This is a rewrite of my old story HTTYD with one more person!. Hopefully Torny is more her own character now instead of taking over Astrid role. As always, I hope you all enjoy.
Living in a world where Vikings killed the dragons that attacked them almost every night, Torny Ingerman was no stranger to fear.
The first time she had felt real fear was the first time she saw a dragon up close. It had been big and angry, covered in flames and crashing through the roof of her home. She was cowering under parents bed, hardly breathing and praying to the gods that it would all be over soon. The dragons eyes locked on hers and she felt it deep in her soul. She was going to die.
The furious scream of her mother broke through and snapped Torny out of whatever trance she had been in. The monster roared and gave chase. Torny took the opportunity to run as fast as her little legs could take her out of the house. She didn't dare look back until she collided into the legs of her uncle, who scooped her up. All at once she began to wail, all the fear that had built up finally escaping her body through her tears.
Since then, her parents seemed to notice how she would steer clear of the fireplace in their home and avoid the bonfire in the great hall. They noticed how she would not let them out of her sight, insisting that she could join her mother when she went to Gobber's blacksmith to repair weapons or follow her father as he went to tend to the sheep. They noticed her fear of the night, when she would burst into tears at every little noise, even when there wasn't a raid.
Maybe that's why it was so shocking to them when she came home one day from her cousin's house with two new faces in tow. "This is Ruff and Tuff," she announced, "and they are my best friends."
Out of all of the young children in the village, the twins were not the ones that her parents thought she would get along with best. But maybe it was their differences that helped them get along so well; they balanced each other out. The twins were loud, always getting in trouble and generally trying to make the villagers' lives more miserable. Torny was quiet, nothing more than their little shadow, tagging along with wide eyes.
It took much coaxing from the twins and several years before Torny began to join their antics. It started when she came home one night covered in feathers and yak hair, exclaiming with a proud smile that this time it was her idea. Her parents, although they were warned by many well-meaning neighbors that it was a bad idea, didn't really have the heart to tell her to stop. It had been a long time since they saw their daughter smile. They figured that the twins were good for her.
One night they got a visit from Gothi, the village Elder. The poor woman was covered in something green and sticky and was wildly waving her staff around while gesturing to a sheepish-looking Torny standing in front of them. Once they got her to calm down and properly explain, they found out that Torny and the twins had snuck into her hut and created some kind of concoction from the various strange things that Gothi kept up in her hut. Despite being mad, Gothi explained that she was quite proud of Torny. Several items in her hut, when mixed wrong, would've resulted in either a horrible explosion or a toxic gas. But it was Torny who knew what to combine without putting anyone in any excessive danger.
By the end of the visit it was decided. Torny would become Gothi's apprentice and would be taught how to heal the village. She wouldn't start until the summer, when ingredients and herbs were more in abundance to make it easier to learn. Torny was thrilled, if only for the fact that she would now have unrestricted access to the old woman's shop. She couldn't wait to begin!
Until summer came.
Two days before her apprenticeship was to become official there was a raid. Her mother gave her a kiss on her forehead as she grabbed her hammer. Her father told her to get to the back of the house, into the safe room, as he pushed open the door. There was a wall of heat and light. Her mother shoved Torny behind her. Torny couldn't close her eyes.
When her aunt finally found her she had been unconscious, buried under the rubble of her house for hours. She was taken to Gothi, who treated her burns and diagnosed her with a mild concussion. Her parents were less fortunate.
The funeral wasn't a large event. Her parents had been rather private people and had kept to themselves, mostly. Her aunts and uncles and cousins were there, along with Gothi and Gobber and a few other people. The twins were there, but they were making sure to steer clear of her. To be fair, Torny didn't think she would be able to talk to them without crying again anyways. Taking a deep breath she recited the age-old words and lit her arrow, her trembling fingers threatening to release it early. The arrow still struck true.
She moved in with her aunt and uncle and cousin Fishlegs. Their other kids had already moved out, leaving enough room for Torny to stay. Stoick still allowed Gothi to take her as an apprentice the following day under the condition that her aunt and uncle agreed. They did, and Torny didn't have any complaints. If anything she was honored to be following the last request of her parents.
It was during this time that she met Hiccup. She had known of him of course, who in Berk didn't know of the Chief's disappointing son? But she had never actually spoken to him. The only times she had interacted with him was when the twins would be playing a prank on him and she would join in. He had been apprenticing with Gobber about a year before she had begun her apprenticeship with Gothi. Gobber and Gothi seemed to be friends with each other, and about once a week he would bring Hiccup and his yak-noodle soup with him to Gothi's for a chat.
Hiccup seemed unsure of what to say to her and Torny found it hard to look at him, feeling guilty for the things she had done to him. A few weeks into these rather silent meetings Hiccup gave his condolences to her about her parents, and Torny apologized for the rather horrible pranks that she had played on him. After that, the mood lightened, and Torny knew that somehow she had gained a new friend.
The twins eventually came crashing back into her life the same as ever. Torny had been trying to remember the cold medicine that Gothi had taught her that morning when the twins had come crashing through the ceiling, fighting with each other the whole way down. Torny had yelled at them a bit, smacking them both on the back of the head, and it was like they had never stopped talking with her to begin with.
The next few years continued in very much the same way. Torny would spend her days wreaking havoc with the twins and taking her lessons with Gothi, making sure to stop by the blacksmith's to say hi to Hiccup. The days were peaceful. The nights were spent either listening to Fishlegs rattle of all his random dragon facts and baking with her aunt or in Gothi's hut, smothering the fear in her chest and hoping that no one would be seriously hurt in the raid.
She had not been expecting the question that Gothi had asked her that morning.
"Dragon Training…" Torny trailed off. Her eyebrows shot up and she eyed her mentor skeptically. "I think you must've smudged something Gothi, could you repeat that?"
The old woman had glared and shook her head. I definitely read that right. "Gothi, I don't think that's a good idea," Torny began. "I'm your apprentice. I don't think I need to know-"
A sharp smack of Gothi's staff made her shut her mouth. The Elder proceeded to explain that even though she didn't look it she was a great dragon slayer thank you very much and that all young Vikings should go through the training to gain important skills, but Torny had stopped listening. She spent the rest of her day in a daze, trying to process all of her conflicting emotions. Anger, sorrow, bitterness, excitement, hope. Fear.
It wasn't late that night that she made her decision, staring out the window of her room. Dragon Training was the most essential piece of her culture and her parents would've been disappointed if she refused to participate in this. She would do it, she would face her fears and face her parent's killer. She could do it this time.
Determination sparkling in her eyes, Torny turned to head to bed when she felt goosebumps cover her entire body. Eyes wide, she dropped to the floor, and as she did a blast of fire from a Gronckle exploded where she had been standing.
Swallowing, Torny crawled out of her room and bolted for the door, Fishlegs close behind her. Everywhere she looked something was burning. Her breathing picked up, and her limbs felt like they had been turned to metal.
"Come on, Torny!" Fishlegs called, snapping her out of whatever moment she had been trapped in. The two of them ran for the plaza, dodging random Vikings and flying weapons as they went. Torny stumbled over a forgotten ax and was about to go after Fishlegs when something ran into her and knocked her to the ground. Well, it was more like someone.
"Torny, why did you stop running!?" The boy on top of her yelled, scrambling to his feet and yanking her to hers as well.
"I didn't!" Torny protested as Tuffnut dragged her along. "I tripped! You should watch where you're going!"
"I was watching!" he shouted back. "You were the one who decided to get in the way!"
Knowing it was useless to argue, Torny settled for rolling her eyes and letting the scrawny teen drag her by the arm all the way to the plaza. Once he released her she started across to the other side, waving as she went. "Tell Ruffnut we should meet up later!"
It didn't take long for the sight and sound of the fighting to quiet around her. The raid must not be a big one this time, she thought, slowing her pace and trying to slow her racing heart.
Gothi met her at the bottom of her hut with a basket filled with medical supplies. Torny took it from her with a nod and turned back to return to the fighting.
She let out a squeak as Gothi hooked her shirt on her staff and looked at her expectantly. Torny was confused for a moment; in the dark it was hard to read her mentor's facial expressions.
Another light whack to the head reminded her of Gothi's statement that morning. "Yes," she nodded frantically as the assault continued. "Yes, I will join Dragon Training!"
Torny could make out a smile on the old woman's face as she tapped her gently this time.
"I won't let you down," she croaked, swiping an arm across her watering eyes. Gothi nodded again and gave Torny a light shove toward the fighting. With one last teary nod, Torny took off running.
The first injured Viking she came across had a pretty nasty cut up his arm, but it wasn't fatal. A quick application of Gothi's healing poultice and a sturdy wrap of bandage was all it took for the man to get back on his feet.
"Thank you, Torny," he grinned, ruffling her hair. "Now keep out of trouble, you hear?"
Torny nodded and watched him pick up his ax again and join the fight. Heading off again but keeping to the outskirts of the fighting, Torny stopped to help all those that she found.
After wrapping up a sprained ankle, Torny reached into her basket only to find the bottom of it. Grimacing, Torny turned to make her way back to Gothi's hut only to hear the unmistakable sound of squeaking wheels. She looked for the source of the sound only to find the last person she expected. "Hiccup?"
"Torny!" he exclaimed as he came to an abrupt halt. "What are you doing out here?"
"Uh, my job," she replied, eyeing him suspiciously. "What are you doing out here?"
His eyes brightened. "I think I've finally come up with something to help me kill a dragon!"
"Will it actually work this time?"
"I know it will!" he nodded enthusiastically. "I adjusted a few of the releases that hold the bola so that they keep it taut until the moment I pull the trigger. This should help it fly farther and once it hits the dragon there will be no escape for it!"
"That's great, Hiccup, but are you sure it's going to work this time?" Torny asked, furrowing her eyebrows. "You remember what happened last time."
"I'll prove it!" he insisted. "Come on, I'll show you!" And off he went.
Torny hesitated for a moment, making sure there was no one else around before taking off after him. By the time she caught up Hiccup had set up his bola contraption and was eagerly watching the dark skies.
"C'mon, gimme something to shoot at, gimme something to shoot at," he whispered.
Something shrieked in the darkness and Torny jumped, shrinking closer to Hiccup. "Hiccup, we shouldn't be out here," she hissed. "We should go!"
He didn't respond and continued to watch the sky. I should just go, she thought, and she was about to when the scream of a Night Fury pierced the air. Torny cowered behind Hiccup as the dragon destroyed the tower in front of them and Hiccup took his shot.
The force from the bola sent him flying back into Torny and knocked them both to the ground. Hiccup scrambled to his feet to see if he could find the dragon while Torny laid there in a daze. "I hit it..." he said in disbelief. "I hit it!"
As Hiccup began celebrating his success, a pair of eyes started to creep toward them in the dark. Chills rushed down Torny's spine as she locked eyes with it. "H-Hiccup…" she whispered.
The boy turned just as a Monstrous Nightmare crushed his bola launcher. They two made eye contact for only a few seconds before the dragon reared back to attack the two young Vikings.
"Torny, RUN!" Hiccup shouted, dragging her to her feet.
Torny felt like her heart was going to explode out her chest. Her limbs were shaking and could barely move out of the way in time when the horrible dragon tried to catch them in its jaws. It shot fire at them a few times and Hiccup dragged her out of the way each time. Shoving her behind a torch pole, Hiccup scrambled to hide there with her just as it burst into flames.
The heat grazed her skin and Torny couldn't breath. All she could see was her mother's back as she was pushed behind her when the dragon burst into their home. Tears welled in her eyes as she scrunched them shut, waiting for the end to come.
The shout of another Viking charging into the fight caught her attention. She cracked her eyes open and saw Hiccup looking at her with concerned expression on his face. "Torny? Torny, are you okay?"
She shook her head slightly and tried to take a shaky step towards the boy. He instantly offered his hand to help her, which she took gratefully. "Where…" she croaked. "What… what happened?"
"My dad showed up," Hiccup grimaced. As he spoke the pole that the two had been hiding behind collapsed, revealing a very angry Stoick the Vast. Hiccup watched the torch crashing through the village while Torny kept her eyes of her feet.
"Sorry, Dad."
"Sorry Stoick."
The bleating of sheep and the beating of dragon's wings were the only sounds that filled the rather awkward silence that followed until Hiccup spoke again. "Okay, but I hit a Night Fury."
As soon as he said that, Stoick grabbed him by the back of his shirt and dragged him off, Hiccup trying to defend himself the whole time. Torny shuffled her feet anxiously and wondered if she should follow them.
A sharp thwack echoed around the area as Gothi appeared on the scene. Torny turned, rubbing her head, her eyes wide and shiny. The old woman flailed about as she yelled at Torny about how reckless she was, how she should learn to think before she acts, how she knows better than this, until Torny managed to speak. "It was a Nightmare."
Gothi stopped and looked at the girl. She was trying really hard not to cry, but despite her best efforts there were still tears dripping down her face. Her hands were balled into fists at her sides and her entire body was trembling. "It was a Monstrous Nightmare."
Gothi grabbed the girl's hands and tried to console her, but to her surprise Torny didn't break down sobbing this time. Instead there was an angry fire that was burning in her eyes.
"I'm going to do it, Gothi," she mumbled. "I'm going to go to Dragon Training, and I am never going to be afraid of them again."
I hope you all enjoyed this new and improved chapter. Until next time!