Chapter 2: Let Her Learn

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"Sorry dad..." Hiccup mumbled, avoiding her father's hard gaze. The only noise interrupting them was thudding footsteps and the fire crackling about them, alerting her that they had an audience now. But audience didn't matter to her father, that was never the issue. She was.

And he took no mercy in reprimanding her. "Sorry's not cutting it, Hiccup." He rumbled, making the girl wish the ground would just swallow her already.

"I- I understand, dad, but..." Hiccup scratched the back of her neck, trying to look up. "...I did manage to..." She trailed again, feeling courage wither away when she felt all the angry glares. The whole revelation of her catch would only make this worse ... and she really didn't need that.

"To what? To set us back several months again as we try to store up for winter?" Stoick demanded, gesturing around them. "Hiccup, I need this stop. I cannot keep doing this, girl!"

"I caught a Night Fury dad-"

"I may be your father, but I am also a chief! You need to understand that Astrad and I won't be able to save you all the time."

"But I-"

He interrupted again, making her flinch. "We have other things to be doing in the village and your safety won't always be in priority! I have a village I need to feed and protect, as my daughter, the least you could do is realize that." He barked, the Vikings surrounding him nodded in consent.

"I'm sorry dad," She stated, hesitant, "it's just. We're Vikings, it's in our nature to want to kill a dragon, and it's in my nature. I just see a dragon, and I-I want to kill it. Because I'm a Viking-"

"No."

Hiccup froze, turning to look up at Astrad. He avoided her gaze, but her father answered her for him, "you're a lot of things, Hiccup. But a Viking is not one of them." Stoick sighed and watched as she swallowed. None of the three spoke, and Hiccup didn't bother looking up until the last minute. Her jaded eyes met Stoick's.

Her father always said that her mother believed that the two looked alike more than any other family pair. From the hair, to the skin tone, to the freckles and just a birthmark on their shoulder. He always said that she believed they acted the same, with the same big heart. But now Hiccup couldn't see any two beings more different the two. Him with russet eyes to match his hair, hers of emerald. His body built thick and tough, hers small and fragile.

And what they had in their heart and minds, far different than each other's. Neither understood what the other was trying to show the other in this glance. It wasn't something new. It was always like this...

The large man sighed, and Hiccup returned her gaze to the ground. "Someone get her home, I have her mess to clean."

She didn't have to be a genius to know who accepted the order. The gentle brush of a finger against her sleeved arm was enough to tell her. She didn't linger, turning away as her father did and began trekking back to her house. Astrad was right behind her as they walked, but Hiccup ignored him for her own bitter thoughts. Even when they neared the teens from his fire group.

"Nice performance out there," Tuffnut smirked at their approaching forms. Hiccup scrunched her face, not bothering to look up as Ruffnut snickered beside him.

A punch came to her shoulder making her wince. Sure enough, Hiccup came face to face with Snotlout's cocky grin. "What a way to screw up! Haven't see you do it like that in a while." He laughed.

"Thanks," Hiccup quipped sarcastically, trying to walk around him.

"No really, Hiccup," he intercepted, "that was one of the most- ack!" Hiccup flinched when Astrad had reached over her shoulder and snapped Snotlout's Viking helmet down into his eyes, shoving him to the side. She didn't look up at Astrad, only giving Fishlegs a nod and hastened her pace away from them.

But that didn't keep Astrad from keeping up with her, matching her stride perfectly as he ignored the twins' cackling laughter at Snotlout's blunder. It wasn't until they reached the pathway up to her house that Astrad decided to break the tense silence.

"What are you thinking, now?" He asked, getting a glance from her. Hiccup bit her tongue, glaring at him as she hurried up the path. To her dismay he kept right with her. "Well?"

She shook her head, looking away from him as she took the steps up the porch. "Nothing."

"Hiccup," he murmured, touching her elbow fleetingly.

It was exactly for this reason that she couldn't help but like him.

It took a moment till she sighed and turned to face him. "He never listens to me - or at least never hears me out, never even lets me begin. ...Astrad, I actually caught something, this morning." Hiccup looked up at him, watching as his eyebrow quirked upwards. "But I couldn't even say that because whenever he does listen, he always has that disappointed scowl on his face like when the chef skims the meat on his sandwich." She rolled her eyes, going into weak imitation of her father. "'Excuse me, barmaid, I'm afraid you brought me the wrong offspring! I ordered an extra-large boy with beefy arms, extra guts and glory on the side, with the large reputation to drink! This here? This is a tiny talking fishbone of feminine taste, with a mug of Hel.'" She gestured to herself with a gloomy look.

"Don't you think you take it too far?" Astrad scowled.

She stared at him, hurt. "Are you siding with him?"

"No," Astrad sighed, reaching up to ruffle his hair in frustration, "I mean taking it too far on yourself."

"Oh believe me," she started, angrily fighting an embarrassed blush, "he was wishing for a son to be proud of since I'm such a useless little 'hiccup' that ruins the town."

"I'm sure-"

"Wishing for a son who could say he's a Viking and won't be interrupted with a 'no.'" Astrad's eyes widened a bit. She turned from him to open the door.

Her attempts were foiled again as his hand grabbed hers, pulling her back to look at him. Jaded eyes met icy blue, and for a moment, Hiccup didn't know what to expect. Maybe an apology would've been nice, he was hardly ever one to insult her unless she nearly got him killed - which was quite a few times when he tried to teach her how to use weapons. Maybe an order that would tell her to stop being foolish and accept it, that was more like him.

"Hey, it's not what you look like or what gender you are that matters to Stoick. It's just the you on the inside he can't..." He hesitated, catching sight of the look on her face.

"But I just wanna show him that I can be like you, someone who can make him proud..." She mumbled, forcing her hand from his grip and running through the door.

Astrad's voice carried to her ears before she could close it. "There's just some things that people can't do."

Her lip quivered under her teeth, forcing her to shut the door completely. She wasn't successful in forcing her tears back, letting a few slip through. But her mind was far from controlling herself, settling on one thing only. As her reddened eyes caught sight of her forgotten notebook on the table, she knew what she had to do. Brushing angrily at one of her tears, she walked over, sticking the charcoaled wood into the notebook and stuffing it into her vest.

"I can try."

And she ran through the back door and into the forest behind her house.

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"Either we finish them, or they finish us! It's the only way we'll be rid of them!"

Drag. The image wouldn't leave. The one where she hid behind her arms before the Nightmare. It prickled his blood with something dark, powerful, something protective.

"Sir, we have tried many times to do so but the dragons have never even halted their attacks. We are always set back in our attacks when we come back."

Screech. Her voice wouldn't leave his ears, a tone that had quivered in low disappointment of herself. Where she just admitted her darkest thought and want. Something that tore at him no matter what he tried.

"But we can't not do something. We cannot continue in battle with these beasts. We cannot keep living like this, we need to get rid of them. We cannot keep losing supplies and food because of them."

Drag. The hesitance to close the door when he spoke out to her. He knew she took his consoling words the wrong way. Guilt ate at him-

"We wouldn't struggle with supplies if disaster didn't always strike because of-" A sudden axe lodged its way into the wood of the meeting circle. All eyes turned back to the tables, where Gobber sat and Astrad stood. The man amusedly raised his eyebrow at the boy whose hand twitched and gripped the sharpening rock harder. His eyes were hard.

The shield maiden that had been speaking held a look of shock. He didn't care.

"Continue, Chief." Astrad gestured. Stoick nodded thanks.

"If we find the nest and destroy it, the dragons will leave. They'll find another home, just one more search before the ice sets."

"Stoick, those ships never come back." Spitelout muttered under his hand, glancing around nervously.

The chief licked his lips, standing proud as he addressed the rest of the room. "We're Vikings, it's an occupational hazard. Now who's with me?"

Astrad turned away from a room that quickly fumbled for excuses. Ever since Stoick had him train for his future position of the tribe, meetings were his least favorite. He always hated having to hear this part, and the part that came after. They were difficult, and with an exasperated sigh from Gobber, he knew it was for him as well.

"Alright," Stoick nodded nonchalantly, and for a moment everyone seemed relieved, "those who stay, will look after Hiccup."

Every Viking raised their hand, shouts of encouragement roared from their mouths. Spitelout eagerly clapped his hand on Stoick's shoulder, "I'm with you, brother!"

He watched as the crowd of Vikings dispersed from the meeting circle. Astrad was hardly looking forward to the days when he would have to be a part of them. It wasn't that he hated having to plan out things, he was a tactician actually, and he didn't mind that. But it had been for what they were saying, well suggesting more like. He knew that when Hiccup was out in a dragon raid, it didn't always end prettily, and yes he would get angry with her for it. But even he wanted her around, and didn't shun her like these adults.

"I'll go pack me undies." Gobber said, taking a swig from his mug prosthetic. Astrad snorted, walking over to the circle and dislodging his axe. Frowning, he switched hands, looking down at them with curiosity now. There was blood on his right hand, seeping through the material of his training gloves.

Odd, he didn't remember getting cut. Flesh wound? Flexing his fingers didn't make him feel one. Then- ah. Astrad shook his head lightly, Hiccup had fallen on her hands. Damn.

"No, Gobber." Stoick sighed, coming to their table, "I need you to train new recruits." Right, training. He nearly forgot about that. Every year Stoick would have someone train recruits as he pulled men to crew the ships. This year he was of age to participate in the training.

"Oh sure," nodded the blond sarcastically, "an' while I do tha', Hiccup'll watch the stall. Plenty o' metal an' fire with plenty o' time to herself. Wha' could possibly go wrong?" He gave Astrad a meaningful look when the boy returned.

Stoick slumped onto the bench, "what am I going to do with her, Gobber?"

"Ya can put 'er into trainin' with the others." The suggestion managed a curious look from Astrad. He had been trying to train her since she was ten - nearly five years ago. She hadn't mastered anything correctly, leading him to feel the need to protect her.

Stoick wasn't having it. "I'm serious, Gobber."

"Well, so am I."

"Oh please, she'd be killed before you even let the first dragon from its cage." Stoick sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. Astrad scowled but did not speak up. Stoick hated the suggestion, the idea of Hiccup in danger, even more so than the danger she caused on accident. She couldn't fight to save her life, and he knew that. Did he really think that Astrad didn't value Hiccup? She was much more tolerable than Snotlout, actually.

The other man rolled his eyes, waving it away, "ya don' know tha'."

"Yes I do."

"No ya don'."

"Yes I do."

"No, Stoick," Gobber slammed his hand on the table, "ya don'. Ya know me and the boy," he pointed at Astrad, "won' let it happen."

Stoick growled frustratingly, shooting him a look as he stood. He walked little ways from the table, covering his mouth as he thought of a response.

Gobber, on the other hand, rounded on Astrad. "So ya give me attitude when I joke abou' ya lettin' Hiccup get carried off but ya don' do i' to Stoick when 'e's serious," he waved his mug at Astrad's face, nearly smacking him. "Yar somet'in' else, laddie."

Astrad batted his prosthetic away, crossing his arms again.

"Now, wha's wrong with ya? Yer worse than usual." Gobber pressed, a knowing smirk on his face. The boy shot him an annoyed glance.

Of course he would know. Ever since he had asked for the position, Gobber knew. There were hardly ever moments that Astrad was so irritable and cranky, and when there was, it was because of something he did or thought he did. He couldn't always understand Hiccup, it was difficult to get through to her when he couldn't form the right words for her. And it frustrated him that Gobber knew that Hiccup was his weakness on that level.

Just as Gobber went to tease him again, Stoick sighed deeply, to which Astrad was inwardly grateful for. "When Hiccup was born, do you remember what Valka said?" He asked, continuing without input, "she told me that even if Hiccup was a girl, she was gonna be just like me. But ever since she could crawl, she was ... different. She talked differently, walked differently, thought differently. I take her fishing and she goes looking for trolls and goblins!"

"Oi, trolls exist!" Gobber exclaimed, Astrad had to fight down a smirk. "Steal yer socks, they do. But only the lef' ones. Wha's with tha'?"

Stoick rolled his eyes as he began pacing, "when I was a boy-"

"Oh here we go," Gobber shared a look with Astrad.

"-my father told me to bash my head against a rock. I thought it was crazy, but I didn't question him. And do you know what happened when I did it?"

"Ya go' a headache."

"Concussion?"

"The rock split in two!" Stoick exclaimed, completely ignorant of their answers, "It taught me what a viking could do, Gobber. Taught me that a Viking could crush mountains, levels forests, tame seas! Even as a boy, I knew what I was, what I had to become. And Hiccup ... she's not that child. She's not like me." He sighed, rubbing his face as he sat down again.

"Okay," Gobber nodded, "but ya said i' yerself, Stoick, ya won' always be aroun' to protect 'er. She'll git ou' there again, and Astrad migh' not git there in time - don' look a' me like tha', boy. She may no' be the best of vikings, but give 'er the knowledge tha'll help 'er survive a battle. Valka would'a wanted it." He reached over to rest his hand on Stoick's shoulders. The larger man nodded slowly, his hands dropping with the thought. The Chief of the tribe glanced back at him. The blond man merely shrugged, patting his shoulder encouragingly, "jus' think abou' i'."

Just think about it ... but what that really meant to Stoick was to get comfortable with the idea. Of course, he knew he had to. If he didn't, his only daughter - no matter how odd and troublesome she was - would be defenseless and powerless. He had to face his own words from this morning and he knew it. And even if he had the luxury of 'thinking about it,' he already knew what he would do. For Valka. For himself. For Hiccup most of all. He would have to let her into that ring.

"So laddie, wha' ya do this time? Already in trouble with Hiccup this mornin' I'm guessin'."

"Shut up, Gobber."

"Ah, so ya are! That won' do good for yer future marriage."

"I can knock another tooth right out."

"Well now, ya won' go makin' amends with tha' attitude."

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"Why do the gods hate me?" Hiccup growled as she scribbled all over the crude map and snapped the notebook shut. She stashed it back into her vest then proceeded to trudge away from the lonely thicket. There was no way that dragon could've just up and left, right? Well at least she was hoping it couldn't.

Sighing, the brunette continued deeper into the forest. She was honestly about ready to give up. Hunger, exhaustion, and pain was bringing her down. When the sun had reached mid-morning, she had checked her left leg only to find it turning a nasty shade of purple. Her palms weren't doing any better, covered in a bit of charcoal, dirt, and dry blood from the skid marks. She was absolutely starving and cursing her idiocy for charging out without a snack.

She stepped onto a large rock, reaching for an unusually low branch to jump off with. "Other people lose weapons or their helmets, but me?" Hiccup snorted, pushing off the ground, "I managed to lose an entire drag-whoa!" The branch broke from its tree's remains and dropped her onto the ground below. She would've been fine had the dirt she landed upon not given out and made her slip into a nearby furrow.

"Oof!" The air was knocked right out of her, landing hard on her back. "What the-" Her jaded eyes widened when she saw the tree that she had held on to.

Broken as if something had hit it.

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Next Update? Errrr We'll see how that works out lol