I own nothing!
A/N: I changed the dragons that the heirs have, at least for two of them. I just haven't updated it on my characters sheet.
The chiefs were finally done with the chief meetings and had allowed their heirs to try and win over Hiccup's test for them. Instead, they spent that time trying to figure out how to get the key and watching the others fail. Hiccup had used her free time to pack away her things. Ruffnut stuck by her side when she was packing away her things in the forge.
"So what do you think is going to happen with this room?"
"It'll probably go to whoever decides to apprentice under Gobber."
"Who do you think is going to replace you?"
"I don't know. They still believe that Jaime needs to learn chiefing if anything were to happen to Ram. It may go to either Herald or Ragnor or Gobber just won't have an apprentice for a bit which would not bode well for the tribe if something were to happen to Gobber."
"I still can't believe you're leaving. I feel like I'm just starting to get to know the real you."
"Ruffnut, you'll be seeing me in about two months."
"Yeah but still." Hiccup shoots her a look. The room looked bare as the bed was empty along with the walls and desk. That was when Hiccup pulled out her key and turned the lock before she also pressed in a series of mechanisms before the drawer opened.
"How'd you even design something like that?"
"It took a lot of trial and error. I needed something that couldn't just be destroyed but also had a mechanism like this so it would be tamper-proof."
Hiccup packs away the top layer which was just drawings. She then opens up a bottom layer with a different key and presses in a few latches before she can open it to the second compartment. "That was even cooler than the first time! Are those all of the gifts that Dagur sent you? Ooh! You even kept all of the letters he sent you! Can I read them?" Ruffnut was already reaching for them but Hiccup yanks them away from her.
"They are letters that Dagur sent me and no you can't read them. They're private and you wouldn't be able to decipher the codes written in them anyway. There are plenty of parts written in Norse but we came up with a special code that way if someone else intercepted them they wouldn't know the true meaning. We also didn't sign our letters just to be on the safe side."
"That's lame. What kind of code did you use? Tuff and I actually studied some to freak the others out! We created our own language! It was awesome! We don't use it so much anymore, at least not unless we're speaking sensitive information."
"We used a mashup of codes. I'm surprised you and Tuff actually studied something."
"Well it wasn't so much as study as it was we read something before we did some more digging and created our own thing." Hiccup nods before she finishes putting her last item in the basket she had brought. The basket was just over half full with her belongings. "Those are all of the things you own?" Ruffnut is in disbelief as she stares at the items.
"I wasn't given much very often and if I was it was scraps. The only decent gift I've ever gotten from Gobber or my father was charcoal and my sketchbooks. Occasionally I was given fabric but for the most part I got village left overs. Gothi gave me a few herb books. Dagur is really the only one who has ever given me anything that I can consider nice."
"How come you haven't used that fabric, it looks really nice."
"I was afraid that if I took it out Kara or one of my half siblings would find it and either take it for themselves or destroy it. It was better that they didn't know about it."
"Are you going to use it now that you're leaving with Dagur?"
Hiccup nods again, "I know I'll be able to get two shirts out of it, maybe three. Whatever scrap fabric I have I'll probably use for patching."
"You're a chief's wife now! You shouldn't have to patch!"
"Just because I'll actually have money to use however I please doesn't mean I should. Many things just need a small patch job from a burn or a cut."
"You're different Hiccup. I guarantee no one else thinks the way you do."
Hiccup just nods along and closes the basket before she slings it on her back. The two exit the forge where Tuffnut immediately grabs his sister's attention. Hiccup waved goodbye before she met up with Toothless. The two then made their way to Gothi's hut.
...
Toothless stayed outside of the hut while Hiccup went inside. Kara was still laid in the bed meant for sick patients. Gothi was absent from the hut. Hiccup went to the corner that was reserved for her and began to pack away the handful of items. When she's done with that she goes over to Gothi's herb cabinet and looks through her stock. It was just as she expected, they were purposefully inducing her coma, even with Kara's confirmation from the other night she had to check for herself.
"Why?"
"Why what, Kara?"
"Why did you have to survive, after everything you've been through? You should be dead! He should still be worshipping the ground I walk on but now you're his first priority when you've always been his last."
"I have a few guesses, the first being that the dose wasn't strong enough. The second being the fact that I've always had something to live for and while I don't like to think about it I get my stubbornness from my father. That seems to be the one thing I inherited from him."
Kara turns on her side facing away from Hiccup, towards the door. This time her voice is soft and has a sense of hopelessness. "My children are even starting to doubt. Ram and Jaime would rather learn to fly dragons than stay with me. Your father hates me, he's hated me ever since you were found in the state you were. How does he go from hating you to loving you yet he can barely tolerate me?!"
"Love can be your greatest strength but it's also someone's greatest weakness. He was in love with my mother and when she was carried off, he lost his greatest love which made it easier for the tribe to persuade him into a new marriage. He's never had time to properly mourn her, he's always had a great duty to this tribe before anything as trivial as emotions in his eyes. Even if my father has never loved you he certainly cared for you, he had a soft side for you even if he has never admitted it. You on the other hand have always seen him as your free pass to do whatever it is you please. Spitelout has always used you to manipulate Stoick and you've always used that as your advantage. Maybe if you had shown your care in return you both would have learned to love one another."
Kara sneers, "You have always had that smart brain! You've always been different and you've managed to tame the wild boy and a dragon simply by being you! No one hates you for the fact that you have a dragon! They all want to exploit that fact by getting you to train them dragons rather than viewing you as the traitor you truly are!"
Hiccup sighs, speaking softly, "You're not wrong. They do want the power of learning how to train their own dragons. However people can change, vikings can change! They all have the ability to! Even you do Kara." Hiccup says softer this time. "Even you have the ability to change Kara. You still have a chance to live the life you've always wanted. You and my father both could live a happy life together if you'd turn your hearts to each other instead of away."
Kara lets out a growl. "You've always been nothing more than a runt and now they all practically worship you! You may be a chief's wife but you're nothing more than the runt you've always been. A title doesn't change that!"
Hiccup remains calm. "Just because your father hurt you and Spitelout doesn't mean that you can use those same words to hurt others. Some just simply aren't affected by them. I've endured years of abuse and torture from you and the tribe but I knew there would be an end. I'll be off of this island by the end of the week. I'm willing to forgive you but you have to change your ways! You cannot act like the entitled brat you've been! Your father hurt you but he also doted on his darling daughter! The choice is yours Kara! You can change and be accepted back into everyone's good graces or you stay exactly as you are and watch as this tribe abandons you and moves on with their lives. Right now you're still a chief's wife! Do you want that to stay the same or change?"
"It doesn't matter if I change or not! I'll still be treated lower than you! Stoick probably already has a divorce in the works and I'll become the village pariah!
"You'll never know for sure unless you change. Maybe you're right, or maybe I am."
With those last resounding words Hiccup leaves the hut and Toothless grumbles.
"Oh come on you big baby. Let's get back to the ship."
...
On the way back to the ship they pass the training arena and the heirs are all in the heirs are all in the arena. They had finally decided upon the group approach instead of the solo one. Their parents were nowhere to be seen either from the looks of it.
Hiccup watch as they each begin to feed the dragon closest to them and about half of them are able to grab the key from their respective dragons' necks. For the ones that aren't able to they get a nudge from their dragon for more fish and after a few tries are able to win over their dragons.
That was when she looked at all the dragons each heir went for or rather what dragon had chosen them. Tantrum, Camicazi, and Neil all had Deadly Nadders, the three of them would match nicely with their respective dragons as they would be in for a challenge. Victor and Ake both had Gronkles which was a testament to their personalities. Both boys were tough on the outside but would be able to be tamed if someone would only show them a kind hand. The rest had Monstrous Nightmares. Each dragon would present its own challenges as every rider and dragon combo would be different. Some things may work with one pair but not the other.
"We should go down and congratulate them, Bud. They've finally completed the first step."
Toothless, rather than letting her continue to walk makes her wait a bit longer. The two stand there and watch. That was when the first move was made. Tantrum's Nadder bowed her head enough to let her get on its back. The two watch and the others in the arena watch the two expectantly. After a while, the others let their person onto their backs/ necks. Maddock's Nightmare is the last to cave.
Hiccup was amazed but also excited. They would be making history but not just that, they'd all be making lifelong bonds. While Hiccup was distracted she didn't notice the person sneaking up on her. Toothless did but simply rolled his eyes.
Dagur came up behind his wife and wrapped her in his arms. Hiccup jumps slightly as she hadn't noticed Dagur and shoots Toothless a look.
"Are you done dealing with all the preparations?" Hiccup asks him.
"I am. Is this all your stuff?" Dagur asks and Hiccup nods. "They should have treated you better."
Hiccup turns in Dagur's arms and his smile drops at her serious look. "Kara had a lot to say when I went to Gothi's. Also, my assumption was correct, while Kara may have wanted me gone Gothi was prolonging the effects. It's why I was out for so long."
Dagur's grip on her loosens and Hiccup knows what he wants to do but she grabs him before he can leave. "They need to pay."
"This isn't the way, death will just cause more problems."
"They tried to take you away from me!" Dagur yells.
"They failed and all you'll do is prolong our stay here," Hiccup is pleading with him and he sighs before he wraps her tightly in his arms, tighter than he was before.
"They tried to take you away from me and yet you still defend them."
"I think it was mostly Kara's doing. I don't know how she did it or even why she didn't do a more lethal dose or what happened those last few days that she didn't give me a dose and I was able to wake up."
"Do you still think everyone can change?" Dagur asks releasing his hold on her slightly.
She looks directly into his eyes and sighs. "I still think she can change. I also think that her and my father can have a relationship but they both have to make sacrifices and both have to be willing to try and have that relationship."
"You're too good for all of them. None of them deserve your kindness or compassion." Dagur leans his forehead against hers. The two enjoyed a moment of silence until it was ruined by the chaos occurring in the arena. Hiccup jumped out of Dagur's arms and onto Toothless' back and the two rushed into the arena. Dagur following on foot.
Toothless had seen the drama go down and so he immediately breaks up the fighting dragons. They are all still very interested in attacking but with the help of Dagur, he opens up the cages and Toothless and Hiccup usher each dragon into their own pen. The heirs had either gotten tossed off in the chaos or had chosen to jump off to avoid injury.
Once the dragons were all put away Hiccup went to ask them what had happened when the fighting started back up.
"This is all your fault!" Ake accuses Maddock.
"My fault?! I had just gotten on my dragon's back when you decided to try flying around and you barrelled into everyone because you couldn't control your own dragon!"
"What were you trying to prove? That you could be the first one to fly?" Tantrum demands.
"I'm sorry that I couldn't be perfect like you, 'miss-first- one-on-the-back-of-her-dragon'!"
"Care to do the honors, Bud?" Hiccup asks patting Toothless on his head. Toothless fires a blast up into teh air but that just causes them to argue more and so Toothless fires at their feet, effectively silencing them. "Are you done? Who cares how fast you advance and excel! Look at the amazing progress you all just made! Rather than trying to one-up the others why don't you focus on the progress that you can make by yourselves!"
They all begin to yell at Hiccup and she simply shakes her head as Dagur approaches Hiccup. "Still think that they can change?"
Hiccup looks at Dagur before getting off of Toothless' back. "Yes, I do. Look at the progress they just made! By themselves! If they were more focused on themselves and their dragons they wouldn't be worried about advancing faster than the others!"
The heirs are silent after hearing her. "You actually believe in us? This isn't just some half-baked thing that you came up with! You actually wanted to test us because you believed in us and not as some obligation?" Camicazi asks disbelieving.
Hiccup turns towards them. "Yes, I do. Look at what you just did! You did that by yourselves! Maybe next time try practicing flying when you're not in such close quarters. The reason your dragons acted the way they did wasn't just for their own sakes either so take care in how you treat each other. The constant bickering will have to lessen significantly unless you want your dragons to constantly be at each other's throats."
Dagur wraps his arm around her waist before whispering in her ear. "Can we go now? I have plans for you." Hiccup blushes at his statement and turns slightly towards him.
"Not now Dagur," Hiccup mutters to him.
"They stopped fighting and you told them how proud of them you are. What more needs to be said?"
Hiccup shoots Dagur a look and he puts his hands up showing his surrender. The conversation continues for a bit before Hiccup's exhaustion begins showing and Dagur ushers her away so she can rest.
TBC...
