User blog:Invisiblewing/HTTYD Retelling/Fanfiction: Part 9

Thanks yet again if you read any of my previous blog posts. Unfortunately, the content in my blog posts has finally caught up to where I'm at in the Word document. I am not sure on the timeline for posting the rest of this story, but I will try to make sure the delay isn't too bad. Here's part 9 of my version of the movie. Please let me know what you think, or if you have any suggestions for improvement.

_______________

Toothless woke me up, rumbling quietly. He was licking the side of my face. I woke up but couldn’t open my eyes. The tears from last night had sealed them shut. I ripped them open, grunting in pain. I glanced around, finding a blurry Toothless looking at me with those trademarked round eyes. Every time he looked at me that way, I felt more secure about everything. I felt like he really cared about me, felt like he was gonna make sure that I was all right.

“Thanks, bud,” I said blearily. Hugged him again. He murred softly, eyes closed. I listened to Toothless breathing. It sounded like the bellows in the armory. Inhale. Exhale. Pause. Inhale. Exhale. Pause. His rhythm was so relaxing to me. By the time I stood up, I felt better. More ready for today. Most likely, I wouldn’t succeed, but there was that small glimmer of hope that Toothless had given me. Maybe I could make it work today.

“I’ll be back today. I promise,” I said to him, my voice cracking from worry. I stroked the top of his head, listening to him murmur in contentment. Slowly, I made my way back to Berk.

I stopped in the armory and grabbed the breast-hat my father had given me. I was going to at least look the part today, even though there were no tricks up my sleeve. No bright shield. No garlic grass. No fingernails. No eel. Just my mind.

I tried my hardest to look like I was ready, but I just felt like I was going to throw up. I was scared to death, and it was getting worse every step of the way to the arena. It wasn’t because of the dragon per se. It was the idea that I had about what to do with the dragon. But what other choice did I have?

I heard a wild cheer rise from the stone ledges around the arena. At first, I thought it was for me, but then realized the crowd was facing the wrong way. Maybe they had eyes in the back of their heads? Looked closer. My father had stepped out of the great hall, onto the path leading directly into the stadium section of the arena. They were cheering because they were about to see one of the best dragon fighters Berk had ever known.

He waited for the crowd to quiet down. “Well, I can show my face in public again!” Most of the villagers gave a hearty chuckle. “If somebody would have told me that in a few short days, Hiccup would go from being…um, well…Hiccup, to placing first in dragon training, I would’ve tied him to a mast and shipped him off! He would’ve gone mad!” There was a consenting cheer rising from the crowd. I had gotten close enough to the arena to see him put his hands out to quiet them down. “But here we are. And no one is more surprised, or more proud, than I am. Today, we’ll watch my son become a Viking. Today, he becomes ONE OF US!” A raucous cheer erupted from the crowd.

Amidst all the noise, I didn’t want to be here. I was almost to the slope toward the gate at the arena when Astrid grabbed me by the shoulder.

“Hiccup, are you going to look up anytime soon?”

I sighed. “Eventually. As soon as I can get back to Toothless.”

She lifted my chin with a finger and looked me in the eyes. I couldn’t hide the worry on my face that something was going to go wrong today. “You can get to him later. What are you gonna do now?”

“Put an end to all this.” I paused. Took a deep breath, placing my trust in her. I figured she understood at least a little bit what I was going through. “Astrid, if something…goes wrong, just please make sure they don’t find Toothless.”

She met my eyes and said, “I will. Just promise me it won’t go wrong.”

I wasn’t sure if she was trying to bring levity to the situation, but whatever her goal was, it didn’t work. “Astrid, really. Please. You’re the only person I can count on.”

“I will, Hiccup.”

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">The gate opened, and Gobber stepped through. “All right, Hiccup. Are you ready?”

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">I looked at him and nodded. I knew I wasn’t ready, but I had no choice. “I’ll let you know if I’m ready after this is over,” I said flatly.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">Gobber chuckled and said with a grin, “Knock ‘em dead.” He motioned me inside. And closed the gate after I had passed underneath it. It was just me and my thoughts, which were far louder than the crowd would ever become.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">There was one shield and a rack of weapons. I picked up the shield and looked at the weapons, trying to figure out which one would work best. There was a mace. Too dangerous. A double-bladed axe. Too sharp. A knife. Maybe. A wooden club. Puh-leeze. A small hatchet. Probably mine, but I wanted something different. A large hammer. Too heavy. My eyes settled back on the knife. I reached to pick it up, but my hand was shaking so badly that the knife slipped off its mount and clattered to the ground. I slowly bent down to pick it up, when my shield hit the ground, causing my chin to collide with the top edge. I snapped my head back in surprise, sending my helmet tumbling to the ground as well. Some of the audience gave a hearty laugh, like when a small child tries to stage a performance in public, looking “oh-so-cute.” Others murmured, wondering if this oaf in front of them really was the best trainee that Gobber had just recently taught.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">“Please, just get me outta here,” I said under my breath. I grabbed the helmet and put it back on. Bent back down and grabbed the knife without further incident.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">My father was seated on the other side in the stands. I heard him say to Gobber, “I would’ve gone for the hammer.” Gobber nodded in assent.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">I took one last look around the crowd. All of Berk was here. I saw the twins, Snotlout and Fishlegs sitting together. Snotlout and the twins had grins on their faces, ready to see dragon blood. Fishlegs was shaking nervously, about as bad as the time we had faced the Zippleback. The Elder was on the other side, not telling me what she was thinking. Her old age was good at hiding her thoughts. Most of the Vikings were eagerly anticipating my rite of passage. My father was sitting with Gobber, watching intently. I glanced backward, at the gate, where Astrid was standing. She had a slightly worried look on her face, but she nodded, telling me with her expression it was going to be okay. Even though I knew it was probably a lie, it made me feel a little better.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">Two Vikings were staring at me, waiting for a signal. They were just outside of the arena, standing next to a winch. They controlled the lock for the dragon’s door. I turned and faced them full-on. Nodded. “Okay,” I said under my breath. “Let’s do this.” In the back of my mind, I was hoping for a Terrible Terror, but I knew we weren’t that dumb. The Vikings here wanted to see a spectacle. Besides a Night Fury, I figured the dragon was going to be either a Deadly Nadder or a Monstrous Nightmare. Something that was aggressive and didn’t hesitate to use its fire.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">The two Vikings ratcheted up the bole that held the double door shut. The dragon on the other side began clawing and pounding on the door. This was way different than when Gobber had set the Gronckle on us. I could hear a low roar emanate from the pen. I knew it wasn’t a Nadder because it didn’t sound like any dragon we had faced during training. This was way more intense than any other day we had in the arena. Another pound on the door. I could see it shaking from the force of the dragon. And the metal on the outside was starting to glow with a dull reddish color. I sighed, knowing this was probably the one dragon I didn’t want to be around for today.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">“Are you kidding me?” I mumbled under my breath. Any other dragon would have been fine, because I at least knew somewhat how to placate them. But not this one. Today was a guessing game, because Gobber had oh-so-conspicuously “forgotten” to teach us about this dragon.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">The bole passed the upper level of the door and it exploded open, fire coating the entire inside of the pen. And the dragon. This was a Monstrous Nightmare. It roared in anger at me and shot fire in my direction. I jumped to my left, waiting for the right time to start. I heard the crowd gasp in suspense.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">The Nightmare still had its fire jacket going as it climbed onto the chained ceiling, spouting fire out of the arena. Several Vikings had to jump out of the way as the pyroclastic flow passed them. The dragon climbed up to the top of the dome and leered down at me. I looked up, making sure it wasn’t going to attack. Stepped a few feet back to give it room to drop. It roared again and slithered down to the ground.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">I stayed my ground, not really glaring at the dragon, but not giving in either. I had my shield up and dagger ready, just in case. I knew once I committed to my plan, I couldn’t stop. There was no interrupting to tell people what to do. I had to trust that it would work like I had it in my mind. No second chance, no room for error. It had to be perfect. And most importantly, the Vikings here needed to be receptive to one of my ideas.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">The red dragon slithered toward me, using the claws on its wings as a pair of front legs. It was glaring, rumbling menacingly at me. Making sure I knew it was ready to kill. I slowly backed away from the dragon, keeping the distance between us constant. I kept neutral eye contact and held my head slightly above my shield. And I made absolutely sure not to show it my knife.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">“Do it, Hiccup!” someone shouted.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">“Kill it now!” another person shouted.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">No, I thought. The dragon looked like it had gotten over its angry spell enough to start my plan. I held my knife to my side, slightly away from my feet, making sure the dragon saw what I was doing. I had caught its eyes with the weapon, because I could see it react slightly. It looked ready to attack until the knife left my hand. The second it hit the ground, the dragon went back to normal. Just glaring. Waiting. Anticipating.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">I moved my shield away from my body, exposing my front to the dragon. Dropped it as well. The dragon was reacting exceedingly well to what I was doing. It knew what I was after. I just might succeed. Come on, you can do this, I thought.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">“What is he doing?” my father asked. I just kept going.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">The dragon saw my helmet and kept its eyes there. Slowly, I took it off, making sure to keep any quick movements out of the picture. I had to show it I wasn’t a threat, had to let the dragon know it was in control. I dropped my helmet. The dragon let the helmet fall and hit the ground. No problem. It even looked slightly relaxed. Its eyes, normally piercing, had a softer quality to them.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">I heard my father say, “Stop the fight.”

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">I had to hurry my plan along after hearing my father say those words. Something bad was going to happen if I didn’t. I just knew it. I reached my hand out to the dragon. ''I can do this. Just like Toothless.'' The dragon waited for me. I was inches away from its snout. It was sniffing at my hand, making sure I wasn’t a threat. I kept my hand there, feeling the dragon’s breath, waiting for it to decide. Just like I did with Toothless on that magical first evening.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">“I SAID STOP THE FIGHT!” My father jumped up, and that was where it all went wrong. He pounded his hammer against one of the three iron railings, cracking it. The hammer strike made a loud, sharp PANG, which reverberated around the arena several times. I felt it go through my head and chest like a shockwave.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">The dragon’s state of mind snapped. Its eyes went from friendly and calm to enraged. It opened its jaws just enough to snap over my hand, but I had pulled away when I saw its expression change. The dragon lunged for me as I jumped out of the way, now in sheer panic. I had an angry Monstrous Nightmare after me. And I was the only target nearby. No pillar to waste its fire on.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">I screamed at the top of my lungs, trying to get away from the dragon and hide somewhere. It spewed fire at me as I had reached the wall and turned the corner, the fire plastering the wall where I had been maybe half a second ago.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">“HICCUP!” Astrid shouted. She used her axe to wedge the gate open and slithered underneath. Ran over to the weapons rack and grabbed the hammer. Whirled and threw it at the Nightmare. A direct hit to the head. The dragon stopped in its tracks and roared in irritation. She had saved my life by making the dragon focus on her. It charged as she jump-rolled out of the way.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">The dragon saw me again, trying to edge away. Lunged again. I jumped toward the gate as my father lifted it open with one hand and shouted, “HICCUP! ASTRID! THIS WAY!”

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">Astrid dove through the gate without hesitation, but the Nightmare saw me. It plastered the wall in front of me with fire. I immediately stopped in panic. The dragon jumped, knocking me over with its snout. Its foot came down on top of my chest, claws holding me in a makeshift prison on my back. I tried to slide out from underneath its foot, but it started crushing my legs. I saw it leer as it pulled in a breath, ready to melt the skin off my bones with a deluge of lava.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">From out of nowhere came a high-pitched ballistic scream. Somebody reflexively shouted, “NIGHT FURY!” The entire crowd ducked as the railing above the gate exploded. Another explosion just above me knocked the Nightmare back to the wall of the arena, filling the area with haze and smoke. I saw a black figure whip over my head toward the red dragon.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">Toothless jammed the dragon against the arena wall and roared as he jumped back, letting the red dragon lunge. He launched a third fireball at the base of the Nighmare’s neck, causing the dragon to stand up slightly. Toothless leapt forward, turning so that his back was to the ground. As the Nightmare dropped back to the ground, he grabbed its head with all four legs and violently twisted the dragon’s neck, contorting it. The rest of the Nightmare’s body followed in contortion. The red dragon screeched in pain as I heard a few joints pop.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">Toothless scrambled out from underneath the dragon, roaring in anger as he placed himself between me and the Nightmare. The dragon tried again to attack, and Toothless jumped forward with a vicious swipe of his front claws. They connected with the dragon’s face, sending a spray of red Nightmare blood across the arena. The Nightmare reeled from the strike, its head crashing into the wall of the arena. The dragon slowly got up and cowered, now terrified of this angry Night Fury. Toothless roared again, making sure the Nightmare knew he would kill it if it tried attacking again. The Nightmare rushed back into its pen, avoiding eye contact with Toothless the entire time. For a few seconds, I thought it was amazing that Toothless made such short work of the Monstrous Nightmare.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">Toothless turned to me, still angry, but I knew I wasn’t going to suffer like the other dragon did. He was protecting me. As my mind whipped back to the present tense, I shouted, “Toothless! Get out of here! NOW!” I tried to push his head toward the gate, tried to direct him out of the arena before something bad happened. He wouldn’t budge. He saw my father and several other Vikings jump into the arena, thirsty for dragon blood. Each of them had the exact same thought: it would be legendary to kill a Night Fury.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">I got in front of his face and shouted, “No, Toothless! Go!” Toothless roared in anger again. He whirled and blasted a fireball at the ground in front of one Viking, causing him to stop. He wheeled around and saw the most formidable Viking on Berk: my father. Locked eyes with him. Toothless used his tail as a bludgeoning weapon and knocked two Vikings away in quick succession as he lunged around me, aiming for my father.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">“Toothless! Stop!” I shouted, but it was no use. He was already airborne, roaring. My father saw the speed and strength of a Night Fury too late. Toothless shoved him to the ground with his right front leg and rolled once, pinning my father under both feet. The entire sequence lasted less than a second. I saw him draw in a long breath. This was no roar coming. It was a fireball, aimed at my father’s head from point blank range. Toothless’s eyes were wide in rage, and he wouldn’t stop until all the Vikings he deemed a threat were dead.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">“TOOTHLESS! NO!!” I shouted at the top of my lungs. I was running toward him, trying to get in his field of vision before it was too late. His mouth was wide open, ready to deliver the fireball when he stopped, closed his mouth and looked at me in confusion with a soft grunt. He was asking me why I didn’t want his protection.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">I had only one thought when he looked at me. We’re dead.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">Everything happened in an instant. Toothless was too distracted to see four Vikings coming from two sides. One of them was just fast enough to get to him first. The Viking rammed Toothless with his shoulder. I heard the dull thunk made by his helmet crashing into Toothless’s skull. I saw Toothless reeling in pain, unable to move. His eyes were squeezed shut, his mouth wide open. For a brief second, that image froze itself in time. I felt exactly what Toothless was feeling. The crushing pain thrumming throughout his neck, body and tail. The whiplash from an unexpected blow. Time resumed, and the other three got to Toothless a split-second later as my father backed away from him. They tackled him and two more Vikings joined in holding him to the ground. Including Snotlout, who was probably the most excited. Two of the Vikings slammed Toothless’s head on the ground and held it there, while the other four corralled his body. He tried to fight free, but couldn’t do it. Toothless looked at me in desperation, asking for my help, and I couldn’t do a thing about it. I made a promise to my best friend, and then I betrayed him when he needed me most.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">“STOP! LET HIM GO! HE WON’T HURT ANYONE!” I screamed, but it was no use. I ran toward Toothless, hoping I could get to him and protect him, like he had done for me. I took two steps and was jolted to a halt as a Viking wrapped his arm around my chest, holding me back from the one reason I had been living for the past week. I fought, screamed and kicked, all without getting away from the Viking’s arm. I was stuck there, watching them capture Toothless for his execution. I had let the Vikings taste their first drop of dragon blood, and they weren’t going to stop there.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">“This thing has a saddle on it!” Snotlout shouted. “HICCUP’S BEEN KEEPING SECRETS!” He was giddy with excitement. “JUST WAIT ‘TIL I KILL IT RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU! I’M GONNA SPILL ALL OF ITS BLOOD AND SWIM IN IT!” He had a sadistic grin on his face as he directed that comment at me. I was powerless to respond. I couldn’t hide the tears streaming down my face as they dragged Toothless out of the arena for judgment. For execution. For me to watch them spill all of his blood.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">Toothless was being paraded out of the arena when I finally snapped. All of my worry and fear about Toothless turned into anger as what started as a groan in my throat crescendoed into a scream. I brought my heel up into the Viking’s knee, hearing a hollow pop as my foot connected with his kneecap. He shouted in pain, releasing his hold on my chest to tend to his knee. Without thinking or checking to see if he was okay, I took off after Toothless in a desperate effort to get him away from Berk. I had just seen the last half of his tail when my father grabbed my arm and forcibly dragged me into the great hall. Going up the steps while watching my best friend become more distant took an eternity. While he dragged me up the steps, he shouted something about me kicking the Viking, but I paid no attention.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">He threw me through the doors of the great hall, shouting, “WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, HICCUP!?”

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">My mind was moving too quickly to form anything that resembled a coherent argument. “Dad, you have to give me a chance to explain! Please. I shoulda told you about this when you got back…”

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">“WE HAD A DEAL!”

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">“I know, but…Oh, man, it’s all so messed up!”

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">“YOU COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED OUT THERE!”

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">“No, you don’t understand! Please, just be mad at me,” I implored desperately. “Take this out on me. I’m the one who started all this. Just please don’t hurt Toothless.”

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">“That’s what you’re concerned about? The dragon? Not the people you almost killed?”

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">“He’s not dangerous! He was just protecting me!”

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">“So everything in the ring, a trick? A lie?”

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">“I spent the last week taking care of him! I found out they aren’t what we think they are! And I was going to show everyone that, but you had to scare it! Why!?”

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">“THEY’VE KILLED HUNDREDS OF US!”

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">“AND WE’VE KILLED THOUSANDS OF THEM!” I shouted back. “They’re just trying to survive, that’s all! They raid us because they have to! They don’t eat our food during raids, I’ve seen it! If they don’t bring enough food back, they’ll be eaten themselves. There’s something bigger on their island. It’s got control of them like…like…”

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">My father cut me off in realization. “You’ve been to their nest?” he asked in an agitated whisper.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">“Did…did I say nest? I don’t know how we got there. Toothless was flying, and he took us there. Only a dragon can find it.”

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">His eyes brightened almost immediately. He was putting two and two together.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">“No, Dad. Don’t do this. I promise, you have no idea what you’re getting into. This is something you can’t win.” He pushed me out of his way, already heading toward the dragons’ island. “Dad, FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE, WOULD YOU PLEASE LISTEN TO ME!?” I shouted.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">He stopped in the entryway with a hand on the door. Turned around. “You threw your lot in with them. You’re not a Viking. You’re not my son.” He slammed the doors behind him, filling the great hall with an echoing crash. I slumped on the floor, reeling from what he had said. He shouted to the rest of Berk, “READY THE SHIPS!”

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">This was worse than I could have dreamed in ten nightmares. They had taken Toothless away from me. They were going to chain him up and use him as a compass to get to the island. If by some minute chance they succeeded, they’d come back and brutally kill Toothless in front of me as a statement to my futility on Berk. And I’d be a laughingstock for the rest of my life as Berk continued on. If they didn’t win, everyone would be killed. Including Toothless. That gigantic dragon wasn’t going to forget his treason. I’d be left as an empty shell with only a few people on Berk, shunned for life. No matter the outcome, it was all going to be because of something I did. Just like normal.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">The doors to the great hall burst open. It was Astrid. “HICCUP!” she screamed. She was completely out of breath, her voice just as hoarse as mine. “Hiccup, you’ve gotta go out to the docks! Maybe you can get your father to let your dragon go.”

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">I ignored her. Just stared at the ground, letting tears fall.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">“HICCUP, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?” she railed. I didn’t look up. It was no use for her. She stormed back out of the great hall, maybe to try and convince the Vikings that Toothless deserved to live.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">I slowly stood, tears running down my face. Walked out to the docks and saw Toothless shackled to a pallet. There were three thick U-shaped bars holding him in place. Two Vikings secured a large wooden collar hooked to the pallet with chains. They closed it around his neck, keeping Toothless from escaping his prison. He had a muzzle around his nose and mouth, preventing him from launching any fireballs. The two Vikings backed away quickly after trapping him, because Toothless thrashed around, trying to knock the collar off, but couldn’t do it. He slumped in defeat as they winched his cage onto a boat. My father was already there with a stash of weapons. He directed the Vikings lowering Toothless, brining the pallet to a halt on the boat.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">“Lead us home. Devil,” he said menacingly to Toothless. I saw Toothless lower his head as they cast off. It was going to be the last time I would ever see my best friend. I watched through tears as he slowly disappeared over the horizon.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">“Toothless, come back…” I whispered in delirium. All this hit me so fast I couldn’t process it. I couldn’t tell if my father and his crew had just dragon-napped Toothless mere moments ago or if he escaped the arena. For a moment, I knew exactly what it felt like to have dementia.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">“Toothless, please. Come back,” I sobbed. No Night Fury. The surf was crashing against the cliff faces at the docks, but I didn’t hear it. The wind was blowing gently, but I didn’t feel it. I only heard my thoughts and felt the loneliness settle over me like a tight blanket. I stood on the upper level of the docks, looking toward the north. It felt like a dagger had just ripped through my chest. Toothless was really gone.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 0.5in; text-align: center;">_______________

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">There are several adages that are passed around Berk. All of them explain different things. One of them, I didn’t understand until now. I never thought I would, simply because I had been so sheltered and protected by the rest of Berk. But now, I knew exactly what it was saying. When your friends are roasting on a spit, you are the one who feels the fire. I felt everything that happened to Toothless. Like when the first Viking rammed into the side of his head. When he was pinned to the ground. When he was shackled up to be taken away for his “judgment.” And I felt his hopelessness as he disappeared over the horizon. Today, I saw Toothless get demoralized and beaten senseless, yet I was the one who felt the humiliation and pain.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">This didn’t make any sense to me. I chose not to kill Toothless. I brought fish for him every day. I became somebody he could trust, even if it was just for a daily meal. I stayed with him when he was sick, making sure he was gonna be all right. I gave his wings back to him. I gave him unconditional care, love and support. And most of all, I gave him a second chance at life. Everything I did for Toothless, I did it because I thought it was right. Because he needed someone there with him. Because he deserved to live. It didn’t matter to me that he was a dragon. To me, he was my best friend. I devoted my life to him for the past week. So why were Toothless and I the only ones being punished? I sighed, tears running down my face.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">I heard the soft clunk-clunk of footsteps on the wooden slats. They stopped just behind me. I didn’t even look. Didn’t care. “It’s a mess,” Astrid said quietly. “You must feel awful. You lost everything, your tribe, your father, your best friend…”

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">“Thank you, Astrid, for summing that up for me,” I said curtly, cutting her off. I kept my attention toward the north, thinking about my predicament. How I had gotten here. “Why didn’t I kill him in the forest?” I asked the air in front of me. “If I would have killed him, none of this would’ve happened. Life would still be peaceful.”

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">“Yep,” she concurred. “The rest of us would’ve done it. So why didn’t you?” she asked gently.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">“I don’t know.” I said.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">“That’s not an answer.”

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">“I…I couldn’t.”

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">“That’s still not an answer.”

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">I snapped, “Because I was a coward! I was weak!”

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">“Hiccup, you’re not weak,” she said.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">“Do you know what I did after you left the cove last night?” I asked impatiently, turning to face her. She slowly shook her head. “I just hugged Toothless and cried. Because I knew this entire week they were going to take him away from me. I knew the entire time they were going to kill him. And there was nothing in the world I could do about it. How is that not weak?” I wheeled around in disgust, looking again toward the open expanse of ocean.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">“Hiccup, quit being sarcastic! I would’ve done the exact same thing if I were you last night!”

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">“No you wouldn’t. You would have killed him a week ago. You’d never have to deal with the pain you feel when you know the choice you’re about to make is the wrong one. You don’t understand what it feels like when you realize that everything is going to be hopeless after that, but you do it anyway.”

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">“What are you talking about?”

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">“I let Toothless go after I shot him down. I found him later and gave him a new tail. I stayed by his side when he was sick. For a week in my life, he trusted me. He accepted me for who I am. He became my best friend. And now I get to watch him die. Because I wouldn’t kill him.”

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">“You said ‘wouldn’t’ that time,” she pounced.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">I turned to face her again. Threw my hands in the air. “Oh, for the love of…why is this so important to you all of a sudden!?”

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">“Because I want to remember what you say right here, right now. Why wouldn’t you kill him?”

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">“BECAUSE I’M WEAK! THAT’S WHY! THREE HUNDRED YEARS, AND I AM THE FIRST VIKING WHO WOULDN’T KILL A DRAGON!”

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">She paused. Said quietly, “First to ride one though.”

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">My brain stopped. Astrid had a point there. We were the only two people in Berk who really knew about Toothless. And I had learned how to fly on a dragon. On my own. I took a deep breath, faced her and said, “I wouldn’t kill him because he looked just as frightened as I was. I looked at him, and I saw myself.”

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">She edged closer to me, saying quietly, “I bet he’s really frightened now. What are you gonna do about it?”

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">I sighed and looked toward the north, where the ships had disappeared. “I don’t know. Probably something stupid.”

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">“Good, but you’ve already done that,” she said, a smile beginning to play across her lips. Slowly, I turned toward her.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">She was goading me. She was encouraging me to be…well, to be myself. To think like Hiccup would. “Then something crazy,” I said definitively.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">Astrid grinned. “That’s more like it. So what’s your crazy idea?”

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">I tried to manage a small grin, but couldn’t because I was still reeling from what happened to Toothless. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself and said, “I think we’re gonna need the rest of our class. Make sure they each bring a basket with fish to the arena. And get them there quickly.”

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">“Got it!” she called as she ran away.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">I turned to walk toward the arena. Astrid dared me to think of a plan for this, and come hell or high water, I did. This time, though, the idea actually had a remote chance of working. Because other people were in on it, and there was nobody to foul it up like my ex-father did last time.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in">I entered the arena and waited, my thoughts echoing around the walls. Just like Toothless did this morning, Astrid gave me a shard of hope to work with. Logic told me that this was never gonna work, that I would never be able to convince anyone besides me and her about what a dragon was really like. But something in my gut told me that I could do it. The sliver of hope from Astrid.