Noise pulls Hiccup from the throws of sleep. He's not quite sure which noise, as there are so many clamoring for his attention the second he is awake. Viking yells overlap one another, wood pops and cracks as fire eats its way through, livestock cry out in panic. When he hears the wingbeats, he knows it's a dragon raid, and likely to be a rough one. It hasn't been that long since the last raid, which means they'll be more unprepared than normal. And with Stoick off looking for the nest and many of the village's best warriors with him, there are likely to be a lot of damages. Jumping from his bed, Hiccup tugs on his boots and throws on his vest before racing down the stairs and out the front door. Gobber will likely be needed to fight, which means it'll be up to Hiccup to repair the damaged weapons brought to the forge.
As Hiccup is running towards his destination, a purple Deadly Nadder crosses his path further up ahead. A Viking jumps in front of it, brandishing a large axe, stopping it in its tracks. In response to the threat the dragon shrieks and opens its wings, preparing to take off, but the sound of more Vikings approaching it from behind has it turning to face them. Taking the momentary distraction as an opportunity to strike, the Viking with the axe swings hard, planting the blade deep into the junction of its neck and shoulder.
The Nadder cries out in pain and falls to the ground. The Viking pulls his axe free, causing blood to pour from the wound at an alarming volume, painting its violet scales red – almost black in the night lighting. The Vikings cheer and throw a net over the Nadder as it lies there, but Hiccup knows they don't have to worry about the dragon getting up and causing more damage. As the dragon lies there bleeding out, Hiccup stands there frozen, watching as its chest heaves and its panicked movements begin to lose vigor. The Vikings storm off to find their next scaly victim as the terror and life leaves the dragon's eyes. With the scent of smoke and blood heavy in the air, and the sight of the Nadder's lifeless eyes staring off at nothing, Hiccup doubles over right there and vomits.
Tears leak from the corners of his eyes – tears of anger and fear and sadness. He can't stay here. Hiccup's seen these raids his whole life; he's helped Gobber in the forge during them since he was deemed old enough to offer assistance. But having interacted with dragons? Having befriended them? Having flown with one? He can't stand to be in the village at all, let alone work in the forge to repair the weapons causing so much death. Hiccup refuses to mull over his decision and instead runs, heading for the forest as fast as his legs will carry him. He needs to be with Toothless right now. Nothing else matters. With a single-minded focus, he only pays enough attention to be sure a dragon isn't going to swoop down and carry him off. But it seems the chaos is mostly contained to the village, so he arrives unscathed.
Upon entering the cove, Hiccup can immediately see that Toothless is incredibly agitated, pacing back and forth, ears moving strangely, eyes shifting warily. As soon as he sees his friend arrive, Toothless calms slightly, but Hiccup can still see just how much the raid is bothering him. In return, Toothless can also sense Hiccup's anxiety. He can see it in the shake of the boy's hands, the harsh nature of his breathing, and the leftover tear tracks on his face. So Toothless leans in, allowing Hiccup to throw his arms around him. The hug seems to settle the pair of them enough to move. Together, they curl up under one of the trees in the cove. Hiccup runs his fingers over Toothless' scales, petting him anxiously and allowing the repetitive movement to soothe both of them. They can still hear the sounds of the raid in the distance, but when Toothless begins to purr, it's just loud enough to distract them from the noise. Between the warmth of Toothless' scales, the sound of his rumbling purr, and the gentle vibrations that accompany it, Hiccup is eventually lulled to sleep.
Hiccup wakes to the glow of predawn light. He's still tired, probably more so from the emotional exhaustion brought on by the raid than the physical exhaustion from sprinting all the way to the cove. For a second, he's tempted to roll over and fall back to sleep until he realizes that Toothless is nudging him rather insistently.
Sitting up and rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Hiccup frowns. "What's wrong bud?"
Toothless inclines his head, gesturing to the top edge of the cove. His ears twitch attentively. When Hiccup pauses to listen, he understands why Toothless has woken him. He can hear numerous footfalls, punctuated by the occasional shout.
"Hiccup!" That's Gobber's voice, but there are others. And Hiccup knows they must not find him here.
"Toothless, I have to go. Hide somewhere out of sight in case they get too close."
Toothless gives him one final nuzzle before complying, finding a spot still heavily shadowed. Unless someone is actively looking for him, they won't see him.
Satisfied that Toothless is safe, Hiccup makes his way out of the cove. He doesn't head straight for the search party though. Instead, he moves further away from the cove before calling out to them in response. "Gobber? I'm here!"
The footfalls stutter for a moment before picking up, faster than before. "Hiccup? Hiccup, we're coming!" Gobber calls out.
Hiccup and Gobber head towards the sound of each other's voices until Hiccup can see the blacksmith madly stumbling through the trees, a group of Vikings at his back. The others all keep their distance, but Gobber doesn't hesitate to throw his arms around Hiccup once he's within reach.
"Thor almighty boy, ya nearly gave me a 'eart attack. Once the raid was over we did a 'ead count and no one could find ya anywhere."
"I'm sorry," Hiccup says, his voice muffled by Gobber's tunic. He tries not to breathe in the stench of sweat, smoke, and blood. "There – there was a dragon by my house, blocking my way into the village. I figured it'd be best for me to hide out here. I guess I lost track of how far I ran though…" The lie comes out easily.
Gobber releases him, but keeps his hand on Hiccup's shoulder. "Honestly, I'm just glad we found ya in one piece. I was beginnin' to really worry I'd have to find a new apprentice. Plus Stoick would have my hide if he came back to find ya gone."
"Well, you don't have to start looking for my replacement yet. And I – I really am sorry for worrying you and causing extra trouble for everyone." Hiccup apologizes again, dropping his gaze down to his feet. The guilt he conveys is genuine. Though he couldn't have stayed in the village last night, that doesn't stop him from feeling bad about not being there to do his job.
With Hiccup found, the rest of the search party has already started walking back towards the village. Gobber begins to steer Hiccup in that direction as well. "I won't lie to ya Hiccup, the village is in pretty rough shape and it definitely would have helped to not need a search party this mornin'. But findin' a missin' person always ranks over rebuildin'."
Gobber keeps pace with him the whole way back to the village, but occasionally people from the search party ahead will look over their shoulders to glare at him. As if he didn't already feel bad enough, the feeling of guilt swells.
When they get back, things actually don't look as bad as Hiccup was expecting. He looks to Gobber in confusion.
"Looks can be deceivin'." Gobber says, knowing exactly what he was thinking. "We got the children and caretakers into the Great Hall early on. With less people around, the dragons didn't seem as interested in burnin' down random houses. Instead, they followed their noses and 'eaded to the storehouse for fish and the big barn for livestock. Both buildings were 'eavily damaged and we lost quite a bit. Quite a few fighters were injured too, but thankfully no deaths."
"What can I do to help?" Hiccup asks. With his father gone, Gobber is in charge.
"After gettin' somethin' to eat, you can get started on weapon repairs. With no one mannin' the forge last night, there's quite a pile, and we don't wanna be left defenseless."
Hiccup nods, feeling too guilt-ridden to find his voice, as Gobber walks away.
Hiccup is going through the process of lighting the forge when the door to the room is thrown open. Startled, the boy yelps and drops the apron he was getting ready to put on. Standing in the doorway, hands on her hips, is Astrid. Soot and ash are smudged across the skin of her arms, and there's even a large smear across one of her cheeks. She would have been on the fire brigade last night and by the looks of it, she hasn't taken a moment to clean up or rest yet.
Trying to calm his racing heart, Hiccup takes a deep breath and picks up the dropped apron. "You know, you really shouldn't surprise a guy in a forge. I could have dropped an axe on my foot or something."
"Where in Thor's name have you been?" She demands, ignoring his previous statement.
Hiccup's shoulders inch up involuntarily at the tone and volume of her voice. Noticing the change in his body language, Astrid reminds herself to calm down a bit. Dropping her hands to her sides, she frowns. "No one could find you this morning. Fishlegs and I went out with one of the search parties looking for you."
"Sorry, I-uh, I didn't mean to cause any problems. There was a dragon outside my house last night and rather than try to run past it into the village, I headed for the woods."
"Really? Rather than wait it out until you could make it to the forge, you just took off? I don't buy it."
"There's nothing to buy," Hiccup says, tying the apron behind his back and turning his attention back to the fire. Anything to avoid Astrid's piercing gaze. "It's the truth. I freaked out and ran – is that so hard to believe?"
"Actually, it is." Astrid crosses the room and sits on a stool near the workbench, allowing her to keep watching Hiccup's face. "Because in all the past dragon raids, you've never run like this before. I literally watched you get chased by a Gronckle once, without any weapons on you, and then shrug it off like it was no big deal when you got here to help Gobber. Plus, we are in dragon training now, and you've actually been doing well. So no, I don't believe you."
Hiccup sighs and places the first mangled sword into the fire to heat the metal. "Look, I can't control whether or not you believe me. But I don't really have time to sit around and debate this with you. Because I was such a hiccup last night, I now have a literal pile of work to do." He emphasizes his point by gesturing at the mountain of disfigured weapons stacked to the side.
"Fine," Astrid says, hopping to her feet and walking back to the door. "But don't think I'm dropping this. You've been acting strange lately and last night only further proves it. I will get to the bottom of this."
And then she's gone, leaving Hiccup with his work and the dread that has settled in his stomach like a stone.
By the time dinner rolls around, Hiccup is really feeling the aftereffects of working in the forge all day. A layer of sweat clings to him like a second skin and there is a persistent ache in his arms and back from doing constant weapon repairs. He'd gotten a break around lunchtime. Gobber brought him something to eat, telling him that Astrid was helping with repairs, and letting him know that dragon training would be suspended for a few days while they dealt with the aftermath of the raid.
Hiccup eats his dinner in the Great Hall as quickly as possible. He can't even focus on all of the other people present. The thought of going home and immediately falling asleep is his singular focus at the moment. That plan is instantly ruined when his house comes into view and he can see both Fishlegs and Astrid standing on his front porch. His steps falter and he comes to a stop. The two of them being together doesn't bode well for him. A fleeting thought of spending the night in the cove crosses his mind, but when he sees a shift in Astrid's posture, he knows he's been spotted. There's no escaping now. So, after taking a deep breath and clenching his hands into tight fists, he musters up enough courage to continue on.
"Fancy seeing you guys here," he says, forcibly nonchalant.
Astrid frowns as Fishlegs cowers behind her. "The three of us need to talk," she says.
"You know, as nice as that sounds, I've been working in the forge all day and I'm pretty beat. Maybe we could table this conversation until later?"
Astrid's frown turns into a glare.
"Yeah," Hiccup sighs. "I didn't think so. But it was worth a shot." He steps past them and pushes his front door open. They follow him inside, Fishlegs taking care to close the door behind him.
Astrid opens her mouth to speak, but Fishlegs cuts her off with an anxious stream of words. "Hiccup, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to tell anyone, but she already knew something was up and she cornered me. And I mean, it's Astrid – she's kind of scary when she wants to be and-"
Holding up a hand, Hiccup interrupts his rambling. "It's alright Fishlegs. I kind of figured something like this was going to happen after Astrid barged into the forge this morning demanding answers."
"And I was right to!" Astrid says, throwing her hands into the air. "I mean, studying wild dragons? You both could have been killed!"
Hiccup crosses his arms defensively. "You make it sound like I'm going out and throwing myself out in front of wild rampaging dragons. I think I deserve a little more credit than that."
"I definitely don't think you're stupid – that's not what I'm trying to say," Astrid insists. "Dragons are dangerous and can be extremely unpredictable. Regardless of how careful you are, it isn't safe."
"You're only saying that because you don't know what they are really like. I've spent time with them Astrid. They aren't what we think they are. There's more to them than that."
"How can you say that Hiccup? Gobber is missing two limbs because of dragons and your mother was carried off during a raid-"
"Don't," Hiccup says, his hurt evident by the moisture in his eyes and the heaviness in his voice. "Don't say that to me like it's something I've forgotten. Because I haven't – I couldn't." And he never would, not with how it's caused such a divide between himself and his father.
Astrid takes a step towards him, "Of course not. But… is that not enough evidence of their nature?"
Hiccup closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, trying to not let Astrid's words get to him. In the moment, he pictures Toothless – the way the dragon cares for him, the peace he feels when they fly together.
He opens his eyes, his gaze meeting Astrid's. "Maybe some dragons are like that. Or maybe they're just reacting to being attacked by weapon wielding Vikings."
"We don't start the raids Hiccup – they're the ones that come here," she reminds him.
Hiccup sighs and throws his arms up. "Look, I'm not going to pretend to have all the answers. But I do know that the knowledge and history of dragons we've been told is biased. It comes from people who, for generations, have only been willing to see dragons one way. I want to figure them out for myself, and what I've discovered so far doesn't line up with what we've been told."
"He's right Astrid," Fishlegs chimes in. Hiccup and Astrid are both surprised by his interjection, having almost forgotten his presence. They turn to face him. "I've read the Book of Dragons so many times I've lost count, and the behavior we saw when we studied the Terrible Terrors? There's nothing even remotely like that in there. I never imagined they could be like that."
"Look, I'm not trying to prove everyone else wrong or anything," Hiccup says. "I just want to learn about the dragons myself, to learn all of the things no one else has bothered discovering because they were too busy trying to kill the dragons to notice anything other than how they fight."
The conversation comes to a pause as Hiccup and Fishlegs wait for Astrid to respond. She stands with her brow furrowed and her lips pressed tightly into a thin line, contemplation painted clearly across her face. It makes Hiccup nervous. He's been feeling like whatever has been happening with Astrid during their lunches together has allowed for them to almost become friends. Maybe she started this whole thing out of a sense of obligation to his dad since he's the chief, but Hiccup has been able to talk to her and Astrid has actually been listening. He'd hate to lose that.
Nodding to herself, she squares her shoulders before speaking. "Prove it to me."
"Um, what?" Hiccup asks, confused.
"If you think there are more to dragons, then I want you to prove it to me."
"Prove it how? I've been telling you that studying them isn't dangerous and-"
"Let me come with you," she interrupts.
As the remainder of Hiccup's sentence drops away, his mouth hangs open slightly in shock. It takes him a moment to regroup. "You want to come study dragons with us?" He asks slowly.
"Yes. I want to see for myself if they really are how you say, and if they aren't, then I'll be there to help protect you guys."
For a moment, Hiccup wants to protest. But he knows there is no stopping Astrid once she's put her mind to something. And honestly, is it really such a bad idea? If he wants to change people's perceptions of dragons, that effort can't start and stop with Fishlegs. Other people are going to have to get involved eventually. Astrid is willing and is kind of his friend already. Maybe it won't be so bad. Maybe he needs to have a little faith in Astrid, faith that she'll be able to see for herself the truth he already knows.
"Alright. You can come with us."
Fishlegs looks mildly surprised at how easily he acquiesced, probably since it took Hiccup a full day to decide whether or not to allow Fishlegs to join him.
Astrid smiles wide. "Great! As long as Gobber doesn't need us for anything, we'll head out tomorrow after lunch. Agreed?"
Both Hiccup and Fishlegs nod, but the larger boy speaks up. "I have to head back home now. My parents are probably wondering where I'm at. But I'll see you guys tomorrow!"
Then it's just Astrid and Hiccup. She too looks like she's getting ready to excuse herself, but Hiccup knows there's one more thing they need to talk about before she leaves.
"Hey Astrid? There's, uh – there's something I need to tell you but you're probably not going to like it. Actually, you're definitely not going to like it. And if you change your mind about tomorrow after I tell you then I totally understand and I wouldn't blame you."
"Hiccup, maybe you should just tell me and let me decide for myself how I'll feel about it?"
"Yeah, yeah you're right. Okay, so you know how we've been getting lunch together? I mean, how you've been eating with me at lunch to make sure I am actually having lunch? Well apparently there's a rumor going around that you and I are maybe, sort of…. dating?"
By the time Hiccup has finished speaking, his shoulders are up by his ears, he's wringing his hands together, and he won't meet Astrid's eyes. She can practically feel the anxiety pouring off of him as he anticipates her response.
"I already know about the rumor, Hiccup."
"You – you do?"
"My mom confronted me about it the other day and I explained it to her. It's not a big deal," she shrugs.
"You're not mad?" Hiccup asks, watching her like he's still waiting for some kind of angry eruption on her part.
"Why would I be?" She asks. "It's not like you started the rumor. And it was my idea for us to eat together in the first place. Besides, if people can't understand two friends having lunch together, then that's their problem."
"But, when Snotlout…." Hiccup trails off, not knowing how to explain what he's thinking. But it's enough for Astrid to suddenly understand why he was anticipating a bad reaction from her.
"I punched Snotlout because he was an ass who deserved it," she explains. "You haven't done anything wrong Hiccup."
Hiccup sighs in relief and his shoulders drop as the tension floods out of them. "So… I'll see you tomorrow?"
"See you at lunch tomorrow." She smiles before turning and leaving.
Glad to have gotten that conversation over with and elated that it had actually gone well, Hiccup practically floats up to his room and flops onto his bed, completely exhausted. It isn't until he's almost fully drifted off that he realizes Astrid called him her friend. He falls asleep with a smile on his face.