*peeks out from behind a single suddenly-there tree*

*throws new chapter at you*

*runs away*

The blaring sound of a horn was heard in the distance, signaling the early hours of yet another day.

Viggo stood at the end of the hall belonging to the many sleeping quarters designated for the Dragon's Five, his hands behind his back in anticipation. Immediately, all doors except for one flew open. Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut all stepped out of their respective rooms, standing to attention.

"Good morning, Master," they all said in unison.

A beat passed as Viggo eyed the remaining closed door with a scowl. "Hiccup! Wake up!" he called. Nothing happened. Viggo stormed forward, flinging the door open with an unnecessary ferocity. His dark eyes bore into the room. The bed lay untouched as if it had never even been slept in. A satisfied smirk found its way onto Viggo's face. "Hm," he hummed. "He's quit."

A few minutes later found Viggo Grimborn leading the Dragon's Five along the path that led to the training arena. They all walked in a practiced step behind their Master, never faltering even for a moment. Throughout the short journey, Viggo's shoulders were straighter and his steps had more of a bounce to them.

Ruffnut was the first to break the triumph-filled silence. "Forgive me, Master Grimborn, but what are we supposed to do now? I know he was an annoying little…pest. But what about the whole 'Dragon Warrior' thing? Don't we still need one of those?"

Viggo paused, causing the rest of his team to stop right behind him. Without turning around, he spoke in as professional a manner as he could, though a smile was trying to burst through. "We will get that sorted out in time. We will resume our training and hope the new Dragon Warrior will come to be revealed." He continued walking, his hands still clasped behind his back.

They soon reached the arena. Viggo pushed the lever for the front gate to open, and it slowly rose to allow them entrance. "Besides," the Master continued as he began to lead the way in, "I'm sure that this is a sign from the–"

Everything seemed to freeze. Viggo stood there, staring ahead in a moment of shock. It quickly turned to ire, however, as he exclaimed, "What in Thor's name?!"

The rest of the team came filing in, most of them frowning. What met their gaze made them all stop in their tracks again right beside their Master.

There were a variety of weapons–swords, spears, axes, maces, and shields–all scattered across the stone ground, but that wasn't what made them all stop and stare. The previously suspected to be Ex-Dragon Warrior was there, in the center of the mess of weapons, with his bottom firmly wedged in a small wooden bucket. Both slender hands were propped up on the edges of the bucket, as if the boy inside were trying to lift himself out of it. When he noticed them come in, however, he froze as well, everything else seemingly forgotten.

Hiccup's hands flew up and away from the edges. He crossed one arm casually over his awkwardly bent knees while the other elbow came to rest on top with his chin plopping down onto his fist.

"Hey…hi…Good morning, Master. Welcome to, uh…training," Hiccup stuttered, attempting a smile that instead looked like a grimace. "I was just, um…I decided I would get started early here, so…yeah."

"You're stuck," Viggo deadpanned. He didn't seem amused in the slightest, but there was a certain sparkle in his eye that may've said otherwise.

"Stuck? Wha…no! Of course I'm not stuck! That would be ridiculous because…" Hiccup seemed to flounder for his next words for a moment, before his head flopped forward onto his bony knees. A muffled sigh was heard. "Yeah. Okay. I'm stuck."

Viggo hummed stoically. He turned to a still gaping Fishlegs. "Help him," he ordered.

Fishlegs' wide eyes darted in between him and Hiccup a few times, but then he squared his broad shoulders and moved forward as directed. With what he hoped to be a reassuring smile, Fishlegs held out a large hand to the boy in the bucket. After a moment of hesitation, Hiccup reached up and grasped the bigger boy's hand in his own, allowing it to completely encompass his smaller one. Fishlegs then placed his boot on the top edge of the bucket, right in between Hiccup's quivering knees.

"Okay. I'll pull on three," Fishlegs informed him. "One…two…"

"Wait! Don't you think we should–"

"Three!"

Ignoring Hiccup's protests, Fishlegs suddenly yanked up on his hand. He held the bucket down with his foot while Hiccup came flying up out of it with a small unmanly shriek. The wooden bucket fell forward under the weight of the boot still planted on it as Hiccup stumbled forward on his feet, just barely catching himself with help from Fishlegs' hard grip. He then let him go.

"Whoa! That was…well…" Hiccup breathed out a laugh as he faced Fishlegs with a relieved smile. "Thanks!"

"Don't mention it," Fishlegs shrugged, averting his eyes awkwardly.

"No, really, I appreciate–"

"It was nothing, so, seriously, just stop, okay?" Fishlegs interrupted him. Without waiting for a response, he scurried back over to where he was before: standing to attention behind Master Grimborn.

Viggo eyed Hiccup up and down with a condescendingly raised eyebrow, making Hiccup want to shrink into himself. "Did you seriously think you could learn how to use all of these weapons in a single night? You're much too weak to handle anything more than a dagger, and could maybe move up to learning how to use a shield in a few months, but these?" He gestured around to the scattered weapons. "Would take years of daily practice to master."

Viggo bent over and scooped an ax up off the ground. It was in his hand for a mere second before he flung it up and back into the air without looking. Hiccup watched, open-mouthed, as–seemingly by instinct–Astrid orchestrated a tuck-and-roll, jumped back up onto her feet, then caught the flying weapon's handle with ease, twirling it once in her hand.

"That…was…amazing!" Hiccup called out to the open air, all previous tenseness seemingly forgotten in his moment of awe. His feet bounced slightly in excitement as his grin widened. "You have to teach me that!"

Astrid simply rolled her eyes with an unamused scoff. Viggo, meanwhile, allowed a smirk to cross his face. "Let's begin, then," he announced.

A little while later revealed Hiccup, in his version of a ready stance–which consisted of two fists raised and feet spread apart as if he were about to run forward–standing across from Ruffnut.

"You ready?" the blonde girl asked him with a sly smile of her own.

Hiccup grinned back at her. "Let's do this," he said.

Ruffnut suddenly sprinted forward with lightning fast reflexes until she was directly in front of Hiccup's face. Before he could react, she grabbed one of his fists with one hand and his left side with the other. She then pushed against his side, flinging his body around with apparent ease while allowing her arm that was connected to Hiccup's to fly up over his head like she was twirling him in a dance. Then a small hand crashed onto his opposite shoulder from behind, and she pulled backwards. Unable to catch himself in time, Hiccup crashed onto his back with a hollow grunt.

"Ow…" he moaned breathlessly.

"Never tell me you're ready until you actually are," Ruffnut informed him. She stepped casually back to the group.

"That was so awesome!" Hiccup panted out enthusiastically. "Who's next?"

With a slight annoyed frown, Viggo called out the next name.

One by one, Hiccup battled the members of the Dragon's Five. Snotlout reveled in his brute strength, forcing Hiccup onto his back in a matter of seconds just as Ruffnut had. Fishlegs was next, much more easy-going with his tactics, but successful all the same. Then came Tuffnut, who grinned almost evilly when Hiccup fell to the ground with yet another "oof!"

Sprawled out on his back and sporting the minor beginnings of bruises all over his body, Hiccup stared up at Viggo with a deep set determination in his emerald eyes. He flung himself up onto his unsteady feet, then saluted the man before him.

Viggo studied the boy with narrowed eyes for a moment, then nodded slowly. "I've been going too easy on you, I see, but that ends now. Your next opponent will be me," he said.

A smile appeared on Hiccup's face. "Bring it on, Master!" The gleam in his eyes shone with a new kind of excitement at the prospect of fighting the man he had idolized for years. He didn't notice most of the Dragon's Five glancing at each other with slight anxiety.

Viggo, hands behind his back in a professional manner, stepped forward into the battle space. His relaxed stance remained as he watched Hiccup without giving any emotion away. "You may attack," he permitted as if he were telling Hiccup it was his turn in a game of chess.

Hiccup took a single step back in shock. Eyebrows shooting up, he opened his mouth to speak. Before a single word could leave his lips, however, Viggo was in front of him, even quicker than Ruffnut had been. Without a moment's pause, the man had Hiccup on his front with his arm pinned behind his back before the boy could even blink once.

"Hesitation is the key to defeat. When you hesitate, your opponent has ample opportunity to attack first and kill you," Viggo told him as if he were a schoolteacher giving a simple lecture in class.

"Yes, sir!" Hiccup coughed from his position on his stomach. He sounded winded, but even so, Viggo could still hear the determination in his voice like a fly that wouldn't stop buzzing in his ear.

With a hidden growl, he yanked the boy up by his pinned arm, then immediately flung him onto his back. Viggo crouched above him, holding his wrist up far away from his body while pinning his chest down with the other hand, until the boy's shoulder strained with the stretch.

"You have to use your enemy's strengths against him. Find them and exploit them until he has nothing left," Viggo continued his lecture. He twisted Hiccup's arm just enough to earn a gasp from the boy, but not enough to dislocate his shoulder. "You have to use every tactic you can to force him to quit."

"You don't…need to worry…about me, Master," Hiccup gasped through the pain, his teeth clenched and his eyes squeezed shut. "I will…NEVER QUIT!"

With a snarl, Viggo wrapped the hand that was pinning Hiccup's chest down around the boy's shoulder, pulled him upwards a fraction, then slammed him back down again. Unexpecting the sudden blow, Hiccup's head connected harshly with the stone ground, knocking him out instantly.

A beat passed.

Viggo remained crouched over Hiccup's motionless body for a few moments, breathing heavily through clenched teeth. Then, realizing what he had done, his face relaxed into being expressionless once more. He stood up, dusted himself off, then turned to the Dragon's Five. They all stood gaping at the scene. Even Astrid was staring at him with wide eyes.

"Get him patched up," Viggo demanded. Then he stepped around them and walked out of the arena, never looking back.

A/N: ...

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Well. This was a long time coming, huh? *laughs nervously*

Seriously, though, you guys...I am SO SORRY! Especially to a few certain people who have been asking when this would finally show up (you know who you are). I am SO SO SO SO SO SO SORRY!

But hey! It's here! I have been having a hard time staying in the HTTYD fandom ever since it died down after the end of the (good) franchise, so that's mainly why it took so long. (I've been gettin' into Anime lately instead...hehe.)

I decided to write out a bit of a longer chapter here than I normally would because you guys deserve much better from me and I don't deserve any of you.

Thank you to all of you who have stuck around...if there are any of you left, that is. I wouldn't blame you if you abandoned this just like I said I wouldn't do. And, hey, I have kept my word sort of, and I do still plan on finishing this, no matter how long it takes! I don't lie about that stuff.

Anyway, you guys deserve the world, and I'll see you in the next chapter! I didn't edit this very well, so please let me know if you see any mistakes, and I'll get to fixing them! I hope you enjoyed this part, and I will probably get the next one out there sooner than last time!

Again, thank you all! Much love and I hope you all are well! 3