To not let fears get the best of you. That idea stayed with Hiccup throughout the night. On Berk, he was nearly afraid of interacting with those his age. They were bigger, more athletic–more like Vikings than himself. He would just be mocked for being around them and it had happened plenty of times in the past. Still, Hiccup wondered if Oswald's words could help. Sometimes, he would intentionally avoid going to the Great Hall when he knew Snotlout would be there. Was that not letting fear control him? Fishlegs seemed nice, if a little more on the meek side than the others. Despite that, Hiccup hardly spent time with him either since he was worried other Berkians would just be reminded of how much larger he should have grown. The boy was glancing over weapon sketches he and Oswald had done as he considered this.

"Maybe I could try to see if he wants to be friends when I get back." As soon as the thought entered his head, it was replaced with a less certain one. "He probably wouldn't. The others would just pick on him if he was seen hanging out with me."

A knock on the door drew Hiccup's attention and he exited the room. Oswald was outside of it with a troubled expression.

"What's wrong?" the heir asked.

"Someone committed an act of thievery last night. I'll have to go to our prison to deal with that. I don't want you to be around the Vikings there, so…"

"I could stay here while you go," Hiccup offered, not particularly wanting to be in a prison any more than the chief wanted him to be.

Oswald made a face. "But that sounds so dull. I'd hate to have you cooped up all day, but I'm also not sure how long it'll take and having you out in the tribe might not be for the best." Suddenly, the chief's eyes lit up. "Herald's got kids around your age. I'll ask if his wife wouldn't mind you being there with them until I can return."

Automatically, Hiccup felt unsure, but he thought of his earlier ponderings and nodded.

"I'm fine with that."

"Great! Then, that's what we'll do."

Oswald began leading the way to the general's home. A tall woman answered the door, then smiled at the chief.

"Hello, Ingrid," the leader greeted, "I'll be spending some of the day in our prison. Until I'm back, could Hiccup stay here?"

"That would be fine," she stated, looking at the boy. "Do you like burly cakes?"

"I do," Hiccup told her, smiling softly.

"Wonderful. I'm making some for snacks later." Ingrid turned behind her. "Lefa, Wayde."

Quickly, two smaller Berserkers joined their mother by the door. When they saw the Berkian, they waved excitedly. Hiccup waved back, a little shocked that they seemed so eager to see him.

"If anything goes wrong, please let me know," he requested.

"Will do, Chief," Ingrid assured him.

"Have fun," Oswald said, patting Hiccup's back.

The boy said goodbye as the man went off to deal with his chiefly matters. Hiccup went further into the hut, already smelling the delicious scent of the cakes.

"What's it like on Berk?" Lefa asked. "I heard a lot of dragons go there."

"They do."

Hiccup paused, trying to consider the best way to respond. Admit that the dragons were a problem to him and he risked turning away the Vikings. Say that he enjoyed fighting them and start whatever new relationship this could be with a lie.

"That sounds scary," Wayde stated, shuddering. "I'm glad we don't have dragons coming here."

His sister nodded. "I don't really know why the chief enjoys being around them so much on his travels."

"We found a Silkspanner that was aggressive, but we also saw some Terrible Terrors on a new island," Hiccup stated. "They were nicer than I thought they'd be."

"Really?" the siblings asked, eyes wide.

"Yeah, they even let us pet them."

"Aw," Lefa said, grinning. "That sounds kinda cute."

"It actually was," Hiccup admitted. "Have you seen what they look like?"

"No, we have some information about them in books, but there aren't any pictures," Wayde informed him.

"Then, do you have anything I could draw on? It might not look just like them, but I think I remember them pretty well."

The other kids nodded and hurried off to their room. Ingrid smiled as they returned and watched the visitor recreating the little dragons.

"You're a good drawer," Wayde complimented.

Hiccup grinned. "Thanks. I like sketching a lot for new things I make."

"Oh yeah! Dad was telling us that you and the chief were in the forge. I think it would be cool to be a blacksmith," Lefa said.

"Well…if it's okay with your parents, maybe I could show you how to make something."

The siblings' eyes lit up and they called into the kitchen.

"Mom! Can we make weapons with the chief and Hiccup?"

"I don't see why not," Ingrid stated. "The chief would make sure you three stayed safe."

This put a happy smile on the younger Vikings' faces.

"It'll be fun!" Lefa exclaimed, clapping her hands. "Then, we could test out the weapons together afterwards."

Hiccup felt himself becoming a little pale. Before he could say anything, Wayde nodded and began talking.

"Yeah! We just got some new maces for our birthday a couple months back. Come on, we'll show you."

Each sibling took a hand and began leading Hiccup out of the hut. Before he knew it, the three of them were in front of a pile of weapons. Two sparkly maces stood out from the bunch. Wayde picked up his and swung it, causing a whooshing sound. When he was done, he flipped it around and pointed the handle towards Hiccup.

"Want to give it a try?"

Worried about what they would say otherwise, Hiccup accepted the weapon. Immediately, the weight pulled him forward. The head of the mace hit the ground and Hiccup winced.

"Sorry!" he said quickly.

Wayde shrugged. "You're fine. They're strong enough to win fights. Something like this isn't going to mess it up."

The Berkian felt grateful that the larger boy was not upset. He tried to lift the weapon back up, but it would not budge. His face became warm.

"The two of us could test them instead," Lefa offered.

Hiccup nodded and moved so that Wayde could put the weapon back over with the others. He and his sister had curious expressions on their faces.

"I wonder why you couldn't lift it," he commented.

A deeper blush covered Hiccup's face. "If you find out why I'm like this, let me know."

"I mean, I don't think it's bad or anything," the Berserker clarified. "I'm just not used to it. Maces can be pretty heavy, though."

"Good point," Leva agreed. "You might be more of a sword guy."

Hiccup regarded them in surprise. It did not seem like they were making fun of him for being unable to do a simple task expected of most Vikings. Maybe they were just pitying him.

"I guess it's more fun doing this with Dagur," he mumbled.

The siblings shook their heads.

"He's scary," Lefa said. "We don't hang out with him."

"We'd hang out with you again, though. Think you'd want to even if the chief wasn't busy?"

Hiccup almost thought he misheard them, but he recovered and nodded. "Y-yeah! I'd love to come back to hang out."

"Maybe you can help Lefa draw better. She's awful."

The girl playfully shoved her brother who began laughing. Hiccup started chuckling with them. It was strange. Being around them seemed simple. He did not even have to do anything special. The siblings showed him a few more of their favorite weapons, hearing about the times he had made them with Gobber. When they went inside, the smell of burly cakes was even stronger. Ingrid set out plates for them which the kids happily ate. A few minutes after they finished, there was a knock on the door. The mother went to answer, inviting Oswald inside. He smiled when he saw the kids putting up the newly washed plates.

"Seems like I arrived just too late to enjoy those with you," he joked.

Ingrid smiled. "We have plenty if you'd like any."

"I'm alright really, but thank you." He lowered his voice slightly. "How'd it go?"

"Very well," Ingrid told him, turning to the kids. "I think there's a chance of them becoming friends."

Oswald grinned. "I love to hear that. Thanks again for watching him."

"It was my pleasure. He wasn't difficult at all," the other Berserker said. "I didn't hear a single scream or have to stop Lefa and Wayde from crying."

After Ingrid said this, Oswald's smile faded. The mother's eyes widened and she realized what she had said.

"What I meant to say was…"

She trailed off, not really knowing how to salvage that. Oswald just lifted his hand.

"I understand. That's why I've never asked you to watch him again." He raised his voice slightly. "Hiccup, are you ready to go?"

The Berkian had been talking more with the others, but he stopped when he heard the chief.

"I'm ready." He smiled at the pair. "Thanks for wanting to hang out again."

"No problem!"

"See you next time, Hiccup."

With a wave, the boy went with Oswald back to his hut. The man saw the grin on his face which had not left.

"It seems like it went well," he remarked.

"It did," Hiccup admitted, shocked. "They didn't even care about me being so small."

"Because that shouldn't matter. Whether a Viking is the size of a Monstrous Nightmare or a pebble, that's hardly what counts."

The heir's smile began to falter. "It counts a lot on Berk."

Oswald glanced at him, seeing the unhappy expression appearing on his face. "Children can be cruel," he said sympathetically. "They can find insecurities and weaponize them."

Hiccup nodded solemnly. "I thought being more athletic would get the others to like me, but I'm not getting any better at fights."

"You shouldn't have to change for them."

"I won't have any friends otherwise. Not back home anyway. I guess I could try to act like I want to attack dragons, then they might like me."

"You certainly could, but I'd ask you to consider this: if you have to become someone else to befriend other Vikings, are they really your friends or the friends of that new person you've created?"

Hiccup became quiet. He had not thought of that before. Still, the idea of ridding himself of loneliness occasionally seemed worth it.

"I do want some friends, though," he quietly stated.

"And you'll have them in due time," Oswald assured him. "Have a bit of faith in yourself. Friendships aren't formed immediately and they aren't formed with everyone. Once you find the right Vikings for you, you'll also find your friends. I'm sure they'll be worth the wait."

Hiccup was not entirely sure if he could agree yet, but he admitted to himself that he enjoyed the idea of his friends being around the corner for him–just waiting to be found. It was far superior to the thought of them not existing at all. Since it was not too late, he and the chief began heading to the blacksmith shop. For the time being, Hiccup would find joy in activities like that. Then, maybe one day, he would find joy in being with the other Berkians. These Vikings had spent the same day free of dragons. They were not sure if it was because of the failure of the reptiles' attack or if they simply chose another location. Either way, there was peace on the island. It was nearly becoming boring. Dagur kept waiting for a new dragon to attack.

"I wonder if we'll go to Dragon Island," he thought. "We could test out the Dragon Root even more and then use what we came up with for the dragons that come here."

Dagur was in his room, slashing the air with the ax he had used against the dragons. It was early morning, so he did this while he waited for the chief to get up. The Berserker had always been an early riser and wanted some extra time with the weapon anyway,

"I hope I'll get to keep this," he thought. "Dad probably said not to give me one."

A sound caught the redhead's attention and he peeked out the door, strategically keeping the ax pressed against the wall. If Stoick did not see it, he might forget to mention it being returned.

"Good morning," Dagur said, trying to be inconspicuous.

It nearly worked and would have on another Viking, but Stoick noticed a mischievous twinkle in the boy's eyes.

"Why is that there?" the man wondered, then he remembered. "I never asked for the ax back. Oswald did warn against that, but nothing went wrong." Aloud, he asked, "Do you still have that ax?"

Dagur's grin fell and he nodded.

"Good. Was hoping it hadn't been lost. Well, Gobber makes so many that you could probably use that."

The Berserker's face lit up again. "I can?"

Stoick began to smile as well. "I can't have you fighting flocks of dragons with nothing more than some knives. That would be irresponsible of me. So, while you're here at least, consider it yours."

"Thanks!"

An excited laugh came from the boy and he left the room, bringing the weapon with him. He got into step with the chief as they exited the hut.

"What's on the plan for today?" he asked. "More questions?"

Stoick shook his head. "Not this time. We'll need to go over the crops that get planted for the season. Have you ever worked with crops?"

"I've stabbed some weeds. I'm really good at killing the roots. That's about it."

The pair began heading to the farmers' land, but they noticed that they were not alone. Someone was attempting to hide behind some huts and watch. Dagur's grip on the ax tightened. Stoick saw the slight movement as he prepared to toss. Quickly, he put a hand on the boy's shoulder to stop him.

"I don't think Snotlout poses much of a threat," the man said.

"I know he doesn't. I wasn't going to kill him," Dagur told him. "Throwing this right above his head would make him stop following us around."

"What if you miss?"

"But I never miss," Dagur stated, almost confused by the suggestion of another possibility.

"Really? That's impres–" Stoick had to stop himself. "I really should be focusing on the fact that he was about to throw an ax at someone," he thought. "Snotlout might just want to spend time with you."

"Why would he want to do that?"

"Well, he seems to look up to you."

"Uh, you mean literally, right, because he's shorter?"

Stoick chuckled. "True, but I think he also does it because he wants to be like you."

Dagur blinked in surprise. So, that was what the chief had meant after all. No one ever wanted to be like him. Quite the contrary normally.

"I'm not a role model," he said. "He should try to be like someone else."

"Sometimes, being a chief is also being someone who others can admire."

Stoick glanced off in the younger boy's direction. Snotlout tried to duck to avoid being seen, making Dagur's eyebrow raise.

"He's not very stealthy," he commented.

"Far from," the chief agreed. "Maybe you could help him."

"I…guess," Dagur said unsurely.

"Then, I'll meet up with you at the Great Hall later today."

The Berserker nodded and Stoick kept going on his way towards the farmlands. Dagur stayed where he was for a moment. Who in their right mind would admire him? No one did back home. Dagur was not even sure how to be someone people could admire. He went over to the hut Snotlout had crouched behind and poked his head around the corner.

"We saw you as soon as you started following us," he said.

Snotlout's mouth curved down. "Oh, I thought I was doing a good job."

"No, you really weren't."

This made the Berkian look more discouraged.

"You might not be a lost cause, though. I'm stealthy. I could probably help you out."

Snotlout's jaw dropped. "Wait, you are going to help me with something?"

"That's what I said, isn't it?" Dagur questioned suspiciously.

"Yeah, I just didn't expect it."

"Fair enough. I didn't plan on doing this today either, but maybe it'll be fun."

The Berserker looked at the blacksmith shop. He began to have a devious smile on his face.

"Let's go to Gobber's shop. We'll steal some steel." He chuckled at the wording and stopped when he noticed Snotlout's worried face. "What's wrong? We're not really stealing. We'll put it back. I just want to see if we can go without being noticed."

"Gobber would see us, though. He's one of the best fighters."

"He's normally fighting dragons. We're way less noticeable…well, I am anyway. You'll be after our training."

After another moment, the dark-haired boy nodded. "Okay, let's try it."

"Then, follow me, Snotlip."

Dagur blended in with the crowd of Berkians as he walked. Snotlout tried to stay close behind. They began getting closer, but Dagur stopped, making Snotlout bump into him.

"Why'd we stop?"

"Because there's about to be someone talking with Gobber. See? The one with the bucket on his head. He's getting a sword."

"Do we wait until he leaves? He might see us and make Gobber notice too," Snotlout realized.

Dagur shook his head, grinning. "This'll just make going now even more of a challenge. Could also make it easier. There are two sets of eyes that could be on us, but Gobber's focus will be split too. Let's go. Follow my lead."

Snotlout nodded and continued walking alongside the Berserker. Dagur paid attention to every step and where his boots landed. No twig was allowed to be crunched and no puddle would be stepped in to create a trail that could be led back to him. Snotlout literally followed in his footsteps so that he would not leave any clues either. When they were right next to the shop, Dagur held a finger to his lips and stopped. The boys were perfectly hidden by one of the beams which held up the building.

"It's a good blade," they heard Gobber say.

"Mulch said he wanted a new one for his birthday," Bucket commented, looking at the weapon. "I'm going to surprise him. He wants one with a wider handle than last time."

Gobber turned to grab a weapon and this was when Dagur moved. He left the hiding place to quickly snag a mallet. Seeing that he had it, Snotlout almost started to run back the way they had gone. Dagur caught his shoulder and shook his head.

"You'll draw attention that way," he said. "Act natural."

Dagur went ahead of him, walking confidently as though he had done nothing wrong. Snotlout went to his side to do the same. Once they were far enough away from Gobber to prevent him from hearing them, the dark-haired boy grinned.

"I can't believe we just did that! I never can get away with anything around Gobber."

"It's all about paying attention and waiting for the right moment. I hate waiting," Dagur admitted, "but you have to do that when you're doing stuff like this." The boy swung the weapon once, then he looked at Snotlout. "Do you want to put it back?"

The Berkian puffed up happily. "Yeah! I can do that! Just watch."

Dagur handed Snotlout the weapon and the other Viking repeated what they had done the first time. The redhead had to admit to himself that he was a quick learner at least. When Gobber began talking with Mulch (since Bucket ended up ruining the surprise by going to get him), Snotlout was able to put the mallet back and return to Dagur. He looked proud of himself and Dagur felt a little proud too.

"Aren't I a great student?" Snotlout asked, beaming. "You're also a great teacher."

The Berserker smiled at the compliment. "I've never taught anyone something before. It was fun."

A curious expression crossed Snotlout's face. "But I bet you can't take something from a Viking without them noticing when they're looking at you."

Dagur put on a challenging grin. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"I bet I can. I'll prove it right now. Have a knife on you?"

Snotlout nodded.

"Hand that over and something else."

The Berkian gave Dagur a knife and his helmet. After looking at them for several seconds, the taller boy began juggling. Then, he held out his hands. Snotlout lifted an eyebrow at him as he reclaimed the items.

"You're just giving them back?"

Dagur laughed and shook his head. "Not exactly, Snothat. I've still got your knife."

"But I have it right…"

Snotlout stopped when he looked at the weapon. It was not his. The blade was sharper. Looking back up, the boy saw Dagur holding his knife and realized he also had taken the helmet back.

"How'd you do that?"

Dagur grinned broadly as he handed back the helmet and traded knives so that Snotlout had his again.

"I've always had fast hands. I can give someone a hug and take something from them without them even noticing."

The Berkian stared wide-eyed. "Cool! When did you start that?"

Shrugging, the redhead said, "I don't really know. It's just something I started doing when I'd get bored."

"Think you could show me how to do that?"

"You picked up on this pretty quickly. I could show you how to do the rest."

"Thanks!" Snotlout heard his name called and sighed. "I have to help Mom with dinner now, but this was fun. See you tomorrow!"

Dagur watched the other Viking hurry back home. That did not go as badly as he had expected. The Berserker began following where he had seen Stoick go. He stopped when he saw the chief coming his way.

"It took less time than I thought it would," he explained. "How did it go with Snotlout?"

"Not too badly. We took a mallet from Gobber without him noticing. It's back with the others now, so he shouldn't miss it."

Stoick chuckled. "I'll have to let him know that he's becoming less observant."

"Well, you don't notice me when I'm being stealthy either," Dagur thought.

They started walking deeper in the village as a question popped into Stoick's mind.

"Do you normally do those types of challenges with your friends back home?"

"I don't have any friends back home."

The boy's tone was calm as he said this. He was not necessarily saddened by the fact. It was just the way things were. He was creative enough to think of ways to occupy his time that did not require other people. Still, Stoick noticed a bit of anger on his face.

"Maybe they're like Snotlout was today and want to be your friend, but they're not bold enough to say it outright."

"No, they're not shy." Dagur frowned as he thought, "They've definitely made it clear that they don't want to be around me, but I don't need them."

"I'm sure there's someone who you could spend time with."

"I don't want to," the boy said, starting to frown at the chief as well.

There was something in his frown which seemed sadder than his voice had. Stoick wondered if he should press or not. Then, he considered when he sensed a similar unhappiness in the heir.

"Sometimes, what Vikings think are weaknesses can be turned into strengths to use against enemies," he stated.

Dagur's expression became curious. "What do you mean?"

"Like my temper for instance. I was nearly called 'Stoick the Vindictive.' I could have let it turn me into a tyrant who mistreated the other Berkians, but I've decided to use my anger to send fear into the hearts of opposing tribes."

The Berserker thought over his words. Maybe his mind was not the weakness everyone told him it was. If he could prove that it would not hurt his Vikings, they might like him more. Or at least avoid him less. He could become a revered chief. Even though he did not want to be feared by the Berserkers, it was starting to seem like that would be the only way to get them to respect him. Late that night, Stoick left the hut to walk around the island. He saw the forge still lit and approached Gobber.

"Notice anything vanish today?" Stoick asked, eyes twinkling.

"No, can't say that I did," Gobber answered, looking around at the weapons. "What happened?"

"Dagur and Snotlout took a mallet. They put it back afterwards."

Gobber's eyes widened. "I didn't even see them. I always hear Snotlout when he's up to something." The blacksmith started to chuckle. "Dagur will create an Armada of pickpockets. I guess it's fine if they're putting everything back." He paused, a thoughtful look crossing his face. "I'll admit this has been going better than I thought it would, but…"

When Gobber's eyes moved to the forge, Stoick knew where his mind had gone. His own thoughts had traveled to the same place.

"I know. I don't want to end anything too quickly for it to be as useful as it could have been," the chief admitted. "That said, I feel the same. I'm going to send a letter to Oswald to see what we can do."

Gobber gave a morose nod of his head and his friend returned home. Stoick took out a scroll and sighed before writing.

To Chief Oswald,

The experiment is going well here on Berk. I don't think ending it now would be for the best, but Hiccup has been on my mind a lot. The island feels different without him here. There's an emptiness. I propose that we test what we've done by trading back next week. If it goes well, then this can be considered a success. If not, then we can continue going to see which areas we need to work on. To improve our chances, I think you and I should meet up first to discuss what we've learned about our sons. I hope to hear back soon.

Your friend,

Stoick the Vast