Fireside Chat with Gobber

"You're the closest thing I've got to a father now, Gobber. I'm sorry Astrid snapped at you. She didn't mean it. I don't think she's been sleeping well either." He stopped from giving further explanation.

Gobber sat back in his chair. "It's a stressful time for all of ya. Especially with Gunnar running 'round. Just like his father, maybe worse. Stoick never saw it though, always looked passed it because Valka's sister told him to. He's the only person who's ever liked your Aunt Laga, probably because he missed your mother, not because she has redeemable qualities."

"I only remember Gunnar taunting me as a child and hurting animals, nothing about his father."

"His village had no dragon problems, they were the problem, traveling south and raiding villages along the coast. Stealing. Taking people. Killing. Giving Vikings a bad reputation – well a worse reputation. He didn't treat your aunt too well either."

Hiccup looked surprised.

"Yes, I know, Valka told me earlier…When Stoick was around, he tried to get your aunt to leave, but she's not like your mother, she's twisted and almost as bad as 'im. I think she liked the power he had and all the gifts he brought back and having slaves to do things for her."

Valka returned to sit with Gobber and Hiccup. She brought Hiccup a plate of food. Astrid had left to go home to see her mother and try to apologize to her sister.

"It wouldn't surprise me if my sister and Gunnar might have poisoned him," Valka added as she sat.

Poisoning? Great, guess I should worry about that Hiccup thought.

Gobber went on "He ruled like a tyrant, not a chief."

"Some people need the power and the position," Hiccup sighed.

"Not you. You want what is best for people, and you're actually able to do that now."

"Did my father want to be chief?"

"Somedays. Not as many days in the beginning, but all people have days where they don't want their role in life. All you can do is make do with the path fate gave you. And not wonder too hard about the ones you didn't get. Those will always be tempting the imagination."

Gobber, rose from his chair, "I'd best be getting along and seeing how things are at the shop. I've got two apprentices now."

"Better than me?"

"They keep their mouths shut and be where they need to. So yes. Much better."

000

Zippleback Problems

Valka had done an amazing job of taking over the stables and the dragon operations, admittedly better than Hiccup, but he cut himself a break, he started training dragons at 15 and started from nothing while his mom was older with 20 years of immersion experience.

Under Valka, more villagers joined the dragon riders and their work with dragons evolved into a more symbiotic relationship. While Hiccup managed to get about 12 excellent ridders in five years, Valka had a whole school in a few months. The year before Valka returned Hiccup, Fishlegs and Stoick had started expanding the academy beyond a dragon school. As Berk's population grew, more work came in and more children were born. Hiccup felt standardizing learning in aspects such as basic math, writing, and reading would put the villagers on the same level. One of his biggest problems he had learned when trying to teach the twins was that they could hardly read or write. Not only did they feel stupid, but Hiccup suspected they might actually feel embarrassed by their lack of knowledge, thus causing them to act out destructively. Their parents should have been the ones to teach them, but their mother had other kids to watch and their father was never around.

Now, with this wedding event Hiccup and his mother had focused on converting other leaders to their way of life. Together, they could build a network where dragons and people peacefully co-existed. This work was important not just for Berk, but maybe for Vikings and dragons everywhere. Especially with Drago still out there and lunatics like Gunnar trying to expand.

Toothless and Cloudjumper frolicked behind their riders, chasing each other and wrestling like kids playing a game of tag.

There were more people in the stables than usual and the noise of people and animals made the stables under Berk sound more like a city than a village, many of the wedding guest had decided to take advantage of the opportunity to see how dragons could live with people and what could be gained by working with them. Anyone with dragon skills was on deck to make sure the dragons were clean and on their best behavior. Hiccup also had some folks appointed to do demonstrations and meet with leaders. And that seemed to be going well.

"Hiccup!" Tuffnut trotted up. "Ruffnut and I need you and your mom to take a look at Barf and Belch, they're not acting right."

The mother and son followed him to the stalls in the back, where they isolated the sick dragons. In one of stalls the twins' zippleback laid sprawled out on a bed of straw. Toothless trotted up next to them, affectionately nuzzling the side of the weak dragon.

Ruffnut knelt by them Belch's head in her lap and Barf's snuggled behind her.

Valka approached the zippleback and motioned for Hiccup to watch her inspection. She went up to the dragon's torso and listened to the sounds from inside all the while explaining to her son how it should sound and what to listen for.

"All that is normal - it's not an organ problem. What specific symptoms are you seeing?"

"Barf has been eating, but not Belch and they both refuse to get up. Belch's won't move his head." Tuffnut said.

Valka pressed on both sides of the dragon's neck. After her inspection, she motioned Hiccup and Tuffnut to come to her.

"Feel this part of the neck," she had the boys massage along the spinal column of Barf's neck. "That is how the spine should feel, but now come over to Belch and feel the same spot."

Tuffnut did so, but shrugged and said, "It's the same."

Hiccup felt the spine, each hard vertebrae under the soft leathery skin perfectly fitted to the one next to it, except for one. One bone felt out of sync, twisted, and not formed into place. Belch flinched as Hiccup touched that spot, but relaxed when Ruffnut scratched his chin with her long nails and whispered soothing words.

"Right here, Tuff. Feel." Hiccup took his friend's hand and put it at the spot of the dislodged bone.

"There's nothing there. It's like the rest." Tuff said, stepping back.

Valka put her hands on the boy's shoulders, "Tuffnut, part of his neck is out of alignment. Although it is only one spine, they are both in pain. Any movement hurts them both. We can massage it and put a splint on it to keep them comfortable, but Belch shouldn't be ridden anymore, the way you've been riding. They're the oldest dragons in the fleet. And you've taken them into many battles - that ages them."

"We went for a ride yesterday. He's fine."

Ruffnut continued to stroke Belch's face and look down at the pained creature.

Valka sighed, "This is a hard thing to accept, but he is not suffering in a way that we have to take them to Vanaheim."

"Vanaheim? Nothing is wrong! They need a week off."

Hiccup stepped forward, "Barf and Belch can have a hero's retirement. And we'll find you a new zippleback. Think how great it will be for them. They can spend the rest of their days here on Berk frolicking in the woods, napping anytime they want."

Hiccup swallowed hard as he added, "It's something my dad didn't get."

The words stung.

They stung Valka whose hand slapped over her mouth to stifle a cry. They stung Ruffnut, who buried her crying face in her dragon's cheek. They stung Hiccup whose hand went to his pained heart.

And they stung Tuffnut who swallowed it all away behind an iron façade.

There it was. Hiccup couldn't take his last words back, nor should he have. Because that thought had stabbed at his mind for so long, haunting him and clouding his ever decision.

They all stood there absorbing their own realized pain, till Ruffunt finally looked up.

"Hiccup, I want to take time off…I don't want to go back to riding right now. Not sure what I'll do, but-"

"What?" Tuffnut's voice rose. "Belch will get better. You can't quit."

"No, Tuff, he won't. Let's let them go. They'll be around."

Hiccup said, "Tuffnut, maybe you and Ruffnut can have different dragons. You can take a break from riding together. Remember Torch, the typhoomerang, I see him all the time. He's young, he's friendly, he likes you. Let's bring him in. Maybe I'll find one like him for your sister."

"That'd be a waste of time because we have a dragon here." Tuffnut yelled.

"Would you both stop and listen!" Ruffnut yelled back. "I am done. Our zippleback is done. Move on."

She kissed Barf and Belch each on the nose then took off.

Tuffnut stood frozen in place as he watched his sister leave.

Valka gathered herself together before taking each of the boys under each of her arms, both of them kept their arms crossed and their bodies stiff, "This isn't a problem to solve right now," Valka said. "This is a problem to accept. Then think about."

They looked at each other. Hiccup unfolded his arms and moved a step closer to Tuffnut. "Whatever happens we will all face it together. We're friends. Family. A team -"

"Nothing's happening," Tuffnut shifted away. "If there was a problem we would have seen it sooner. Why would it just happening now?"

"Maybe you didn't want to see it Tuffnut, or maybe the pain was minimal and just caught up finally. That doesn't make you a bad dragon rider."

Like he often did, Tuffnut ignored everyone else and walked off.

Toothless wandered over to Hiccup and nudged his hand. "Yeah, I can't say that I'd take it any better if the same thing happened to us, bud."

000

A/N: Not to be too obvious, but it's no mistake that a Zippleback, a two headed dragon, who can't part from itself is the one having trouble.

Thanks to all who Fav, Followed, and Reviewed.

I apologize for the long delay – life has been insane and I actually wanted to work this chapter harder, but felt I should get it up and move forward.