The sun was just starting to rise over the ocean.
The sky turned a pale, cold blue.
Edward stood by the wooden wall at the edge of the village.
He waited.
He heard footsteps coming up the dirt path.
Hiccup walked up the hill.
He did not look tired this morning.
He looked completely awake.
His eyes were wide.
He breathed heavily, but it was from excitement, not exhaustion.
Hiccup stopped in front of Edward.
He looked around to make sure nobody was listening.
“I hit it,” Hiccup whispered quickly.
“Last night.
During the raid.
I shot down the Night Fury.
It crashed in the woods over Raven Point.
But nobody believes me.
My dad just yelled at me.” Edward looked at Hiccup.
He kept his hands in his pockets.
“I believe you,” Edward said simply.
Hiccup stopped talking.
His mouth hung open.
He stared at Edward in total shock.
“You…
you believe me?” Hiccup asked.
His voice cracked a little.
“I do,” Edward nodded.
Hiccup looked completely confused.
“Why?
Everyone else thinks I am making it up to get attention.
Why do you believe me?” Edward pulled a small apple from his pocket.
He took a bite.
“Hiccup, I have trained you every morning for the last two weeks.
I have watched you fall in the mud and complain about your sore legs.
I know how you act.
And for the time I have known you these last two weeks, I can tell one thing for certain.
You never lie.” Hiccup stared at him.
A massive wave of relief washed over his face.
He actually looked like he might cry, but he held it back.
His shoulders dropped.
He finally had someone on his side.
“Thank you,” Hiccup breathed.
He stepped forward.
“Will you come with me?
To look for it?
I need to find the dragon and bring back the heart to prove it.” “We will go look for it,” Edward agreed.
“Right after we train and eat breakfast.” Hiccup groaned slightly, but he nodded.
“Okay.
Deal.” They started their morning run.
Hiccup actually ran faster today.
The excitement of his catch pushed him forward.
They did their laps, their pushups, and their squats in the wet grass.
When they finished, they went to the Great Hall.
Edward piled a massive plate of fish and eggs in front of Hiccup.
Hiccup ate it all without complaining.
After breakfast, they walked out of the village.
They walked past the wooden houses and stepped into the thick, wild woods.
They walked for a long time.
They pushed through thick bushes and climbed over fallen trees.
Hiccup held a small map in his hands, checking the landmarks.
Edward walked quietly behind him.
Edward already knew exactly where the dragon was.
He memorized the crash site the night before.
But he did not lead the way.
He let Hiccup do the tracking.
They reached the top of a small hill.
Hiccup looked down.
A long, deep trench was carved into the dirt.
Trees were snapped in half.
It looked like a heavy boulder had crashed through the forest.
“Look,” Hiccup whispered, pointing at the broken wood.
They climbed down the hill.
They followed the long dirt trench.
They pushed past a large green bush and stopped.
A massive black dragon lay on the ground.
It was completely wrapped in thick, heavy ropes.
The heavy iron weights from Hiccup’s bola launcher tangled around the roots of a tree, pinning the beast down.
The dragon did not move.
Its eyes were closed.
It looked exhausted.
Hiccup gasped.
He ducked behind a tree.
Edward simply stood in the open, watching the beast.
“It is real,” Hiccup breathed, peeking around the bark.
“I actually did it.” Hiccup stepped out from behind the tree.
He pulled a small, sharp dagger from his belt.
He took a deep breath.
His hands shook.
“I am going to kill it,” Hiccup said.
He tried to make his voice sound deep and brave.
“I am going to kill it, and I am going to prove my worth.
I will finally be a real Viking.” Hiccup looked back at Edward.
He expected Edward to help, or maybe to tell him to be careful.
Edward just leaned his shoulder against a tree trunk.
He pulled a green apple from his pocket and took a casual bite, completely unfazed by the danger.
“I am not stopping you,” Edward said calmly, chewing the apple.
“Go ahead.” Hiccup swallowed hard.
He gripped the dagger tightly.
He took a step forward.
Then another.
He walked up to the black dragon.
He raised the dagger high over his head.
He closed his eyes, preparing to strike.
The dragon suddenly opened its eyes.
Bright, vivid green eyes looked up at Hiccup.
The dragon did not growl.
It did not snap its teeth.
It just breathed heavily.
It looked tired.
It looked trapped.
Hiccup looked into the green eyes.
He froze.
He held the dagger in the air, but his arm refused to move down.
He saw the way the dragon breathed.
He saw the fear and vulnerability in the beast’s eyes.
It looked exactly how Hiccup felt every time Snotlout backed him into a corner.
Hiccup’s arm dropped.
He let out a shaky breath.
“I can’t do it,” Hiccup whispered to himself.
He looked around to see if anyone else was watching.
Only Edward stood there, keeping quiet.
Hiccup knelt down in the dirt.
He reached out with his dagger.
He did not stab the dragon.
He sawed the sharp blade back and forth against the thick ropes.
The thick rope snapped.
The tension released instantly.
The dragon moved.
The Night Fury burst out of the remaining ropes in a blur of black scales.
It lunged forward.
It pinned Hiccup flat against a heavy rock.
The dragon planted its massive paws on Hiccup’s chest.
Hiccup gasped, closing his eyes tightly.
The dragon opened its jaws.
It let out a deafening, echoing roar directly into Hiccup’s face.
The wind from the roar pushed Hiccup’s hair back and covered his face in gross, sticky dragon spit.
The dragon did not bite him.
It closed its mouth.
It turned around, scrambled over the rocks, and tried to fly.
It flapped its wide wings.
It lifted off the ground for a single second, then completely lost its balance.
It crashed heavily through the bushes and tumbled down into a deep, rocky ravine nearby.
The fall sounded incredibly clumsy.
Heavy branches snapped.
A loud, heavy thud echoed from the bottom of the pit, followed immediately by a very annoyed, cat-like grumble.
The forest went quiet.
Hiccup lay on the rock.
He breathed in short, fast gasps.
His face dripped with thick spit.
He slowly opened his eyes.
He was still alive.
Edward walked over.
He casually tossed a clean cloth from his pocket.
It landed on Hiccup’s chest.
“Wipe your face,” Edward said.
He grabbed Hiccup’s arm and pulled him up from the rock.
Hiccup wiped the spit away with the cloth.
He dusted off his vest.
He looked down into the deep ravine.
He saw the black dragon trapped at the bottom of the rocky walls.
“I couldn’t kill it,” Hiccup said quietly, looking down at the dirt.
He felt ashamed.
“I had the dagger right there, and I couldn’t do it.” “It is easy to kill something,” Edward said, standing next to him.
“You just swing a blade.
The difficult part is saving a life.
It takes much more strength to spare an enemy than it does to strike them.” Hiccup looked up at Edward.
“You did a good thing by saving it,” Edward told him gently.
“Although, the dragon cannot fly anymore because of its missing tail fin.” Hiccup blinked.
“What?” Edward pointed down into the ravine.
The dragon tried to climb the steep rock wall.
As it moved, Hiccup looked closely at its tail.
The left side of the tail fin was completely torn away.
Only the right side remained.
Hiccup remembered the heavy ropes wrapping around the dragon in the sky.
“The rope caught the fin,” Hiccup whispered in horror.
“It tore the wing off when it crashed.
I did that.
I am responsible for its injury.” “Yes, you are,” Edward agreed simply.
He did not sugarcoat the truth.
“What are you going to do about it?” Hiccup watched the dragon try to fly again.
It jumped, flapped, and crashed right back into the dirt.
It could not steer without the second tail fin.
It was completely trapped in the ravine.
Hiccup chewed his bottom lip.
His mind started moving fast.
He looked at the dragon’s tail, and then he looked at his own hands.
“I have an idea,” Hiccup said quickly.
“But I need my tools.
I need paper and charcoal for sketching.
We have to go back to the village.” Edward smiled slightly.
“Let’s go.” They walked back through the forest.
Hiccup walked much faster on the way back.
His mind was entirely focused on the problem.
They reached the edge of the village.
The midday sun hung high in the sky.
Stoick the Vast stood right by the entrance.
He held a heavy wooden axe.
He looked very serious.
When he saw Hiccup, he marched over.
“Hiccup,” Stoick rumbled.
Hiccup stopped.
He looked nervous.
“Hi, Dad.” “I have been thinking,” Stoick said loudly.
“You are too weak.
You are a danger to yourself during the raids.
So, I have made a decision.
You are starting Dragon Training today.
Go to the arena.” Hiccup’s eyes widened.
“Dragon Training?
But Dad, I don’t want to fight dragons anymore.
I changed my mind.” “It is not a request,” Stoick said firmly.
He pointed his thick finger toward the heavy stone walls of the arena.
“You need to toughen up.
I am taking the ships today.
We are sailing to find the dragon’s nest, and we will not return until we destroy it.
You will do your training while I am gone.
Go.” Stoick turned and walked away toward the docks.
Hiccup groaned.
He rubbed his face.
“This is terrible timing.” “Just go do the training,” Edward said, giving Hiccup a light push on the shoulder.
“Don’t let them hit you.” Hiccup walked slowly up the dirt path to the arena.
Edward followed behind him.
They walked through the iron gates.
The other teenagers were already there.
Astrid stood in the center, holding her wooden axe.
Snotlout held a heavy club.
Fishlegs held a small shield.
The twins held long spears.
Gobber stood by the heavy iron doors holding the dragons.
“Welcome to training!” Gobber shouted cheerfully.
“Today is about survival.
If you get burned, you fail!” Gobber pulled a heavy lever.
The iron doors ground open.
A Deadly Nadder charged out of the dark cave.
It had bright blue scales and a crown of sharp yellow spikes on its head.
It squawked loudly, snapped its jaws, and ran straight into the middle of the ring.
“A Nadder!” Gobber yelled.
“Keep your shields up!
Watch the tail!” The teenagers scattered.
The Nadder opened its mouth and spat a stream of hot, bright fire.
Snotlout tried to use the moment to impress Astrid.
He flexed his arms while holding a heavy club.
He completely missed the giant Nadder charging right at him.
He screamed at the last second and dove face-first into a muddy puddle to survive.
Tuffnut and Ruffnut stood in the open, arguing loudly over who got to stab the dragon first.
The Nadder whipped its tail.
It shot two sharp yellow spikes that pinned both of their helmets directly to the wooden wall behind them.
They hung there, stuck and yelling at each other.
Fishlegs tripped over his own feet and rolled into the dirt.
Astrid held her ground, raising her axe.
The dragon turned its head.
It saw Hiccup standing near the wall.
The Nadder hissed.
It lowered its head and charged straight at him.
Hiccup froze for a single second.
He remembered all the mornings falling in the mud.
He remembered Edward telling him to watch the shoulders, to watch the muscles tense.
The Nadder snapped its jaws, aiming right for Hiccup’s chest.
Hiccup did not swing his weapon.
He did not block.
He simply shifted his weight to his back foot and pushed hard.
He stepped out of the way.
The dragon’s jaws snapped shut on empty air.
The Nadder looked confused.
It spun around.
It whipped its heavy tail, sending a barrage of sharp yellow spikes flying right at Hiccup.
Hiccup dropped to his knees.
He slid across the dirt.
The spikes flew over his head and stuck deep into the wooden wall behind him.
He popped back up to his feet immediately.
His breathing was fast, but his legs did not shake.
The heavy squats and the endless running had built a solid core.
He wasn’t strong, but he was suddenly very quick.
The other teenagers stared at him.
Snotlout peeked out from the muddy puddle.
His jaw dropped.
“Did Useless just dodge a Nadder?” Astrid narrowed her eyes.
She watched Hiccup move.
He did not trip.
He did not fall over.
He stayed perfectly balanced on his feet, moving away from the fire.
She looked up at the viewing platform and saw Edward leaning against the stone wall, watching Hiccup calmly.
Astrid gripped her axe tighter.
She knew Edward was responsible for this.
Gobber blew a loud horn.
“Alright!
That is enough for today!
Dragons back in the cage!” The Nadder turned around and ran back into the dark cave to get its food.
The heavy iron doors slammed shut.
Hiccup let out a massive breath.
He wiped sweat from his forehead.
He survived.
He didn’t even get singed.
He walked out of the arena.
Edward met him by the gate.
“Not bad,” Edward said.
“My legs are burning,” Hiccup panted, but a small smile touched his face.
“But I actually dodged it.
I saw it coming.” They walked down the path toward the blacksmith shop.
Hiccup went straight inside the forge.
He ran to his work table.
He grabbed a thick piece of charcoal and a large roll of rough parchment paper.
He shoved them into his leather vest.
He walked back out to Edward.
“I am going back to the ravine,” Hiccup said quietly, tapping the paper in his vest.
“I need to see how the tail moves so I can build a replacement.
Will you come with me?” Edward shook his head.
He pointed to the hot fire in the forge.
“No,” Edward said.
“I have work to do at Gobber’s.
I need to hammer some iron.
You go.” Hiccup nodded.
He understood.
This was his project.
This was his responsibility.
“Okay,” Hiccup said.
He looked determined.
“I will see you at dinner.” Hiccup turned around and jogged back toward the woods, moving faster than he ever had before.
Edward watched him go.
The story was moving perfectly on track.
Hiccup was building the tail, and the bond with Toothless was about to begin.
Edward turned around, picked up a heavy iron hammer, and walked into the hot forge to do his own work.