How to Train Your Dragon: Rewrite

Chapter 8: The Great Conflict

This chapter contains minor swearing.

The entire night was spent planning how they were going to get the next day to work. It took a lot of convincing from Astrid and Tuffnut before Hicca agreed to involve Gobber and Fishlegs. 

The three teens made their way through the town and gathered Fishlegs and Gobber. Astrid and Tuffnut explained the situation with the group and Hicca added information when prompted. Every so often Hicca would receive worried looks from her mentor and when the explaining was over she was engulfed in a hug from her larger friend. All through the planning he never let her go and Tuffnut fought hard to not let his jealousy get the best of him.

They were planning late into the night in the Great Hall. 

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The next day the grounds had been transformed. Banners and flags flap in the morning sun. Surrounding the ring, a festive crowd had gathered. All of Berk has turned out for the event. Stoick stands above the rest on his raised platform.

"Well, I can show my face in public again." He laughs at the jab before continuing. "If someone had told me that in a few short weeks, Hicca would go from being, well... Hicca, to placing first in dragon training I would've tied him to a mast and shipped him off for fear he'd gone mad. Yes! And you know it! But here we are. And no one's more surprised or more proud than I am. Today, my girl becomes a Viking. Today, she becomes one of us!" Stoick's voice is loud and commanding.

Hicca stands at the edge of the ring, by the gate with Gobber and Tuffnut. Listening to her father and feeling a weight settle on her chest.

The entire crowd cheers for Hicca at her father's statement.

"Be careful with that dragon." Tuffnut says to Hicca quietly.

"It's not the dragon I'm worried about." She states looking through the crowd and settling on her father.

"What are you going to do?" He asks, knowing they never got a chance to discuss a plan for this part of the day last night.

"Put an end to this." She replies firmly. 

He eyes her, a little dubious. 

"I have to try." There's a hesitant pause before she speaks again. 

"Tuff. If something goes wrong... just make sure they don't find Toothless. Take care of him and Fireflake. Don't let those two go and if you do, you go with them." 

"I will. Just promise me it won't go wrong." Tuffnut implores. 

Hicca can't. She wishes she could, but she can't. Gobber approaches. 

"It's time, Hicca. Knock him dead." 

Hicca puts her helmet on and enters the ring. 

The other teens are all hooting and hollering from the stands. Tuffnut runs up to join them, shouting out praise.

"Show 'em how it's done, my Valkyrie!" 

Hicca blushes a little before she locks eyes with Stoick. Stoick nods with a smile. Hicca returns a half-smile and takes a deep breath. She hoists a shield onto her forearm and selects her weapon from a rack of many choosing a small dagger. 

Stoick mutters to his brother, Spitelout.

"Hrmph. I would've gone for the hammer." 

Hicca turns to face a bolted, heavy door. She takes another deep breath. 

"I'm ready." She calls out.

The door bolt is raised. The crowd grows quiet. The doors blast open with a stream of sticky, molten fire, quickly followed by a Monstrous Nightmare, coated in flames. It tears out of it's cave like an irate bull -- as the crowd roars and jeers. It climbs the walls and chain enclosure like a bat, hissing at the provoking crowd and blasting fire.