KO

The entire village watched in wonder as Hiccup and Ulrik continued their duel. And though Hiccup was on defensive, it didn't seem he was struggling. Villagers scrambled to place their bets on Hiccup. Astrid's heart thrummed and fluttered as she watched Hiccup fight.

Ulrik growled as he kept trying to get in a blow. But Hiccup would always block or parry. It seemed no matter which way he came he could always deflect.

"Hard, isn't it?" Hiccup muttered lowly. Ulrik growled as he stepped out of reach for a slash. He glared at him in frustration. He just couldn't get passed his guard. "That's the whole point of this stance. The only part vulnerable is my head to a thrust," Hiccup explained, and at that moment Ulrik thrust his sword forward for a stab to the head.

Hiccup anticipated this and sidestepped the attack before thrusting his sword forward, piercing Ulrik right in the shoulder. Ulrik hissed and winced at the piercing pain shooting through his shoulder. "But doing so makes you vulnerable to a counter thrust," Hiccup said evenly. He pulled his sword free before slashing Ulrik across the right brow.

Ulrik stumbled away as he wiped at the small cut. He turned to Hiccup and his eyes went wide as Hiccup pressed the attack. He kept both hands on the sword as he raised it above his head and brought it down repeatedly to strike. He'd switched to Jōdan, the most aggressive stance as he kept Ulrik stumbling back, attacking and attacking as he slashed at him.

Everyone watched in amazement as Hiccup's sword was a blur. It whistled through the air with every slash, hacking and cutting away at Ulrik with deadly precision and accuracy. It was strange to see Hiccup fight so aggressively. Hiccup was always so mellow and passive. Their minds all flashed back to the night he'd slaughtered the Vandals. Maybe not always. It was still strange to think of Hiccup as deadly, or a warrior. The young man would have never challenged anyone to a duel in the old days. And he wouldn't have stood a chance anyway.

As Stoick watched Hiccup fight he took note of his peculiar style, and how different it was from the viking style. The Viking style emphasized attack, using their size ad strength to destroy their opponents. But Hiccup's style was more about precision and speed. It emphasized form and technique. Strange, but no one could deny it effectiveness.

Ulrik was barely keeping up as the speed and power of Hiccup's attacks kept making him back away, unable to get his guard back up as Hiccup's blows rattled his arms and nearly made him lose grip of his sword. A downward slash got him in the eye, having been too fast for him to stop. In desperation he started to swing wildly, forcing Hiccup to take a few steps back as his stance, while used for attack, made him vulnerable to attack since it exposed the throat and wrists.

He looked at Ulrik as he bled, having opened many shallow cuts on his body. "Ulrik, just surrender, you're in no condition to fight."

Ulrik scoffed and glared at him. "Getting tired samurai? Need a breather?" Ulrik panted out. Hiccup actually wasn't too winded. Having been trained rigidly for years to improve his stamina and endurance.

"Why do this Ulrik? You don't even love her."

"My reasons are my own," Ulrik hissed. Hiccup raised an eyebrow. It sounded like there was something more to this. Something more than just finding a good wife. He had no time to dwell on it as Ulrik charged. Hiccup switched back to defense as he waited. And as he had planned. Ulrik suddenly hissed as blood leaked into his eye, blinding him. Hiccup twisted out of the way and stuck his foot out, tripping him. He stumbled forward as he fell to the dirt.

Ulrik managed to turn as Hiccup slashed at him. He heled his sword up as Hiccup swung downward repeatedly and relentlessly, forcing Ulrik to keep his sword up horizontally to stop every slash.

But Hiccup was aiming for a specific spot. Over and over he aimed for a small chip he'd made in the sword. Finally, with one final swing and a cry, he snapped the sword in half. Everyone gasped in amazement as Ulrik's sword broke in half. Leaving a blunted edge. Ulrik gaped at it when Hiccup stuck his sword in his face. He gulped and kept his chin up as Hiccup kept the tip just under it.

"These swords are my spirit. They're more than just my weapons. And they're of the best in the world," Hiccup said proudly. Then with a dangerous glare, he pressed the tip against Ulrik's throat. Ulrik hissed as a drop of blood pooled at the surface.

"Yield," Hiccup said dangerously. Ulrik remained silent and glared at him. "Very well, your choice," Hiccup said smoothly. Pulling his sword back just a little he prepared to run him through.

"Fine," Ulrik suddenly muttered with a snarl. Hiccup paused as he kept his eyes on his. "I yield."

"Louder," Hiccup commanded.

"I YIELD!" Ulrik shouted holding his glare. With a smile Hiccup nodded. Standing tall and proud he sheathed his sword. With a breath, he gave Ulrik a bow. Acknowledging him as a worthy opponent. Ulrik stood up, his wounds soaking his tunic as blood running down his face.

Turning on his heel, Hiccup made his way to the exit. And while he did, the village began to cheer for him. He glanced up at them and smiled at their praise. And while he did, he noticed Astrid wasn't there. He furrowed his brows as he walked out of the exit of the arena.

And as soon as the made it to the top of the exit slope...

"HICCUP!" came a familiar voice. Hiccup barely had time to turn before he was tackled by a red and gold blur.

He went down with a hard 'oomph' as the thing rammed into him and sent him to the floor. He cried out as his wounds flared up. He propped himself on his elbows as he raised himself to look into the blue eyes of a smiling Astrid. He frowned disapprovingly at her.

"Odin's beard woman! Injured! Do you not see the blood on my shirt!? Gods would it kill you to be—," his eyes went wide as his words were suddenly swallowed by a fierce and sudden kiss as she crashed her lips against his.

Hiccup stiffened and blanched and everyone gasped as they saw the blonde giving Hiccup the biggest and most smoldering kiss in Viking history.

Astrid pulled away with a sharp smack and looked down at Hiccup with a wide smile. That had been her first kiss. And to her utter joy, she'd been able to give it to him. She watched as Hiccup's mouth fell open like a gasping fish as he tried to figure out what just happened. She giggled at his bewildered expression.

And on that day, Astrid had succeeded in doing what she'd been trying to do for weeks.

She knocked Hiccup out.

A few hours later, Ulrik and his small group sailed away from Berk. He'd had his wounds treated by the resident healers and immediately ordered his men to their boats to leave. He glared at the shrinking island in anger. He'd been defeated for the first time ever. And loss wasn't siting too well for him.

"Ulrik. What now?" one of his men asked him with worry. He remained silent and kept his gaze trained in the island.

"Aye Ulrik. What do we do now? We were supposed to find him a fitting wife. And what would make a better wife than a dragon trainer?" one of his men piped in. Ulrik continued to stew as he thought it over. They were right. They were supposed to find a worthy wife for their associate. And he'd figured Astrid would have been the best choice in all the archipelago.

"A chief's daughter," Ulrik muttered lowly. "Set sail to the Uthilugs," he ordered. His men nodded as they started changing course. Ulrik smiled. He hadn't failed just yet. His reputation was still intact, the Hooligans stuck mostly to themselves. And now he had a few more battle scars to impress the ladies with.

Besides, the daughter of a chief would surely be of more worth than some dragon riding girl.