After his very pleasant nap in the cove with Toothless, Hiccup wakes with just enough time to make it back to the village in time for lunch. As he strolls up to the Great Hall, Astrid sits on the steps outside waiting for him, her shoulder guards reflecting the midday sunlight, the heels of her boots digging into the dirt.
"I was thinking you might chicken out and not show up." Astrid admits as she stands and straightens out her skirt. "I really didn't want to have to track you down, so thanks for not ditching I guess."
Hiccup shrugs. "Well, I promised, didn't I? And I'm not one to break a promise."
"Good to know."
Astrid turns to walk up the steps and head inside. Hiccup follows closely, but not too closely. He doesn't want to accidently trip or step on the backs of her boots or anything. The entire village knows of his reputation for his clumsiness and there is no need to add fuel to that fire. Once inside however, Hiccup finds himself following the shieldmaiden a little closer. The Great Hall isn't packed by any means (it is usually only that full during festivals or meetings called by his father), but it is the middle of lunch and there are plenty of people gathered about. Skipping lunch and working in the safety of the forge suddenly seems much more appealing, and he finds himself wishing he hadn't made any promises to Astrid the day before.
But a promise is a promise. They get their food quickly and Astrid steers them to a table at the edge of the room. Immediately, she digs into her fish, but Hiccup finds that he can't really focus on his meal. He tries to keep his gaze down, but he can practically feel everyone's eyes on him. Part of him had hoped that they'd mind their business with Astrid around, but it seems to only increase their curiosity. Their thoughts are plastered all over their faces: why is a picture-perfect Viking like Astrid choosing to eat with Hiccup the disaster?
Drumming his fingers over the table top and tapping his feet, Hiccup hopes to dispel some of the nervous energy he is feeling. An annoyed look quickly settles on Astrid's face as she is quick to notice his fidgeting and apparent lack of appetite.
"What's wrong with you?" She asks, frowning deeply. "You haven't touched your food and I'm not letting you out of here until you've eaten. I won't risk you passing out in training again."
Hiccup tries to shrug, but his shoulders seem to get stuck up by his ears, making him look like a bit like a turtle trying to hide away from the world. "I guess I'm just nervous, that's all."
"Well don't be. It's just lunch and you're acting like a dragon is going to burst in here any moment and burn the place to the ground."
"Quite the opposite really." Hiccup admits. At the puzzled look on Astrid's face, he explains. "I feel more like a dragon, caged and put on display where people point and comment on how hideously awful it is." After a nervous look around, he adds, "Everyone is staring at me."
Astrid glances around, not hiding her gaze like Hiccup is. "That's a bit of an exaggeration. Not everyone is looking at you – just most of them."
"Gee, that makes me feel so much better."
Astrid laughs briefly, before catching herself. Hiccup finds himself wishing she hadn't. Her laugh sounds nice, especially since he's the one that made her do it. But the moment is gone and Astrid straightens in her seat. "I know you talked about it a bit yesterday but… does it really feel like that?"
"Kinda. Except with dragons, everyone expects evil and powerful destruction. People just expect me to be incapable of doing anything right and to destroy things on accident."
"I guess I never really thought of it like that," she says thoughtfully after a moment. "But you're in dragon training now. That should be exciting for you, right? A chance to learn to fight and do things for the good of the tribe? Maybe help your reputation a bit?"
"I suppose so, but I know I'm going to mess it all up." I'm already messing it all up, Hiccup thinks. But I wouldn't trade Toothless to be the most popular Viking on all of Berk. "Mostly I'm just doing it for my dad."
Hiccup pauses to take a bite of his fish, trying to decide how much he wants to share with Astrid, before deciding – to Hel with it. She is putting in the effort to eat lunch with him and she hadn't run away from him yesterday when he'd opened up. If she could do that, he can gather some courage to be vulnerable again.
"My dad came to talk to me before he left, said he wanted me to join dragon training. I tried to talk him out of it and tell him I wasn't ready, but he wouldn't hear it." Hiccup sighs, shaking his head. "He just kept saying that he'd feel better if I could defend myself. He…he brought up my mom, and I knew I had to agree."
Astrid grimaces. "That's rough."
"Tell me about it." Hiccup says, sitting up a little straighter in his seat. "He only talks about her when he's trying to guilt me into things. If I try to talk about her any other time, he just changes the subject."
"My family is like that too." Astrid admits. "I was really close to my Uncle Fin when I was little, but after he left, my parents got mad at me for talking about him. Now, the only time anyone mentions his name is when they're trying to convince me to do or not do something. It's always 'We don't want you ending up a disgrace like Uncle Fin.' I hate it." Astrid lets out a long exhale.
"Does dragon training make you feel like you're doing something for the good of the tribe?" Hiccup asks, "Like you're reclaiming your family honor or something?"
"That's what my parents think. But I'm not in it for family honor. And I don't consider my Uncle Finn a disgrace to the family. I just like dragon training because it feels like I'm doing the right thing. I want to protect people, you know? Plus, it doesn't hurt that I'm good at it." Astrid says with a smirk.
"Oh, I've noticed," Hiccup laughs, "I have definitely noticed. You make the rest of us look like a bunch of fools. Here you are executing a perfect forward roll, and the rest of us are tripping over our own feet."
"A perfect forward roll, huh? I had no idea you thought so highly of me," Astrid teases.
Hiccup feels his cheeks heating up a little. "I just tell it like I see it."
"You know, you could do that stuff too. It just takes a lot of practice. A couple hours a day and you'll be out-doing me in no time." She pauses and then adds, "Okay maybe you won't be better than me, but you can definitely be better than Snotlout."
Hiccup's heart soars momentarily at the praise, but then sinks back down again. "But what if I don't feel like I'm meant to be an expert dragon killer?"
Astrid frowns. "Well if that's not your purpose, then what is?"
I don't know, Hiccup thinks, but I feel like I might know soon.
The forge is nothing but embers now, though the strong smell of smoke and hot metal still fills the air. Tools are scattered across every surface. A tidying up is definitely in order, especially if Hiccup doesn't want Gobber to yell at him. The man is never clean, but he believes in an orderly workspace. Hiccup does too, but when he gets so focused on a project, he has a bad habit of forgetting to put things away after he's used them. After lunch, Hiccup had headed straight to the forge to get to work on everything he needed to restore his best friend's flight. Now, hours later, the foot pedal, harness, and saddle sit finished before him. And not a moment too soon. As Hiccup tucks his project away under his worktable in the back, Gobber barges in the front.
"You in 'ere, Hiccup?" The blacksmith calls out.
"Yeah! Just a second!" Hiccup shouts back. Once he is sure everything was hidden out of sight, he joins his mentor.
"Thor almighty," Gobber lets out a low whistle, eyes scanning the various surfaces in the forge, "could you 'ave made a bigger mess?"
Hiccup rubs the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry about that, but you know how it is. I just get so focused when there's a project that needs doing."
"Can't say I blame you, but make sure this gets cleaned up, alright?" Gobber points his hook at Hiccup. "You made this mess and I won't be cleanin' up after you like some nanny. I know Stoick put me in charge of you while he's gone, but I don't think this is quite what he had in mind."
Hiccup nods. "I'll get it cleaned up, don't worry."
"Good, now that that's settled, what do you say we 'ead on over to the Great Hall for some supper? The rest of the new recruits are meetin' us there."
"Do I have to go?" Hiccup says, trying to keep the petulant whine out of his voice. Lunch with Astrid had gone surprisingly well. They'd managed a full conversation with participation on both sides, and at the end of the meal, Astrid made him promise to show up at the same time tomorrow. He is almost looking forward to it. Somehow, Hiccup doesn't think dinner tonight will go as well.
"Yes, you do. It'll be good for you. I won't force you into talkin' with 'em, but I will be forcin' you to eat."
"You and Astrid both," Hiccup mutters.
"Ah, is that why you were eatin' lunch with the lass today?" Gobber asks.
Hiccup frowns. "You know about that? I didn't see you in there."
"I didn't 'ave to be there. It's practically the talk of the village. Everyone's speculatin' on why the two of you were eatin' together. It makes sense that she's tryin' to keep you on your feet as well."
"I'm a little old to need a babysitter you know – let alone two of them." Hiccup grumbles.
"I'll believe that when I see it. Now come on," Gobber urges. "We don't want to be late."
Hiccup takes off his well-worn leather apron and hangs it back up. Then he uses the bucket of clean water they keep on hand to wash some of the soot from his hands and face. He'll have to come back tomorrow morning to put all of the tools away, but that is fine. He can do it when he comes to get Toothless' flight equipment.
Following Gobber out of the forge, Hiccup takes a deep breath to help steady his nerves. You can do this Hiccup, he thinks to himself. It's just dinner. You befriended a giant fire-breathing creature. If you can do that, this should be nothing.
The Great Hall isn't typically very busy at his time of night. Most Vikings are probably home eating supper with their families. Those who had eaten in the Great Hall had likely gotten their food earlier and had already left. Hiccup considers this a small blessing – at least there aren't going to be a lot of witness to this disaster of a meal.
The other teens are already present and sitting at a table in the center of the room. Snotlout sneers as he gets closer, but Hiccup is focusing more on the slight smile Astrid sends his way. The shieldmaiden gestures to the plate sitting next to her, so Hiccup takes a seat. Snotlout only frowns harder.
"Now," Gobber begins as Hiccup starts in on his meal, "before we go any further with your dragon trainin', I thought I'd be a good idea to see what all you are up against." He picks up a large book off the bench and slams it down on the table top dramatically. "The dragon manual – everything we know about every dragon we know of. All of our dragon knowledge has been collected over time and written here for our benefit. We stand a better chance of fightin' the beasts if we know exactly what we're up against."
Snotlout looks at the book with disgust. "You expect us to actually read that thing?"
"I've never read a book in my entire life," Tuffnut boasts. (It amazes Hiccup that some people consider that a point of pride.)
"Yeah, me neither," adds Ruffnut, "and I don't plan on starting today."
"Guys, we all studied together." Fishlegs says. "You can't try and convince me you don't know how to read."
"Wouldn't dream of it Fishy. It's not a matter of knowing how to read, but of having the attention span for it." Ruffnut explains.
"We only have an attention span when it comes to mayhem and destruction!" Tuffnut yells, slamming his hands down on the table. "So, unless we're using the books as weapons of mass destruction or something, I'm gonna have to pass."
"I have to agree with idiots one and two. I mean, that book does look pretty heavy." Snotlout eyes the book critically. "I'm sure I would make a good bludgeon."
Fishlegs gasps in horror. "You wouldn't dare! This book is a treasured piece of Berkian history. Its pages hold invaluable knowledge about dragon battle tactics from some of Berk's best dragon fighters."
"Fishlegs is right you know," Gobber says. "You can learn a lot from the many great heroes whose knowledge is contained in these pages."
"Well I'm sure Astrid will agree with me. Unlike the rest of you, some of us don't need to study to be great, some of us were just born that way."
"Snotlout, you idiot, I've read it before." Astrid glares at him from across the table.
"Oh…" Snotlout mutters dumbly.
Gobber shakes his head at their antics. "Alright then, I guess I'll leave you to it. But don't stay up all night reading – we've got dragon training again in the morning." And then he is gone.
The twins laugh after he leaves and rise to their feet. "If he actually thinks we're gonna read this, he's crazier than we thought."
"Yeah," Snotlout agrees, also rising from his place at the table. "I'm a Jorgenson, killing things is in my blood. I don't need to read a smelly old book."
The three of them left, leaving only Hiccup, Astrid, and Fishlegs at the table. Hiccup is beyond grateful that their dislike of reading seems to have made Snotlout momentarily forget about his lunch with Astrid. Undoubtedly, his cousin will bring it up to torment him later, but he'll take a break where he can get one.
"Look," Astrid speaks up, pulling Hiccup from his thoughts, "I've read it before, and I really have better things to be doing with my time, so I'll see you guys at training tomorrow."
And then there are two.
Fishlegs and Hiccup sit in silence after she leaves. Though there isn't any animosity between them, Hiccup and Fishlegs have never really been friends. The larger boy isn't much different from Hiccup, yet the others hadn't rejected him the same way. Part of Hiccup had resented Fishlegs for it when they were younger. By now, Hiccup has resigned himself to not fitting it regardless of the reason for it. So when Fishlegs finally breaks the silence, Hiccup isn't expecting it.
"Have you read it?" The larger boy asks from across the table.
Hiccup shakes his head slowly. "My dad always wanted to keep my as far away from the fight as possible, so there really wasn't a reason."
"My parents wanted me to read it when I was pretty little." Fishlegs says.
"So, you could grow up to be an amazing dragon killer?" It would make sense. Most Viking parents do everything they can to raise their children to one day fiercely slay the fire breathing creatures.
"No," Fishlegs replies. "They thought if I knew what we were up against I might keep myself out of trouble. Knowing your enemy isn't just about offense – it can be about defense too. I'm kind of surprised your dad didn't do the same."
Hiccup shrugs. "I guess he didn't want me getting any crazy ideas and doing something recklessly stupid."
"I guess that makes sense."
The two continue working through their meal after that, Hiccup finishing his first plate and Fishlegs finishing his third. When his plate is clean, Fishlegs rises to his feet. "Well, since I've already read it, I'm going to head home. You should read it though. And if you have any questions, I can try to help you out. I've read it enough times that I basically have it memorized."
"Thanks, Fishlegs." Hiccup smiles, his gratitude genuine. Even if Fishlegs doesn't follow through, the fact that he even offered is a nice gesture that Hiccup appreciates.
After the other boy leaves and Hiccup finishes his own food, he pulls the heavy book towards himself. The cover is a worn brown leather with the Berk seal stamped into it. Once, the lines were probably sharp and crisp, but after years of use the leather has lost some of its firmness and shine, leaving the finer details of the seal so faint you can barely see them.
Hiccup opens the book to the beginning, scanning the list of dragon classifications the book is divided into. He learned about the classes previously, all Vikings did at a fairly young age, but this time he looks at them with a new perspective. Fear class? The labeling seems pointless. Why not label them based on actual characteristics? What classifies a dragon to be scarier than the others – scary enough to need to be placed in a special class?
Deciding he doesn't want to sit and read through the whole book right now, the young Viking turns to a random page. Inked onto the page is the image of a Whispering Death, with multiple rows of deadly teeth and spikes protruding from its skin. He flips a few more pages – this time a charcoal sketch of a Scauldron is shown spraying boiling water onto a Viking, his skin covered in blistering boils as he screams.
On another page, Hiccup sees the likeness of a Terrible Terror, but it doesn't quite look like the one Hiccup encountered just a few days ago. Eyes filled with murderous hatred stare back at him – a sharp contrast to the mischievous and playful glint he'd seen in the eyes of the Terror at the arena. The notes at the bottom say they are cunning and not to be underestimated; though small in stature, they are quick and ruthless.
Hiccup is torn between laughing and frowning. This is utterly ridiculous. The Terror in the arena had wanted to play, not kill. Sure, it had been extra friendly with Hiccup because of Toothless' scent, but even with the other teens the dragon's behavior had been playful and teasing. Maybe it is foolish to think that all Terrible Terrors are like the one he met, but Hiccup can't believe they are all like the murderous monsters he's been led to believe either. If dragon behavior is put on a spectrum, Hiccup is intimately familiar with both ends – one had killed his mother and one is his best friend. All dragons have to fall somewhere on that scale, right? And logically it doesn't make sense that they all end up on the bloodthirsty maniac end.
Everything in the dragon manual is filtered through a lens – a predetermined belief that the dragons are murderous beasts. The information is anything but impartial. Hiccup needs more information – something from an unbiased party, something based purely on observable fact. But he isn't going to get this information from someone else. It will have to come from himself. Can he start researching more dragons? Take some notes of his own? Possibly even compile his own Book of Dragons, one not clouded by preconceived notions?
With the idea starting to take root in his mind, Hiccup closes the book and rises to his feet. He is done letting the opinions of others influence him. The truth about dragons is out there somewhere, and he'll find it himself if he has too.