The Adventurous Adventures of Hiccup and Wrenlou
A Blacksmith's Apprentice, Part VII
He jogged up the stairs towards Hiccup's room, and took a few deep breaths when he stood in front of the door. Today was the day of his final test, but Naomi had told him that they wouldn't start until noon. And since Hiccup had already started on his and was making pretty good progress, he figured it would be okay if he took his best friend for breakfast. Only, Hiccup hadn't shown up when he had expected him to, so he had gone to his room.
He knocked, but no answer came. He knocked again, and when it remained silent, he went in. Toothless was in his corner, but the dragon was awake and perked up when he walked in. Hiccup was sprawled out in bed, laying on his stomach, the covers tangled around his legs, one foot of the side of the bed. His left arm was hooked around the sheet somehow, his hand under his chest. His right arm was laying on the pillow, his head in the crook of his elbow, his hand somehow tangled in his auburn hair. Wrenlou couldn't help but smile and walked closer, Toothless following his every move with watchful eyes.
"Hiccup?" Wrenlou said softly, shaking his shoulder "wake up. It's kinda late."
Hiccup groaned and turned away from him, tangling himself in the covers even further. Wrenlou sighed and shook him again, calling his name a little louder.
"Five more minutes..." Hiccup mumbled, and he pulled his pillow over his head.
Wrenlou straightened his back and sighed. For a moment he pondered what to do, then he smiled deviously.
"Okay," he said, and he turned to the door, "I'll wait outside."
He walked to the door and opened it. Then he closed it again, without leaving the room. Toothless tilted his head and Wrenlou placed a finger on his lips. Toothless tilted his head the other way, clearly confused but his strange behaviour, but Wrenlou didn't really care. As quietly as he could he snuck back to the bed, towards Hiccup's bare feet. He had to bite his lip to contain his laughter, and when he was close enough he suddenly grabbed Hiccup's big toe and jiggled it around, while yelling at Hiccup to wake up.
Hiccup jumped at least a foot into the air, his surprised scream cut short when he tumbled out of bed. Wrenlou doubled over in laughter, barely able to stay on his feet when he saw Hiccup's baffled face. Hiccup stared at him for a while, still processing the rude awakening, but then he slowly untangled himself from the blanket.
"Why did you do that!" he asked, while he dumped the covers onto the bed and then plopped down on the edge of it, "you didn't have to rip my toe off!"
"I didn't rip your toe off," Wrenlou said, wiping tears from his face, "it's just... I wanted to have breakfast, before the test. Is that so bad?"
"That doesn't mean you have to rip my toe off!" Hiccup said and he rubbed his big toe where Wrenlou had grabbed it, "that hurts!"
"No it doesn't," Wrenlou said, "Broghan used to do that all the time. I still have all my toes, so it can't be that bad."
Hiccup grumbled a little but he stood up again and stretched, his shoulders popping. "I'll get dressed..." he said with a yawn, "I'll meet you downstairs."
Wrenlou smiled and turned around. This time he really left the room, closing the door behind him.
"Can you believe that bud?" Hiccup mumbled while he searched through his pile of old tunics for one that didn't have too many holes and burns.
Toothless crooned and got up as well. The dragon stretched and yawned widely, and Hiccup smiled while he pulled the shirt over his head.
"Good morning to you too bud."
Toothless crooned again and padded over to where the saddle say, next to the prosthetic. Hiccup sighed and walked over to the dragon as well.
"I'm sorry bud," he said regretfully, "I won't be able to go flying today."
Toothless whined a little and looked outside, staring almost longingly at the clear blue sky.
"I know," Hiccup said softly, and he scratched the dragon's chin, "it really isn't fair. I should come up with a way that you can fly without me. Go hunting with the others dragons, have fun. There must be a way, don't you think?"
Toothless crooned softly and nudged him. Hiccup smiled, and hugged the dragon tightly.
"When I'm done with this test, I'll take you on a flight," he said, "a long one. Okay? I promise."
Toothless licked his face and Hiccup groaned. After wiping the dragon spit from his face, he turned to the dragon again.
"Can you get me down?" he asked.
Toothless ran to the edge and looked back, his wings spread slightly. Hiccup chuckled and followed, climbing onto the dragon's back. He held on tightly when Toothless jumped down, softly gliding to the ground. As soon as the dragon landed Snowflake ran over, running around them excitedly. The moment Hiccup's feet touched the ground, Toothless ran after Snowflake, and both dragons soon disappeared between the houses. Hiccup smiled and walked over to the Hall, where Wrenlou stood, leaning against a tree.
"Everything okay?" he asked, "you look a little... down."
"I just..." Hiccup started and he sighed, "all these dragons. And Toothless is the only one that can't fly without me. It's not fair. And it's my fault."
"No it's not," Wrenlou said and he pushed the door open, "you didn't mean to injure him like that. And you helped him fly again. Besides, Snow stays with him. If he doesn't fly, neither does she. Your dragon found a best friend too."
Hiccup smiled widely. Toothless seemed happy in the city, doing nothing besides sleeping and eating and flying when they had the time. He decided not to think about it right now, and focus on his last test. After all, he still had a weapon to build. They sat down on one of the tables, away from the other riders that were there. It was late for breakfast, and early for lunch, so there weren't many people inside.
"Nervous?" Hiccup asked when he saw how Wrenlou didn't really eat much.
Wrenlou nodded, pulling the bread apart. "I have to be there at noon," he said, staring at the pieces, "and then..."
"What is it?" Hiccup asked, "what do you have to do?"
"I'm not sure..." Wrenlou mumbled, "I went there this morning, they said they had to prepare something..."
"You'll nail it," Hiccup said, "I know you will."
Wrenlou smiled weakly and put some bread in his mouth. It was silent for a while, the soft chatter of the other people not much more than a hum on the background.
"Thanks for waking me," Hiccup said suddenly, "I would probably have slept for a few hours more if it hadn't been for you coming by."
"No problem," Wrenlou said, "I just wanted to have breakfast."
Hiccup smiled and stood up. "Thanks," he said, "but I have to go. Lots to do and all that. Wren, good luck with your test, whatever it is. I know you'll nail it."
"Good luck yourself," Wrenlou said.
Hiccup smiled and left the Hall, leaving Wrenlou alone at the table. He stayed there, staring at the wood. After a while he got up and went outside, a chill breeze whirling around the trees. A thunderclap rolled through the sky in the distance and he looked up, seeing dark clouds creeping towards the city, covering the blue sky and slowly blocking out the sun.
"No one said there was going to be a storm..." he mumbled, "and it looks like a big one too..."
0-0-0-0-0
He looked at the sky, a frown on his face. The storm had rolled in a few hours ago, and the rain was pouring down on the city. The streets had turned to streams of cold water, and the thunder echoed in between the buildings while the lightning ripped the sky in half. His gaze shifted, from the sky to the lone figure working on the outside workplace. Hiccup was refusing to come into the forge. He was working on his final test, and refused to stop. He had taken the smaller forge, the one usually used by apprentices for their final test, but it had no roof.
"Hiccup!" he called, "is it ready yet?"
Hiccup looked up, wiping his hair from his face. He shook his head, then went back to his work. He sighed while he watched the boy work, the rain relentless. He stood there, with his arms crossed, shaking his head a little. He stepped out walking over to Hiccup.
"Come inside," he urged, "you'll get sick."
"No," Hiccup said, "I want to finish this. I have to. I can do it, just give me more time. Please."
"Hiccup, this storm doesn't look like it'll pass anytime soon," he said, glancing at the sky, "come inside. There will be time tomorrow."
But Hiccup shook his head and continued his work. He reheated the blade he was working on in the small furnace he had managed to keep going, and the rain sizzled on the hot metal as he started hammering it. It was clear that he was going to continue working no matter what any one said to him, so the smith sighed, turned around and went back to the main forge.
Suddenly there was a blinding flash and he dove to the ground. It was directly followed by a deafening clap of thunder, and after that he heard the sound of metal clanking on stone. After that, an eerie silence filled the plaza. The only thing he heard was the rain splashing on the stones.
"Hiccup?" he called out while he got up, "are you okay?"
He frowned when he didn't get an immediate answer, but thought little of it. After all, lightning had just struck the city. Hiccup was probably still getting back to his feet as well. Before he could call out again, a voice rang out over the plaza, and it wasn't Hiccup's.
"Hennrick?" he mumbled as he walked out of the forge again. As soon as he did he saw the aging violinist kneeling next to Hiccup's motionless body on the ground.
"Mendo! He's been hit!"
"Hit? By what?" he asked, dumbfounded. There were no branches laying around, no broken trees, no stones.
"Lightning!" Hennrick yelled, his fingers pressed against Hiccup's neck.
He gasped, looking down on Hiccup. Now that he was at his side he could see that the palm of Hiccup's left hand was severely burned, some smoke was disappearing into the rain. His face was pale, his eyes closed, and he didn't appear to be breathing.
"How..." he started, "how could that happen?"
"I don't know," Hennrick said, "I just saw a flash of light come down and hit him. I don't think he's breathing... He needs to go to the hospital. Now."
"Warn them," Mendo said, "I'll carry him over."
Hennrick nodded and stood up. As fast as the slippery flagstones allowed him to he ran through the rain towards the hospital. Mendo looked at Hiccup again, then he carefully lifted him in his arms. He couldn't run, with the boy's unconscious weight and the water on the plaza he just couldn't risk it.
0-0-0-0-0
He had justed picked the next jar to place it in the cabinet when there was a clap of thunder so loud it practically shook the city on it's foundations. He dropped the glass jar and it shattered, sending dried leaves over the floor. He looked around, then sighed as he knelt down to scoop the broken glass and herbs from the floor. He had known thunderstorms could be violent, but this sounded like lightning had struck something, somewhere in the city. It had to be.
He carefully separated the glass from the plants, throwing the glass away. He found an empty jar and he had just finished putting the leaves into it, when he heard the commotion in the hallway just outside the door. He frowned and walked towards the door to open it, but just before he could he heard the words Hiccup, and struck by lightning.
His heart skipped a beat and he yanked the door open, running into the hallway clenching the glass bottle in his hand. It couldn't be. Hiccup couldn't have been struck by lightning. People didn't get struck by lightning. But when he entered the main hall and saw Mendo carry Hiccup in, he froze and dropped the jar again.
This time he didn't care that it shattered, he didn't care that the glass and leaves went everywhere. Hiccup was hurt, badly. He saw Naomi guide Mendo into an empty and followed, entering just in time to see how the smith laid Hiccup on the bed. Naomi was next to it immediately, checking for a pulse.
"He's not breathing," she said, "I can't feel a pulse. Mendo, I need you to leave."
The smith nodded and turned around, almost bumping into Wrenlou when he left the room. Naomi was next to Hiccup, doing chest compressions to try and get his heart to beat again. When that yielded no result, she pinched his nose, tilted his head back and blew air into his lungs, then went back to chest compressions.
"What... what can I do..." Wrenlou asked shakily.
"His hand is burned," she said without stopping what she was doing, "I need you to bring me bandages, the herbs needed to make the ointment for burns, some water and tweezers."
Wrenlou nodded and left. He realized he was shaking as he collected the jars with the different herbs. He just couldn't believe it. Hiccup, struck by lightning. Just as he walked back into the room, Hiccup coughed and gasped for breath. Naomi kept him down, a hand on his shoulder.
"There he is," she said smiling, "easy Hiccup, easy..."
Hiccup didn't hear her, he had slipped into unconsciousness again, and Naomi started to on take his shirt off, to see if there were any more burns. There were no burns on his chest, but down his left arm, from his shoulder to his elbow, extending a little over his chest, there was a mark that looked like a lightning bolt.
"Oh my gods..." Wrenlou mumbled softly, "is that..."
"Lightning scar," Naomi said, "would you mix up the herbs?"
Wrenlou nodded, grabbing the bowl he brought and pouring some of the water in. Then he put the herbs in, one by one stirring them into the water. When he was done he took the bowl over to the bed, where Naomi had removed Hiccup's boots.
"His foot is burned as well," she said pointing at Hiccup's left foot, "the lightning hit his hand, he was probably holding the hammer above his head, and it exited through his foot. Can you clean and wrap the wounds?"
Wrenlou nodded again and sat down next to Hiccup. He looked at the mark on his arm, the jagged pattern running all over it, and took his hand. The burn was located in the palm of his hand, where he would have held the hammer. There were some charred edges visible, black splotches against red and blistered skin. He started with cleaning the wound, finding small splinters of wood imbedded in Hiccup's palm. He made sure he got them all out before he washed it with water, making sure there was no charred wood left. It was a second degree burn, but now that it was clean it didn't look as bad at it had done before. None of Hiccup's skin had actually been charred, and that was a good sign.
"Looks like you were lucky," he mumbled, "your hand will be fine."
After he covered the wound in the paste he had made earlier, he covered it with a small piece of gauze that had been soaked in a liquid that helped heal burns faster and lessened the chance of scars. It was something they had to use frequently, because even with all the training and precautions, they were still sharing the city with a whole bunch of dragons. Accidents happened everyday.
When he finished bandaging Hiccup's hand, he looked at the rest of his arm, and the lightning scar that ran all over it. He touched it, running his finger over the marks, but it didn't feel like a burn. It looked more like someone had cut the pattern into his arm, and this was the scar it had left when it had healed. He had read about lightning scars, but he had never seen one before. He cleaned the area of the mark too, just to be sure, even if it wasn't bleeding or blistering.
"How in the world did you get yourself struck by lightning," he mumbled, "I would understand how if you were flying in the middle of the storm, but in the city... You haven't angered the gods, have you?"
Hiccup's foot was next, where the lightning had left his body and disappeared into the ground. He found that there were two small burns, where his foot had touched the ground. He cleaned them as well, pulling a few pieces of leather from the wounds. He also applied the paste to the burns on his foot and bandaged them. After he had done that he took the blanket and covered Hiccup with it, laying his left arm over his chest. Then he left the room, looking for Naomi. He didn't have to look far, she was waiting right outside.
"Listen," she said, "I know I said that the first emergency to come in would be yours, as your final test, but I didn't imagine it to be your brother. If you don't want to do this, or think you can't do it, that's okay, you won't have to. We can always go with the alternative."
"The alternative being one of the healers pretending?" Wrenlou asked and she nodded, "no... I can do it. I want to do it."
"Very well," Naomi said, "if you feel like you can't, come and get me. When you chance the bandages, I want to be there. Anything you do, you ask me first. You're still a student, no matter how much you may know, and I'm responsible for all your actions. So always consult me, understand?"
"Of course," Hiccup said, "Naomi, what happened? How could he be struck by lightning in the middle of the city?"
"I don't know Wrenlou," she said, "honestly, I don't know."
"And... what about his test?" Wrenlou asked, stopping her, "there's no way he'll complete it in time!"
"I'll go talk with the council," Naomi said, "you stay with him. And when anything changes, come get me, okay?"
Wrenlou nodded and headed back down the hallway. Outside the storm was still raging on, the occasional thunder echoing through the city. He paused a moment outside the room, the opened the door and went in. Hiccup hadn't moved, still unconscious. The mark on his arm seemed to be redder than it had been before, and Wrenlou sighed as he sat down at Hiccup's side.
"How..." he mumbled, "how in the world did you get struck by lightning? You're a magnet for trouble aren't you..."