Hiccup's Point of View
The morning was cold and quiet.
Too quiet.
The kind of quiet that made you pause mid-step and check if your knife was still on your hip.
I bit into the bread in my hand—coated in honey and stuffed with meat. It was barely warm now, but still fresh enough to do the job. I chewed slowly, the taste grounding me, even as the silence made my skin crawl.
Berk was never this silent.
Not in the morning.
No gossip. No hammers. No laughter. No fishmongers yelling about rotten cod.
Just... nothing.
And yet, ahead—just beyond the still houses and empty streets—I could already hear it. The clash of metal. Cheers. Movement.
The arena.
It sounded like the entire village had gathered.
I shifted the half-eaten bread to my left hand and adjusted the strap on my belt. My claws hung there—gleaming and ready. Silent and patient.
Just like me.
I wore a thick cloak today, not because I was cold, but because I didn't feel like being seen. The hood kept my face in shadow. The fabric hid the shape of my torso, the scars, the strength. Let them keep pretending I was still small beneath the fabric.
Let them pretend.
They wouldn't for long.
I took another bite of the bread, stepping over a frozen puddle as I passed the last row of huts. The noise from the arena grew louder with each step. Excitement. Confusion. Curiosity. Like a hive buzzing around something they didn't understand—but wanted to.
I frowned.
Why was the entire village there?
It didn't matter.
I was close now.
Only a few blocks away, and already, I could see her.
High above the arena, nestled against the cliff face, hidden to anyone with untrained eyes. But to me?
She was unmistakable.
Luna.
Her body was still as stone, sleek black scales blending perfectly into the rock and shadows. But I could see her outline. The glint of her eyes. The subtle rise and fall of her breathing. She was watching.
Waiting.
For me.
And damn it... I was glad she was there.
My pace slowed without meaning to. My breath caught in my throat. Not from nerves. From memory.
Last night... her touch. Her scent. That moment at the fire when she pressed her snout into my open hand.
That wasn't nothing.
That wasn't instinct or curiosity.
That was trust.
And what terrified me most?
I had fallen for her.
Not just physically—though even thinking that made heat rise in my face—but everything. Her power. Her presence. Her silence. Her eyes. Her rage.
It had only been the second time we'd met properly. That shouldn't happen, right? That was something out of fairy tales. Out of books.
I always thought love at first sight was a joke. A myth. But love at second meeting?
Apparently, that was real.
I sighed, finishing the last bite of my bread and licking the honey from my fingers absentmindedly.
This wasn't something I knew how to handle. I mean... what even was a relationship? Especially with another species?
In my past life, I'd barely talked to people. I was antisocial. Quiet. Most of what I knew about relationships came from films. Books. Fanfiction, even. I'd never felt this before.
Not like this.
And now?
Now I couldn't stop thinking about her. About Luna.
Not just as a partner.
But as something more.
A mate.
The word settled into my bones like fire.
And strangely enough... I wasn't bothered that she was a dragon.
No, what bothered me was that I had no clue how to proceed. No map. No rules. No steps.
Just this heat in my chest and the growing possessiveness every time I thought of her.
Mine.
I wanted her to be mine.
Not shared. Not questioned. Mine.
But I had no idea how to earn that.
A roar of laughter erupted ahead.
I blinked, pulled back from my spiraling thoughts, and looked up.
I had arrived.
The arena loomed, full of people—Vikings packed into the stands, standing shoulder-to-shoulder, loud and unbothered by the biting wind.
And at the entrance?
The teens.
All of them.
Standing like sentries.
As if they were waiting for me.
My face darkened.
My eyes narrowed.
What. The. Hell.
They looked different now. Worn down. Silent. Not like the loud idiots they usually were. Astrid stood at the front, arms crossed. She locked eyes with me the moment I stepped into view.
Of course.
She was the one leading them.
I felt my claws twitch at my sides, even though they remained sheathed on my belt.
A dangerous thought bubbled in the back of my mind.
I could burn this village down right now.
Take everything they've ever loved. Rip it away the way they tried to rip me apart.
But I didn't.
Because my plans were already in motion.
Because revenge served cold was always more satisfying.
I let out a breath, cold mist curling past my lips.
Still.
They were in my way.
And I wanted answers.
I started walking toward them, cloak billowing, footfalls quiet on the stone.
Whatever this village was planning—whatever circus they'd organized this morning—I would find out.
And the insects in front of me?
They would answer.
One way or another.
But for now let me control myself before I got one of them out of pure spite.
I stopped just a few paces from them.
The silence that followed was sharp, brittle. The kind that cracked if you breathed too hard.
My eyes swept over the group—Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, the twins. They looked like they'd barely slept. Good.
I didn't slow. Didn't lower my voice.
"What the hell is happening here?" I asked, my tone colder than the wind curling through the arena walls. "And why," I added, voice tightening, "is the entire village packed into the stands like it's a festival?"
They flinched.
All of them.
Even Astrid, the little war-maiden who always acted like she had everything under control.
Their shoulders stiffened. Eyes dropped. Snotlout looked away completely. The hate in my gaze must've burned.
Good.
I wanted them to feel it.
I wanted the weight of their guilt to match the weight of every scar they'd let fester.
Astrid was the only one who managed to speak.
"Gobber…" she began, her voice quiet, carefully measured. "He decided to hold today's training in front of the village."
My expression didn't change.
She swallowed. "Because apparently, the village… likes the dragon for today."
That gave me pause.
My eyes narrowed.
Astrid continued. "Especially when it's the one that faces new recruits." She hesitated, then added softly, "Which would be us."
I stared at her. Long. Hard.
So that's what this was.
A show.
A test.
Gobber, you clever bastard.
For a second, a sharp flicker of anger sparked in my chest. Not just at the setup—but at the fact I hadn't predicted it. Gobber had always believed in show-don't-tell. The old smith must've seen yesterday's performance and realized what I was.
So he called the village to watch.
Not just the fishwives and farmers.
But the elders.
The warriors that Stoic left behind to protect Berk in his absence in the hunt for the nest.
They were all here now. Packed into the stands, eyes sharp, waiting. Watching. Measuring me.
I exhaled slowly through my nose.
It made sense.
I revealed my claws yesterday—figuratively and literally. I dropped the mask. Showed them what I could do, who I really was. No more hiding. No more stuttering. No more playing nice.
And Gobber… Gobber wanted to know what the rest of the island would do with that information.
Typical.
He probably didn't tell them a thing. No warnings. No explanations. Just pointed at the arena and said, "Watch."
Because Gobber didn't believe in rumors. He believed in proof.
And now? He was giving them a front-row seat to the consequences of their neglect.
I looked down at the dirt beneath my boots. Then up at the crowd. Then back at the teens.
My voice was calm, but edged in a tight thread of disdain.
"…I might like Gobber."
Astrid blinked.
"But he's starting to become a real pain in my ass."
I sighed in mild agitation and rolled my shoulders, cloak fluttering as I shifted my weight. Luna was still on the cliff, still watching. I hoped she could feel how done I was with the theatrics already.
Whatever.
Let them watch.
Let them see.
I spoke again, sharper this time. "Fine. Let's get this over with."
I took a step forward, glancing up toward the massive iron gates of the arena.
"It's time this village realizes what I really am."
My voice dropped into something quieter. Colder. Honest.
"Let them see the monster they made."
The teens paled.
Good.
I smirked slightly.
"But don't worry," I added, turning my gaze back to them with a flicker of cruel amusement. "You all get to go first."
Ruffnut shifted uncomfortably. Tuffnut suddenly looked like he'd rather be anywhere else.
"You'll fight the dragon the village chose. You'll sweat, panic, maybe bleed a little. You'll entertain them."
I turned away from them and started walking toward the gate.
"And then…"
I paused.
My hand touched the side of my belt, brushing the cool steel of my claws.
"…then I'll have my fun."