Chapter Eleven: A flight to remember
"I don't care if it's raining."
"But I won't be able to see!"
"Pah! That bit of water!"
"More like a sin flute."
"Don't be a sissy."
"Loki! I CAN'T!"
Hiccups knuckles were white at the edge of the able, as he refused to get up. Loki stood behind him, pulling at his waist to get him up.
"Hiccup, don't make me get Thor here to help me! He's far less patient as I am."
"You? Patient? Please! You threatened to burn the cave down!"
"Thor would use his hammer to lose your hands from the table."
"Loki no!"
"Hiccup yes!"
"Toothless, help me!" Hiccup begged. "Toothless, help me!" Loki called between.
The dragon watched with an amused glint in the green eyes as the god and the small ex-Viking wrestled.
Hiccup could feel his fingers loosen his grip. "No no! Toothless!"
The reptile slowly got up and walked over to the table. He looked at Hiccups hands and then at the boy, to the god and back to the small hands.
"Toothless, I warn you! I warn you. Don't you thing about…"
The dragon sneezed.
Knee-jerk Hiccup let go of the table, the same moment Loki pulled.
The god stumbled but regained his balance.
He grabbed Hiccups arms and carried him over to Toothless.
"Loki no! I warn you, I'm not ready!"
"You were ready the minute you could walk your first step. Now stop struggling and enjoy it!"
The god placed him on Toothless' back. The prosthesis clicked into the mechanism and Toothless made a giant leap for the cave entrance. He unfolded his wings and jumped into the air roaring happy while Hiccup on his back screamed bloody murderer.
Behind him, he could hear Lokis faint laughing and him calling: "Have fun."
Hiccup swore should he survive this, he would sort the gout out himself.
Then again as he saw the rapidly approaching ground underneath him, he changed his priorities to surviving.
.
Hiccups first flight had been both. Terrifying and amazing.
Amazing because he was flying, something no Viking had ever done before, terrifying because he had been sitting on Toothless' tail and had controlled it with his hands. The flight had been everything but smooth. And it had ended with a crash-landing in the coves' lake.
Hiccups first successful flight was the most terrifying.
He'd just climbed back on Toothless' back and was trying to read from his cheat-paper when the two of them had plunged head first into tricky waters full stone columns and cliffs, hidden by mist and sea foam. They only had survived because Hiccup instinctively had known which position the tail fin had to be in.
After that every flight got better and better, smoother and more amazing, until flying was the only joy in his life, which didn't say much.
So plunging head first into the abyss was nothing new for them, but what was new for Hiccup were the prosthetics and the new saddle construction, not to forget his…well…fear.
But instead of laughing death in the face, pulling a cool stunt and flying like before, etcetcetc, Hiccups only thought was: AHHHHHHH!
Underneath him, Toothless squirmed, waiting for his rider to move the tailfin.
He trusted his rider to find the right moment. He trusted Hiccup to fill the gap the lost of his tailfin had cause.
He knew, Hiccup would never hurt him. So he waited.
And waited. While the ground got closer with every passing second.
And waited.
And trusted him.
Hiccup didn't know what it was but a burning sensation filled his fingers and wandered up to his chest, filled his whole body and in the place of the panic there was an overwhelming feeling of trust and love.
He gaped for air and suddenly he felt like at his first real flight. Even when they had fallen into the mist and the sea stacks, he hadn't felt fear or panic. He'd been confident because he knew he could do it.
The rain in his face was like the sea foam. Familiar.
The mist in his head cleared.
Hiccup regained his balance, instinctively moved his leg and the tailfin clapped into position four. He hold on to the reins as Toothless opened his wings wider, catching the wind and shot them straight up into the sky.
Joy filled Hiccups heart, all fear forgotten.
"I was an idiot. How do I want to save the world if I'm afraid to do what I love because of a stupid accident?" He petted Toothless's head.
"Thanks for believing in me bud."
Toothless roared happily.
"Well then, let's test this thing. Give me your best shot!" Hiccup called and laughed.
He didn't have to repeat that.
.
Hours later they landed sweaty but happy in the cave again.
Loki sat in one of the chairs and was levitating things with his will. He looked up when they landed.
"Oh, nice of you to come back. Thought you had forgotten all about the poor old me." Hiccup rolled his eyes and hugged the god.
"Thanks." He whispered. "Thank you so much." Loki patted his back. "It's okay." "No. I was an idiot. If it wasn't for you and Toothless, I would still be sitting here afraid of nothing." "That's good to hear. That means you're ready."
"Ready for what?" imminently Hiccup was cautious and took a step back.
"Your quest."
A cold shiver went don Hiccups spine.
"Loki….I…I…I am not sure." He stammered.
"You need to go sooner or later. You made this your task. Now live up to it."
When he saw Hiccup exhausted expression he added.
"Well, maybe tomorrow."