strokes. Actually, as he drew, he realized it was starting to look like his father's beard.

"Then by Thor, you shall have a beard and it shall be mighty!"

Toothless groaned his embarrassment at the sight of such of an abominable thing and grabbed the pen out of Hiccup's hand with his teeth, tossing it to the side. He then grimaced at the taste of ink and frantically liked his rider's back.

Hiccup looked at his dragon with a crooked grin. "Serves you right for taking my pen, but c'mon. It's a glorious beard! I think it looks good on you!"

The dragon voiced his objection by shifting his weight to flatten his rider to the floor, drawing out a groan from below.

"I guess I'll let you take it into consideration," Hiccup wheezed, cheek pressed down firmly under Toothless' chin.

A sudden telltale creak of the stairs caused Toothless' head to shoot up and a booming voice reverberated through the closed door to his room. "Hiccup?"

"Yeah, Dad, c'mon in."

Toothless raised himself to an upright sitting position, allowing Hiccup to pull his legs out from under his dragon's torso and raise himself up to sit and lean against the warm scaly backrest. Stoick opened the door and scanned the room, his face unreadable as ever. He decided to sit down in a chair along the wall.

The chief peered out at the duo from behind the red braids of his massive beard in the dim light.

"Hey, son... Night Fury."

"Dad!" Hiccup was put-off by the rough start to this conversation. "You know his name! Though I suppose that is an upgrade from 'dragon'."

A sigh escaped Stoick and a grin briefly flashed across his face.

"Toothless."

The Night Fury made eye contact with a brief nod, a gesture he learned from observing the Vikings… or land-striders, as Hiccup learned from Skuf and Tofa. A flicker of surprise could be seen in Stoick's face at seeing such a human gesture from a dragon.

Continuing, he said, "Kinda dark in here. How can you see anything?"

As if on cue, A flash of lightning and the nearly instant - and deafening - report of thunder drew their attention to the window, completely destroying their vision in the very low light that followed. Hiccup grinned up at his father, though his expression went unseen to one who didn't have a nocturnal dragon's eyes to see through.

"Oh, right. Let's get that lantern going. Toss me that lighting stick?"

A lantern mounted on the wall beside the door seemed to beckon to Stoick. He grabbed a slender stick that was poking out of its holder on the side, dipped the tip in the oil, and tossed it to his son. Hiccup held it up to the side of his head and Toothless blew out a narrow stream of fire to light it. Stoick, chuckling at the sight, grabbed the now flaming stick Hiccup extended to him, and lit the lantern.

With some appreciable light in the room, the chief visibly relaxed and said, "There's not really anything for me to do today with this weather. It's good for the crops, anyway. Water keeps the plants alive, but rain and lightning make 'em grow. Everyone's holed up inside. I'd like to chat." he gestured to Hiccup and added, "A bit cold to have no shirt on, don't you think?"

Hiccup had to admit that he was starting to get goosebumps without a dragon acting as a scaly blanket, so he reached over for his tunic. Even at the start of summer, the air outside was still quite chilly in the mid-morning. Berk never got warm, it just got not-quite-so-cold.

"Yeah, but we were trying out something Skuf suggested. Ya know how contact with a dragon connects you to him, right?"

Stoick slowly nodded.

"Well, I thought maybe some more skin contact, like my back against Toothless' neck and chest, would help."

Stoick chewed his lower lip. "And?"

Hiccup shrugged. "I think it may have helped a little. I'm definitely making progress, though. Here-"

His prosthetic foot thumped on the wooden floor as he lunged forward to hand the paper to his father.

"Is that... your dragon... with a beard?"

Toothless rolled his eyes as he groaned. Hiccup tried to contain his laughter, which just came out as snorts through his nose.

"Isn't it glorious?!"

Something scaly snapped at the back of Hiccup's head as Toothless gave a rude snort. Hiccup looked back to see a tail settling back down to the floor.

"Ow! Ok, I guess I deserved that one," Hiccup grumbled. Dragons are prideful creatures after all and Toothless is the most prideful of dragons.

Stoick jerked his head up at the noise and frowned as Hiccup rubbed the back of his head.

"Don't look at him like that, Dad," Hiccup quickly said, defensively. "He was just playing. Toothless would never hurt me!"

Toothless huffed and gave his rider a quick lick on the side of his face.

"Besides," Hiccup continued with sarcasm in his voice, "Toothless wouldn't want to make me angry or I'd beat him up with my massive Viking muscles."

"Where did those scars come from?" Stoick suddenly asked.

Hiccup could never get used to the frankness of his father's non-sequitur questions.

"What?"

"The scars on your shoulders."

Stoick had never seen his son without his tunic on for the past several years, so these scars were news to him no matter how old they were.

"Oh, those."

Hiccup absentmindedly brushed his index finger over the tunic where one the scars rested. There was one on his left shoulder and two on his right.

"Ummm, well... I never told you about when I first met Toothless, did I?"

An unreadable face stared back at Hiccup from behind a beard.

"Where did those scars come from? I know dragon claw marks when I see them. Nothing else makes a teardrop shape quite like that. Those are clearly claw marks, but more of a puncture than a tear."

Hiccup looked flustered. "I'm getting to that! Remember that night when I shot down Toothless? Nobody believed me..."

Stoick nodded and Toothless huffed at the memory.

"Well..." Hiccup trailed off, unsure how to approach this. He never liked talking about that time in his life, but he knew his father would not allow him to dance around it.

Stoick gave his son a flat stare. "And then you were chased by the Monstrous Nightmare, but that can't be what gave you the scars. They're spaced too close together to be from the talons on its wings or legs."

Hiccup scratched the back of his head nervously. "No, ummm... when I found Toothless in the forest later that day, I cut him loose and-"

"So your dragon gave you those scars."

Stoick cast a leery glare at Toothless, who lowered his head and nuzzled his rider's shoulder. Hiccup was offended for his dragon's sake. The old man was tolerant of the Night Fury's presence, but never accepting. This, though, set a new standard for the cold shoulder.

"Dad, it's not what you think!"

Actually, Hiccup thought to himself, it pretty much is what his father thought. Not a single day has passed that he doesn't dwell on that morning, but his mind always skipped over that one moment before he lost consciousness. Still, that vision that could never be forgotten was seared into his mind.

After he shot down the Night Fury with his bola ballista and found it in the woods, Hiccup was disappointed that it was still alive and he would have to kill it himself. He couldn't, of course. As he used his knife to saw at the ropes binding the creature, he told himself what he knew every proper Viking would call him if they saw what he was doing.

"Spineless!"

That's one safe statement he figured Astrid would make as the rope snapped from the tension released from the first cut.

"Foolish!"

His own father called him out in his mind as he made the second cut in the mess of ropes. Hiccup paused in thought. The dragon should be able to wriggle out of its bindings, but was completely still for some strange reason. One more cut should completely unravel the mess of ropes.

"Failure!"

Just as Hiccup realized that last one came out of his own mouth, the snapping of the rope and the impact of the dragon's paw on his chest merged into one sound. Pinned against a rock, all he could do was stare into the dragon's eyes. He never thought that he could garner so much information from anyone's eyes. Hatred, contempt, and rancor pressed down in that cold, calculating stare.

Hiccup could only stare back dumbly. He was afraid to die, but there was nobody to blame but himself. His actions were driven by his heart, not his head. In the clarity of hindsight, he could see that he simply wasn't thinking when he cut the ropes. What else could one expect from a dragon that was practically begging him to kill it, placing its head on the ground, exposing its neck and closing its eyes? Is it not right to grant a quick death to someone who is so eager to accept it?

That is the Viking way and who could blame the dragon for requesting a quick end when it was hurt, maimed, exhausted, and free game for any carnivore in the area? What else should one expect when an injured, exhausted, and magnificent creature is denied the peaceful death for which it is pleading? Why would anyone even consider that releasing it would be anything short of insane?

Pinned under the dragon's paw, claws straddling his slender neck and digging into his shoulders, Hiccup couldn't help but feel pity for the Night Fury. If a hunter would go to such great lengths to finish off a wounded animal, how much more would it be wrong to allow this poor dragon to suffer? What was seemingly an act of mercy only a moment ago turned out to be an unforgivable offense. As he looked up at that baleful stare, Hiccup only wished he could find his voice to express his regret and sorrow before dying, even though it surely wouldn't understand him.

The dragon reared its head back and opened its mouth wide. Hiccup's curiosity was always greater than any other driving force in his life. He couldn't help but examine the dragon's mouth with awe. His entire head could fit between those rows of teeth...

Is not my greatest failure in life the one that brings death?

A hard blast of hot air on his neck snapped Hiccup out of his trance. He looked over to see his dragon pouring out waves of concern and regret. That was the past. Things have changed. What could have been, wasn't. No matter how asinine his reasoning seemed at that time, a good outcome justifies whatever led to the decision.

Hiccup glared at his father. "I cut him loose and he had every right to be pissed, but this was before we got to know each other. Before we learned to trust each other, there was no... no... connection... no... bond."

Hiccup struggled to find the words. "That first day, there was so much... confusion and animosity - from both of us. So, I got some scars to remind me that good things can come from seemingly stupid decisions. And the scars are even shaped like tears, as you said, to remind me of how sad it would have been if either Toothless or I didn't listen to that nagging voice of compassion."

Hiccup smiled at his frowning father.

Yes, voice of compassion. I think I like that one.

Stoick stared at his son. "You were lucky. Your foolishness will get you killed someday."

Hiccup rolled his eyes and shook his head, trying to dislodge the memory.

"My foolishness gave me a friend for life and ended a 300-year-old war!"

"You can't always count on being so lucky."

"But I can always count on Toothless to be there when my luck runs out!"

Toothless barked his support and blew a puff of air into Hiccup's hair, watching it dance around. Hiccup chuckled and reached a hand up to brush the strands out of his eyes.

"Anyway," he continued, desperate to change the subject, "what I wanted to show you is on the other side of that paper. This is from when you first introduced Skullcrusher to Berk."

Stoick decided to let that go and turned the paper around. "I don't recall Skullcrusher looking so regal and Skuf had his arms around the dragon's maw, but it's a nice drawing. What does this have to do with anything?"

Hiccup sat up straight and proud. "I was blindfolded while I drew that!"

Stoick raised an eyebrow. "You drew this… without sight?"

Hiccup grinned. "I had sight. I could see the paper - through Toothless' eyes!"

Stoick's eyes jerked over to the dragon's, who just calmly blinked at him. "You mean... your dragon-"

"His name is Toothless."

Stoick frowned at the interruption.

"It matters to me, Chief," Hiccup said quietly.

Stoick fixed Hiccup with an impassive stare. "So he could tell you what he saw... or where to move the pen?"

Hiccup thumped the back of his head against his dragon's shoulder and let the matter go with a sigh. How long until he shows even a little respect for the very dragon that saved every silly warrior the Red Death would have flattened and scorched?

"Sorta. It was still me drawing from my own memory, but Toothless simply showed me the paper as I drew. I saw what he saw through his eyes. I could see my shoulder from Toothless' vantage point, the paper, the pen in my hand. It's... strange... and amazing! It's so weird, too. It isn't necessarily more crisp, but brighter and more vivid… like there's more to see than what we can see if that makes sense. Wherever I drew with the pen, I think I could see some sort of... ummmm... silver outlining? No, aura. Ummm, yeah. Different."

Stoick maintained his namesake.

"Do you think you're caught up to Skuf or Tofa?"

Hiccup gave a quick shake of his head.

"Nah, I still have a ways to go before I get to that level. But Dad, I can see through Toothless' eyes!" Hiccup stood up and started to wave his arms animatedly in excitement, which Toothless chose to interpret as an open invitation to retract his teeth and gnaw on one of those arms. "Do you know what this means?! When we fly at night, he has amazing night vision. He can show me everything he sees! I can be more efficient with night patrols. I can make a flap for my flying helmet that protects my eyes from the stinging, cold winds and see through Toothless. He has, like, three sets of eyelids that keep him protected and... and... Gods! Just think of the possibilities!"

Stoick's impassive expression suddenly lightened. He stood up and smiled at his son.

"I'm going to get the fire stoked and put on some tea. Come join me."

Without waiting for a response, the chief swiftly stood up, whirled around, and strode out of the room with his bearskin cape swaying in his wake.

Hiccup slumped over his dragon's snout. "Bud? Eat me. Please."

########

########

Stoick grabbed the fire hook and shifted over to the open hearth at the center of the main room. He scraped the layer of cooled, gray ashes aside to reveal the black coals, still faintly glowing from when he banked them. Hiccup joined him and helped to build a log cabin from the firewood. They worked in a complete silence that was almost comforting for both parties. For a short while.

As the flickering flames started to lap at the newly-formed structure to set shadows dancing erratically on the walls, Stoick finally broke the silence.

"Skuf has been busy in the past couple weeks."

Hiccup spoke casually while gathering some tea leaves into a cloth. "So I've heard. He and Skullcrusher train to the point of exhaustion. That dragon is making a lot of progress, though, in regaining strength and stamina in his wings. And Tofa has taught us riders a lot about working with Terrible Terrors, too. I got Dart and Flit to track down specific people in the village to deliver messages using Tofa's new techniques."

Stoick frowned inwardly. The boy was only stalling and they both knew it, but Stoick allowed it. He shifted over to a table next to the hearth to fill the kettle from a large water pitcher, which he hung on a bar over the fire. Hiccup folded up the tea cloth, tied it shut with a piece of twine, and tossed it to his father, who dropped it into the kettle.

"You know that's not what I'm getting at, son." Stoick looked down at Hiccup out of the corner of his eye. "We need to talk about this. We've kept this secret about dragons among us for far too long."

The Hooligan council could see it coming even before Skuf arrived on Berk and shared his information. With the cease of dragon raids, many Vikings have started becoming more aggressive in seeking out the scaly beasts on their own, as if to express how offended they were that the dragons didn't come to raid them anymore.

Some tribes would go and seek out islands where dragons were nested and hunt them for meat, scales, and hides. Others would capture them and sell them or use them in gladiator arenas. It was only a matter of time before multiple tribes would start organizing together to try to find a way to domesticate or control them. That time had come and Dagur was at the center of it all.

The predominant theories on how to train a dragon ranged from plausible to downright silly. Some Vikings learned about the location of "Dragon Island", where the Red Death was killed, searching for eggs to raise their own trained Red Death. The island was much easier to find without the strange fog, though navigation around there by boat was still treacherous. Nobody on Berk told the story of the Red Death's mind control, but that didn't stop people from seeing such a large carcass and saying, "I want my own one of those, but not so dead and rotten!"

Another tactic for controlling dragons, which was certainly underway, but years from seeing any potential success, was to steal dragon eggs or newly hatched dragons and raise them by the tribe in hopes they could be trained and made loyal to the dragon handlers. Skuf's information confirmed that the Outcast tribe was working on doing just that. His unique ability to hear the unspoken words allowed him to get information he could be confident to be accurate by snooping on conversations between high-level Vikings and analyzing their emotional hum - that is, discern how their spoken words compared to how they really felt. A lie can reveal more information than any true statement if it is known to be a lie.

Between Skuf's information and gossip from traders and other visitors in the past year, the Hooligan council has come to realize that many tribes believe that Berk has figured it all out. They did not realize the error of trying to keep this secret while allowing their riders to fly around to be occasionally spotted by seabound merchants, traders, and fishers. Now, rumors, being what they are, have flown faster than a Night Fury and shifted with every tongue that passes them on, telling of an island where people have mystical mind-control powers over dragons and can tame them to build a dragon army or use them as beasts of burden to give them an edge in trading and warfare.

One of the more interesting tales is that dragons have taken control of Berk. All the Vikings on the island are mindless slaves to the dragons. Trader Johann, whose ship was once saved from wild dragons by the riders, had rolled his eyes and said, "Ya, Berk has become quite the Viking nest, eh? Let's hope dragons from other islands don't steal our babies and raise them as their warriors."

Hiccup placed the lid on top of the kettle as it heated over the fire and let out a long sigh.

"It sickens me, Dad. Dragon's aren't just a source of power to control. I mean, dammit! They're not dogs or horses! They're living, intelligent creatures! They're… people!

Hiccup was trying to divert the conversation and he knew it. Stoick bit down on the urge to shout him back on topic. He needed his son's expert dragon knowledge that made the old book of dragons rubbish. He also needed the cooperation of his son's dragon. Besides, it didn't take too many shouting matches, ending with Hiccup flying to gods-know-where for a few days, to learn a little patience when dealing with his strange son.

Stoick stooped his shoulders. "I know. I know. I may not go around hugging every dragon I see, but I know. But you cannot make peace with a man who so desperately wants war. Dagur thinks we control dragons. We know better, but he won't be persuaded. He wants that power for himself. You've heard what Skuf and trader Johann told us. That stunt with the Outcast ship bought some time with the confusion it caused, but they are assembling their fleets. Dagur is fixed on us again. Too many stories from ships passing by of dragons with riders. These sharks have scented blood and nothing will distract them. It's too late to try to cover anything up.

"The usuals have joined Dagur - Outcast, Lava Louts, Murderous tribe, Hystic, and Thunderhead. Big Bertha from the Bog-Burglars has been asking too many questions about dragons and controlling them and the Meatheads would jump at a promise of taking part of the dragon army spoils."

Hiccup gave a wry smile as he looked up at his father. "I guess ending the dragon war wasn't the greatest thing after all, eh? With the pressure of that off for almost two years, people have been able to really focus on bashing each other's heads in. They hear that someone gives a dragon a fish instead of an ax and jump to stupid conclusions."

He rolled his eyes with deflated sarcasm. "Yay, Vikings. We kill stuff because we can."

Stoick started pacing. He always paces when he's thinking things through and Hiccup has learned to grimace in anticipation of what comes out of his father when he paces.

"You will never escape greed, hatred, and corruption, son. It will always find its way into places of power, at all times, no matter where you go. Now listen, even though they are self-willed, we now have seven dragons with riders on Berk - not including something like twenty of those tiny Terror buggers. Dagur's forces alone are at least thrice ours and he is gaining allies. But if we see the attack coming, we could-"

Hiccup chafed to cut in. "We can't just use our few dragons like that! Even if they could set fire to some of the ships, they would get shot down! And this spectacle would only give Dagur more leverage to gain more allies who want to control the dragons."

"I know!" Stoick bellowed, towering menacingly over Hiccup. The light from the fire behind him highlighted the hairs on his arms and fur cape, casting an orange glow around him. The boy always had an annoying habit of interrupting all the time. Stoick took a deep breath and backed off, turning to the fire. More quietly, he continued.

"I know, son. But you were telling me about the effects Skuf and Tofa have on dragons – Tofa especially. You told me about how your dragon-"

"You mean Toothless."

Stoick scowled. You know what I mean.

Continuing, he said, "It's like what you said about your dragon telling Tofa about how he bit your leg. It doesn't just detect her emotions. It's controlled by her."

"She never controlled Toothless, Dad! And will you stop referring to him as it?! He just… gets excited by her giddy curiosity and she happens to be able to hear him.

Stoick gave his son a flat stare, but said nothing. Hiccup sighed and slapped a hand to his forehead. "I have a really bad feeling where this is going."

Stoick turned to his son and bridled his head. "A chief protects his people, son! Everything else is secondary. Nothing else matters when my people are in danger!"

Hiccup let out a long breath and started nervously drumming his fingers on the hearth.

Lowering his voice, Stoick continued, "I've already talked to Skuf about this. I want to do some tests with your dragon-"

"And by 'your dragon', I assume you mean-"

"Enough! Now, if a hundred ships, loaded with warriors, may be launched at us, it would help to know a little more about the dragons - what we can expect from them, how many may help us if needed. I want to have Skuf and Tofa do some simple tests with your dragon-"

"Toothless!"

"HICCUP!" Stoick bellowed. For a moment, the only sound was the crackling fire. When it was obvious his son was holding his peace, Stoick continued. "Just some simple tests... See if Skuf or Tofa could make him do something he normally wouldn't-"

Hiccup jerked back and stared at his father in disbelief.

"Nothing harmful," Stoick quickly threw in. "Maybe have them try to force him to sit when you command him to stand... stuff like that."

Hiccup flushed. He sucked in a noisy breath of air between clenched teeth as he tried to find his tongue. "I... this... you're trying to make Skuf into another Red Death! How are you any different than Dagur if you want to control the dragons?!"

Stoick was pacing again as Hiccup spoke. He struck a support beam hard in frustration with the bottom of his fist. The entire house seemed to rattle.

"The difference is that I am protecting MY people and Dagur is attacking MY people! Don't complicate things, boy. If HE attacks US, then I will use whatever resources are available to defend MY people."

Hiccup threw his hands up in exasperation. "So that's what dragons are to you?! Resources to be used?!" His voice broke on that last word.

Stoick glowered at his son. "Not just dragons, boy. Our fellow Vikings would fight to defend Berk! Would you fight for your home or just cower in a corner? Don't tell me my own son would just flee with his tail tucked between his legs! I did not raise a spineless coward!"

Hiccup bristled at this and opened his mouth, but Stoick pressed on.

"You say you want dragons to be treated as equals? Prove it! They can fight with equal determination to defend the home we all share!"

Hiccup didn't know what to say. He recognized he was being naive, but he just couldn't bring himself to envision dragons and the Hooligans doing anything other than enjoying the happy moments in life together - flying, fishing, sleeping… the like.

Looking down in dejection, he kicked the hearth.

"OW!"

The stone hearth defeated his bare toes in an impressive display of dominance. Hopping over to a nearby chair, he cradled his hurt foot in his hands. Stoick grabbed some mugs, poured the now boiling tea from the kettle, handed one to Hiccup, and found a chair for himself.

Over the years, Hiccup had learned tact in talking with his father. Don't push anything too hard. When he starts to shout and stress his words, back off, let it simmer, and poke at the subject from different angles. Just like what he was learning with sword fighting: if you can't win with the direct approach by overpowering someone, wear him out. Dance around and whittle him down until he defeats himself.

"Listen, Dad," Hiccup began again. "The best way to win a war is to prevent it, right? Maybe we can settle this with words instead of swords. Let's call for a Thing-"

"And say WHAT?" Stoick cut in. "Do we sit down in front of all our neighboring tribes and say, 'Yes, we ride dragons, no you can't have them, get your own'?"

Hiccup gave a wry smile. "Well, in those exact words… Yes. That's precisely what I had in mind."

Stoick raised a disapproving eyebrow, but Hiccup pressed on.

"You told me why Viking tribes either encourage or require every person to carry a weapon at all times. Weapons represent power and power should not be concentrated to only a few people. Power should be distributed. Select groups or individuals can have more of it, but everyone should have some of it. That's why you're the chief, but you still have the council for making decisions. That's why the entire village votes to add council members and can vote to remove them, too, if they're sufficiently unified. This is something you taught me, right?"

Stoick nodded slowly.

"Well, maybe we can show them that dragons are more than just a source of power to be controlled, but even if we can't, then fine. We'll beat them at their own game. Encourage them to allow us to 'spread the power' by teaching them how to befriend dragons. They will never get the results they want through coercion or beating dragons into submission, I can promise you that! Trying to tame a dragon by force rails against every fiber of the natural world. If these other tribes want dragons as allies, they will be forced to respect them. We could encourage peace among our neighbors and between dragons and Vikings by doing what we - well, I, at least - should have done all along. Train Vikings to live peacefully with dragons."

Stoick asked, "You mean teach Vikings how to train dragons?"

Hiccup shrugged a shoulder dismissively. "Nah, the other way around. Toothless trained me more than anything else. He taught me to see dragons differently. He trained me in making peace with dragons. That's how I went from nothing to 'usurper of Astrid's throne' in dragon training. I bamboozled you all with what Toothless taught me. Not a single drop of dragon blood spilled and everyone thought I was Thor himself! If we go on missions to train our allies to befriend dragons by earning their trust instead of killing them, then we will generate goodwill towards us and save some dragons from the ax."

Stoick halted his pacing and stared into the fire, deep in thought. Hiccup felt like he was pressing for a finishing strike against a staggering opponent. "And no matter who's on the back of a dragon, do you really think they would attack the very people who saved them from the Red Death? We've suspected, but Skuf and Tofa confirmed by acting as translators, that the Red Death's mind snare was far worse than any death. We saved them from that and they know it."

Stoick combed his beard with his index finger in thought. "A Thing would be a bad idea, trust me, son. Dagur would be there, along with several other influential people who just want power. Not to mention there would be only Vikings who have seen nothing but death and destruction from dragons."

Hiccup's optimism was unphased. "I changed your mind, didn't I? I can change theirs!"

Stoick slowly shook his head. "No, son. Nothing you said or did is what changed my mind."

Hiccup opened his mouth to object, but Stoick cut him off. "You know dragons and I respect that, son, but I know Vikings and you would do well to heed my advice."

Hiccup gaped at his father. "But… when I showed you guys in the Kill Ring that Hookfang could be friendly-."

"You tried to change my mind with words and you failed miserably. You almost got yourself killed. I see my own error now, in hindsight, but words will not work against these Vikings. You changed my mind when I saw for myself that I should have listened to you. When I saw a fire-breathing mountain staring me down and I realized I was dead meat. That was when I changed my mind. Don't think that you accomplished anything in the kill ring with that Monstrous Nightmare."

"His name is Hookfang!"

Stoick waved it off dismissively.

Hiccup sighed and rolled his eyes. "Ok, then maybe not a Thing. Maybe just independent visits to tribes we know are friendly. I'm not sure we can sway any Meatheads, but maybe the Bog-Burglars? Being so far South, they haven't been involved in this dragon war nearly as much as the rest of us. If we can sway them, maybe find some dragons that would like to bond with some of them... ya know, Hookfang, Stormfly, Meatlug and Barf'n'Belch bonded with us straight out of their cages. I know I could persuade Camicazi - that'd be a start. It would be... something!"

Stoick set his mug down, got up, and started pacing in silence.

"C'mon, Dad," Hiccup encouraged. "Just talk to the council about it and we'll see what they say."

"I'll talk to them. If they approve, I'll give you a shot with Camicazi."

Hiccup's face brightened, but Stoick pointed a finger at him. "We would have to be cautious. No sticking your head in the dragon's mouth."

The boy grinned and opened his mouth to say something about how surprisingly enjoyable and relaxing it is when his dragon gnaws on his temples with toothless gums - minus the slobber - but Stoick cut him off.

"You know what I mean!"

Hiccup gave a quick nod, but Stoick furrowed his eyebrows and glared at Hiccup. "I mean it! The way you do things is reckless and I will not risk my son like that. Your first attempt at bringing peace between dragons and Vikings, in the kill ring with the Monstrous Nightmare-"

"His name is Hookfmmnnngh!"

Stoick put a hand over his son's mouth.

"You got lucky. Don't deny it. If you have to rely on luck again, you will come out missing more limbs than Gobber. If we decide to let you do this, it will be under my supervision. I will be in control. You will never put yourself or your dragon at a disadvantage and you will obey my instructions without question. Do you understand?"

Hiccup looked down at his still throbbing toes he was holding in his hand. "Yes, I understand." Then, he brightened. "But this could really be a start to avoiding any war, to peace between Vikings and dragons everywhere!"

"We'll see. We'll see. The only promise I can make is that I'll bring this up to the council tomorrow. But we will still prepare for a war that is likely to come. Even if we get all of Bog-Burglars to love dragons overnight, we still have a formidable foe that will not be persuaded. Dagur's war is a power grab; he cares nothing for the dragons, only for power under his control. I won't let optimism blind me. We still need to learn about what Skuf and Tofa can do with dragons. What can our enemies potentially do to manipulate dragons? Can we get the dragons on the safe islands to fight with us? Can some sadistic dragon whisperer make them attack us? We need to investigate this."

Hiccup slowly shook his head. "I don't like it. It... I can't... Toothless won't... it scares me."

Stoick lowered his voice to almost a whisper.

"Son, listen to me."

The chief waited until his son lifted his head to meet his gaze.

"If I could snap my fingers and make the world as I see fit... if I had the power to choose... there would be no Dagur. There would be no impending war. There would be no fire, no blood, no death. I would raise my son in a time of peace. I have seen enough death and loss for the both of us. That is why having all these dragons on our surrounding islands is actually a boon."

Hiccup idly nodded at that, but then froze as his face paled. "Wait, what? I need to know, Dad. It was the council that decided to leave our surrounding islands for the dragons from the Red Death's nest, right?"

Stoick nodded, eyes still fixed on the flames. "We saw you riders flying around with some of the dragons like... like you were dancing with the beasts. For the past 300 years, it was easy to understand dragons. They attack us, we defend ourselves. Child's play. But without the Red Death's mind control, what makes them tick? Nobody knows.

"However, the council and I decided we felt safe enough with these dragons nearby since they have proven to be peaceful and respectful towards us and we respect them right back by giving them a wide berth. We decided that if they are going to be friendly towards our riders, then they would be friendly towards the rest of us - as long as we leave them alone on their islands. And if we are surrounded by dragons who are friendly towards us-"

Hiccup dropped his foot. He needed both hands to keep his mug from falling to the floor as he finished his father's sentence.

"Then when our enemies attack, the dragons could fall on the sword in our stead."

Hiccup closed his eyes. He didn't need to see his father gently nodding next to him.

He snapped his eyes open, looking towards the stairs to his room, and called out, "Toothless!" Then, turning to his father, as if an afterthought, saw a subtle nod. "Could you come here, Bud?"

A grunt answered him, followed by the soft shuffling of heavy feet. Through the dark shadows slid an even darker shadow. It sat down next to Hiccup, on the far side from Stoick, and put its head in its rider's lap. Hiccup draped an arm over the dragon's neck.

"Dad, the dragons on our islands will follow their riders because they protect those they love. However, those on the nearby islands will not take part in your war.

"My war?! Why you listen here-"

Anything else Stoick had to say was cut off by a loud, sharp roar. Stoick scowled. Hiccup softly spoke in the following silence.

"I would give my life to protect Toothless. I would sooner cross swords with an enemy, knowing I am terribly outmatched, than ask Toothless to fight for me."

The dragon whined plaintively and bumped Hiccup's ribs with its nose.

Hiccup dryly added with a grin, "Although, Toothless would probably just shove me out of the way and fight in my stead anyway. That is why we need to win our allies to dragons."

The chief decided to allow that slap in the face to go now that he got his son calmed down. "Hiccup, would your dragon-"

"Toothless!"

"Hiccup!"

"Dad."

"Gods!"

"RAAAWRAAARAAAARRRR!"

Even the Night Fury felt obliged to speak its mind. Stoick looked up to silently pray to Odin for patience. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Hiccup press his forehead into his dragon's.

"Fine," Stoick conceded. "Would Toothless fight by your side if we had to fight for our survival?"

The dragon stared at Stoick as it poked its nose into Hiccup's shoulder. The rider slowly said, "If you're asking whether I would fight to protect Berk, then yes. Of course."

Stoick rolled his eyes. "I mean what about your dragon. Where do his loyalties lie?"

Hiccup took an unhurried sip, emptying his mug, and reached forward to set it down on the hearth.

"Yes, Toothless would fight with me."

Stoick looked over the scene and chewed on his lip. "You know I don't want to control any dragons."

His tone made it sound more like a question than a statement. Hiccup slowly nodded.

Stoick took a deep breath and said, "But other people do want to control them and we don't know if a dragon whisperer could do just that. I only want to test the waters. Can they be controlled? Can we do anything to stop Dagur if he gets another dragon whisperer like Skuf or Tofa? They're already raising dragons from the egg. Even if they started last year, it would probably take at least... well, I have no clue, but probably more than a few years to raise a dragon to maturity. This idea of dragon whisperers even existing is a new thing. New things need to be investigated for potential threats in case they're used against us."

Hiccup peeled his face from his dragon to look over at his father. "Will I have the council's backing to train out allies to befriend dragons?"

"Son, answer my question. Do I have the cooperation of you and your dra-... Toothless?"

Hiccup and his dragon groaned in unison. The dragon took a step forward to place its head between Stoick and his son.

"Tit for tat, Dad. Toothless needs to know. You're asking for his cooperation. You have never known what it is like to have your mind controlled by another and you will never understand. You're asking Toothless to encourage Skuf and Tofa to try to use their abilities to control him and that absolutely terrifies him on principle alone. What are you willing to do for him? You have a lot of influence in the Council. Both of us agree that playing dragon ambassador will accomplish more for both species."

Stoick stared at the duo for a long time. The dying flames danced in the dragon's large eyes.

"I'll talk to the council and see what they have to say."

Hiccup and his dragon huffed in unison. "Then I'll talk to Toothless and see what he has to say."

"I'll lean on them to let you do your dragon ambassador thing."

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Well, consider me convinced. I'll also lean on Toothless to cooperate with you."

Stoick tossed a log on the fire with much more force than necessary, sending up a cloud of sparks. "Fine! I'll threaten to make them help Fishlegs write his new dragon book. You'll get your shot with Camicazi, but it better be worth the effort!"

Hiccup instantly jumped to his feet with a smile on his face. He placed a hand on his dragon's head and thrust it forward. It was an invitation to touch its snout in the draconic form of a handshake.

"Then we have a deal?"

Stoick wasn't sure if he wanted to praise his son for growing some chest hair or scold him for being so manipulative. He ended up sighing as he reached to touch the dragon's snout and only flinched a little at the contact this time.

"Deal."

A/N:
Alright, I need someone with more talent than me to make Hiccup's crazy drawing of a buff version of him standing over a freshly killed dragon… and a bearded Toothless looking on.