Chapter 2: Different
Later, Stoick gathered the Vikings in the Great Hall. They were all circled around a table under a statue of a Dragon impaled by a sword. "Either we finish them or they'll finish us! It's the only way we'll be rid of them! If we find the nest and destroy it, the Dragons will leave. They'll find another home!" He explained, grabbing a dagger and stabbing the top left corner of his map, where all the Dragons supposedly keep their nest. "One more search before the ice sets in." He said. "Those ships never come back." One of the Vikings said. "We're Vikings. It's an occupational hazard. Now who's with me?!" Stoick asked. The Vikings felt unsure and hesitant. "Alright. Those who stay will look after Hiccup and Hicca." Stoick said. Everyone immediately raised their hands at that. "Now that's more like it." Stoick said.
"Right. I'll pack my undies." Gobber said as the Vikings started leaving. "No, I need you to stay and train some new recruits." Stoick said as he walked up to his old friend. "Oh, perfect. And, while I'm busy, Hiccup and Hicca can cover the stall. Molten steel, razor-sharp blades, lots of time to themselves. What could possibly go wrong?" Gobber asked with sarcasm. "What am I going to do with them, Gobber?" Stoick asked with a sigh. "Put them in training with the others." Gobber said. "No, I'm serious." Stoick said. "So am I." Gobber argued. "They'd be killed before you let the first Dragon out of its cage." Stoick said. "Oh, you don't know that." Gobber argued. "I do actually." Stoick argued. "No, you don't." Gobber argued. "No, actually, I do." Stoick argued. "No, you don't!" Gobber snapped.
"Listen, you know what they're like. From the time they could crawl, they've been…different." Stoick explained as Gobber took a sip of mead from his goblet attachment. But he choked and coughed out his metal tooth. "They don't listen. They have the attention span of a sparrow. I take them fishing and they go hunting for…for trolls!" Stoick exclaimed. "Trolls exist. They steal your socks. But only the left ones. What's with that?" Gobber asked. "When I was a boy…" Stoick started. "Oh, here we go." Gobber muttered as he tried to get his tooth out, having heard this story before. "…my father told me to bang my head against a rock and I did it. I thought it was crazy, but I didn't question him. And you know what happened?" Stoick asked as Gobber got his tooth out. "You got a headache." Gobber muttered, putting his tooth back in place. "That rock split in 2. It taught me what a Viking could do, Gobber. He could crush mountains, level forests, tame seas! Even as a boy, I knew what I was, what I had to become. Hiccup is not that boy. And neither is Hicca." Stoick explained.
"You're right, Stoick. They're just motherless children trying to get your attention as their father. Believe me. My boys and girls were the same with me before they started hanging around Hiccup and Hicca. You can't stop them, Stoick. You can only prepare them." Gobber said. Stoick stared at him. "I know it seems hopeless, but the truth is, you won't always be around to protect them. They're going to get out there again. They're probably out there now, along with my children right by their sides, probably looking for that Fury they claim to have shot down this morning." Gobber explained. Stoick carefully thought about this, knowing that Gobber was right.
How was that? While Hiccup, Hicca and the quadruplets are out looking for the Fury, Stoick and the entire tribe make plans to sail out to eliminate the Dragons on their home nest. But Stoick instructs Gobber to stay and train some new recruits. And they even talk about how different Hiccup and Hicca are. Especially how they can only prepare them, if not stop them. But will Stoick agree to put his twins through training? Will Hiccup, Hicca and the quadruplets find the Fury? Leave a review if you'd like.