"Son, we need to talk."

Hiccup turned, halfway up the stairs, and walked reluctantly down to stand across the fire from his father. He'd been dreading this moment ever since they'd returned from the fishing trip.

It had been just the two of them, in the river not the bay, a treat on his tenth birthday. His father had been turned away concentrating on his line(1) when Hiccup had seen a flash of blue moving through the trees on the left bank and, thinking it was a véttr(2), he had quietly slipped from the boat to follow it. When Hiccup caught up to it, panting and puffing from the short, but lively chase, he'd discovered to his terror that it was a baby nadder and that, rather than leading him to a vast treasure or a magic sword, it had lead him to a cave in a clearing where a much larger and angrier adult waited. The mother had immediately seen him as a threat and attacked. He managed to evade it for only a half minute before it had him cornered and as he'd steeled himself for fiery demise his father had come charging into the clearing, unarmed, and yelling for Hiccup to run. He'd hidden behind a rock and watched as Stoick had, by a mixture of force and threat, caused the beast to flee into the cave with its young.

"Listen son, I love you more than anything else in this world…" Hiccup's worry jumped immediately, that wasn't a good start. "but you're too inquisitive. You'd have been killed by that nadder if I hadn't arrived when I did. You're a danger to yourself and others so I think the best course is to put you somewhere where you can learn without me worrying whether you're still all in one piece." So, his dad was dumping him on some tradesman or other, probably a baker if the safety concern was any indications. "Gobber's agreed to take you on as an apprentice." Hiccup's heart leapt, he loved Gobber. The two limbed blacksmith was almost as close as his father to him.

Stoick watched his son's face turn from despondent to elated as he told him what he'd arranged. Suddenly his son was sitting upright with a straight back and leaning forward waiting for his next words. "It'll be good for you. You'll start tomorrow morning, though between you and me I shouldn't worry to much about arriving early, Gobber might wake afore midday if you're lucky. Maybe you can finally put some muscle on that scraggy body of yours. Impress a certain blond haired lass? Make her something she won't crush?" And Hiccup flushed with embarrassment.

"Dad!"

Stoick remembered the day he'd seen Hiccup, then eight years old, give Astrid a flower crown he'd woven from myosotis.(3) He'd been organizing a hunting party when he'd seen Hiccup standing nervously outside the Hofferson homestead holding a ring of blue flowers behind his back waiting for Astrid to exit. He hadn't been close enough to hear the two but Astrid had been clearly taken aback, too surprised to refuse the garland Hiccup had pressed into her hands. But as soon as she realized she'd taken them, and what they were, she'd thrown them back at him, crushing the petals, knocked him over, and pronounced, loudly enough for Stoick to hear, that she didn't "want his flowers or his poem." Hiccup had been torn up about it for days and Stoick suspected his teasing at the time hadn't helped either. His son had never tried to show Astrid his affection since, although it was still obvious by how distracted he was when she was close that he still had a crush on her. Which was part of why he had arranged the fishing trip, to make it up to him as well as in celebration of his birthday. And now here he was praying to Odin that his little boy wouldn't lose an arm before the end of his first week with Gobber.

After a brief pause while the boy tried to stop his cheeks going red and Stoick tried to keep his face straight he returned to business. "You'll have to listen to Gobber son, but I'm sure you'll make me proud. And it'll be valuable experience for you, when time comes to choose your weapon and join us on the field of battle."

The blood in Hiccup's face dwindled as his mind came back to his father's words. "Thanks dad, I'll make you proud."

Hiccup felt conflicted about his apprenticeship. He loved Gobber more than any viking except his dad but that was kind doting 'uncle' Gobber who'd laughed with his pa about the good old days and their old adventures. He'd heard a rumour that the only other viking Gobber had ever taken on as an apprentice had only lasted a week before Gobber's disgusting habits, incessant blathering, and demanding training had caused him to quit. Of course, Hiccup wasn't about to let his father down, not after he'd spared Hiccup any kind of punishment for his rash adventure on their fishing trip.

He arrived in front of Gobber's workshop promptly at the third hour(4) and was staring at the apparently vacant forge wondering if he should knock when…

"Well… are you going to come in laddie? I'm not going ta hurt ye, not yet at least."

He blinked to see Gobber standing just inside the entrance, his left arm currently capped with smith's tongs.

"Well that's reassuring." Hiccup said and Gobber chuckled, "What, just going to stand there while you're old uncle Gobber does all the work, eh?! Start the forge going then when it's warmed up put that crude iron inside, sweep the floor, toss the scraps and shavings in with the crude iron, sharpen that axe blade too while you're at it and make sure you hold it right or it'll fly up and take some of your arm or chip and you'll have to make a whole new blade, and I want ye to pass me my hammer." A brief pause followed then… "Well, hop to it lad!"

"But, Gobber, I don't know how to do half of that. Can't you show me how first!?"

"I believe in learning on the job. After I see what you do with those jobs I'll know where you need coaching the most."

The following day was the hardest of Hiccup's life. It seemed like every time he reached for any implement Gobber would yell, "NOT LIKE THAT LAD, you'll lose your arm!" Or "ARE YOU TRYING TO BLUNT THAT EDGE!?" And even when he did something right Gobber'd find something wrong with it and make him do it all over again. By the end of it he was sore all over and he had bruises on his hands and feet from where he'd dropped things on them. Gobber sat next to him on the step of the forge, looked at him fondly and said, "Don't you worry, you'll get another chance." And then after a short pause, "You didn't do everything right lad but you did do everything and that's what counts. It may not look as exciting as your young friends on the fire patrol but blacksmithing's as tough as it gets."

"Gobber, I… look it's just… what's the point of this? While I'm in here the other kids will save sheep, houses, people! All I'll do is heat some metal now and again! I could be learning to fight, to kill dragons. I could be doing more."

"You think you're fathers axe just sharpens itself? Or that fairies bring us new bolas when we run out? Trust me lad, you'll be doing more in here than any one of them ever did out there, even your father can't match the number of dragons that've died to one of old Gobber's blades or the fires the never reached the skin thanks to my shields. It's not glamorous but it makes more difference than killing any dragon ever could, even if you were to take down a night fury."

Despite Gobber's reassurances Hiccup went to bed unhappy. He might do more in the smithy than out of it but what did that matter. If he never killed a dragon it wouldn't matter that he was the chiefs son, or the best smith in the archipelago. His father wouldn't be impressed by a sharp blade and the other kids would never respect him for staying in the safety of the workshop while they killed dragons.

Hiccup awoke the net morning and groaned. His arms ached like hell and his right foot was mostly an ugly purple colour. When he came downstairs he found his father waiting for him with an expectant grin, "Well son, how did it go? Gobber wasn't too tough on you I hope? He told me to send you by as soon as you woke but I reckon we can talk for five minutes. What d'ya say son?"

"Right… Dad." Hiccup wanted to tell his dad he couldn't do it. It was too hard. He wasn't even close to healed from yesterday and Gobber hadn't looked as though he'd lessen the load just for a few bruises and aches but… "No… not too bad. I… ummm… I'd better get going if Gobber wants me…"

"Right then… off you go son. I'll be gone, hunting for… for a while. So… study hard, I'll be back."

Hiccup winced inwardly, this wasn't how it was supposed to go. He was supposed to be making his dad proud, bringing them closer together but Stoick was leaving. Well, he'd use the time, when his father returned he'd find a son to be proud of.

Gobber sighed. He was forty five now, positively ancient for a viking. Besides old Gothi and her husband old wrinkly Egil he was the oldest viking in the village. You didn't get old unless you were good. The bad vikings died in their first few raids and while he couldn't match Stoick these days he'd beaten him solidly back when he'd had all his limbs. He'd watched Hiccup carefully in the forge yesterday, it wouldn't have done to let him get really hurt, and he had to admit he was impressed. At ten years old the boy showed real promise. He'd learned quickly and he was careful enough not to hurt himself when the danger was obvious. Hell, the boy had put a real edge on Spitlout's sword on his first day. Gobber'd tested the blade himself and been surprised when he'd pulled his hand away and found a long thin, clean cut right down the thumb. The boy might be scrawny, and small but if he could learn to smith like that he wouldn't need to kill dragons, the villagers would be all too happy to let him stay safe inside, keeping their blades sharp and the shields intact. Too bad the lad would never go for it. Gobber'd watched him for years now and he knew the signs when he saw them. Hiccup would have killed his first dragon by sixteen or he would never kill any. He'd never be content to live the glamor less lonely life of a master weapon-smith. Gobber had heard the stories from Stoick, Hiccup's escapades into the forest in search of treasure and dragons and he knew that it wasn't just the Haddock blood coming out. Hiccup needed to be like his father. And he really, really wasn't. Gobber sighed a stood up, a familiar fur coat was coming toward him from the village. He couldn't stop the lad from fighting so he figured he'd best prepare him as best he could.

Hiccup could see Gobber stand as he approached the smithy. The old soldier twisted his neck then looked at Hiccup with a grin on his face and said, "Well lad, what'll it be today?"

"What…"

"What d'you want to learn? Hmmm?"

"I…. I don't know… I thought you'd teach me?"

"Oh aye, I will. But I can tell you're already exhausted now before we've even started. You'd probably quit on me if I made you do what I've planned for tomorrow. So, tell me, what do you want to learn?"

"What, you'll teach me anything?"

"Aye, anything at all."

"Ummm… Gobber?"

"Yes lad?"

"Umm… I thought of… a way to make smithing easier."

"That so laddie? What's this grand scheme o'yours then?"

"Well, I was thinking. When you make a sword you have to hammer it again and again and again and again. And each time you hit it your strike has to be consistent or the blade won't be even the whole way down the blade. So what if you built a hammer that would strike the blade for you and all you had to do is bring the blade into the right spot?"

"And how would you do that then lad?"

"You've seen the way tree's bend when the wind hit them. What if you put blades together in a circle on an axle so that the wind would turn them and then you could put a piston on a circle from the axle to hammer for you. Or… Or. it could turn the grinder to sharpen blades. Or maybe even turn another set of blades to heat the forge…?

"And what if you wind stopped lad? Or blew stronger or weaker?"

"Oh… umm…" Hiccup's mind raced, he had to save this idea, it'd been so beautiful when he had dreamt it up. This was his chance to impress Gobber, to show him he could really be his apprentice. Sure, Gobber had said the other day that Hiccup was a good apprentice but he couldn't really mean that. He hadn't been impressed with any of Hiccup's work that first day.

"I… don't know… I hadn't thought of that Gobber."

"Don't worry about it lad, you don't need to be thinking these things up yet. You're not even able to forge a blade yet, plenty of time for improvements later."

There was a pause then Hiccup said, "Teach me to play Maces and Talons.(5)"

The following day was one of the happiest of Hiccup's life. Gobber, it turned out, was an excellent player, far better than Fishlegs, the only kid who'd ever been willing to play Maces and Talons with Hiccup. Hiccup was a talented player but he didn't win a single game against Gobber, whether he played as the Marauders or the Vikings. And, when he went to sleep that night, he didn't even notice how much he still ached from the day before, his mind was too busy playing out strategies for the next time he played against Gobber.

1 Yes vikings did have fishing lines at least by 1000 AD and probably well before, I'm guessing that Hiccup lived at least within 250 years of 1000 AD judging by the quality and complexity of the metalwork from the films though I haven't put in any research & this is obviously based on the films and not the books where Rome is still the biggest power.

2 A wight, a spirit, in both English and Viking cultures.

3 Myosotis Arvensis, the field forget me not

4 I'm assuming that like some cultures the Berkians counted from sunrise, here assumed to be 7 am, to judge the hours of their day so the third hour is 10 am

5 For those who don't know, Maces and Talons is a fictional game introduced in race to the edge. I plan to make it extremely prevalent throughout this early Hiccup fan fiction and will be making a game and set of rules which I'll be happy to share when they're finished if anybody wants them. I expect it will turn out to be a mix of chess and Terry Pratchetts fictional game Thud as well as elements of my own design.

Authors Notes: This is my first fan fiction ever so if you enjoy please let me know, if you didn't let me know that too. I really want to get better at this and that'll be much easier if anybody reading this gives me suggestions. Also if you have any ideas for where you think this story should go let me know. I haven't planned it all out though I do have a vague idea where I want it to end.

This is intended to explain a few things about Hiccups past as well as how his relationships with Gobber and Stoick are defined. If this is well received I will write another in the same universe set after the first film. If that happens the universe will probably expand with the second and third movies not being a part of it.(They are incredible movies but I don't like the direction that Dean Debois took Hiccup and the other characters) I have a vague but very real plan for a story arc to replace RTTE, HTTYD 2, and HTTYD THW in what I hope will be a telling more true to the characters.

If you enjoyed this feel free to share it with anyone you think might be interested to read it. I figure the wider an audience I reach the more input I receive and the more I can improve my writing.

One horizontal line indicated a shift from one characters perspective to another's. Two horizontal lines indicate a shift in either time or scene or both. (#) is a footnote, further information is at the bottom of the chapter.