"Be careful with that dragon." Astrid said as she handed a shield to Hiccup.
Hiccup took it and secured it to his arm as he glanced out of the arena entrance to where his father was giving a speech before the final actually started. "It's not the dragon I'm worried about."
"What are you gonna do?" Astrid asked, some worry coming through with her words.
Hiccup looked back at her with a determined look. "Put an end to this."
She gave him a skeptical look and he sighed.
"I have to try. Astrid, if something goes wrong...just make sure they don't find Toothless and Kala. Please."
She nodded with a worried look. "I will. Just...promise me it won't go wrong."
Before Hiccup could answer, Gobber came into the entrance and rested his hand on the boy's shoulder.
"It's time, Hiccup. Knock him dead." The blacksmith said as he ushered Hiccup into the arena.
Hiccup took a deep breath and adjusted the helmet atop his head as he walked to the center of the arena, taking a dagger from the weapon's rack.
"Hrmph. I would've gone for the hammer." Stoick commented from his seat outside of the ring.
Hiccup looked up at the crowd with a determined look. "I'm ready."
A couple Vikings then unlocked the cage that the Monstrous Nightmare was locked away in and the cage burst open as the dragon rushed out. Its body was ablaze as it darted about the arena, then it climbed on the dome and snapped at the crowd. It then spotted Hiccup down in the arena and dropped down from the dome and began to stalk towards him growling.
Hiccup then tossed away his shield and dagger and raised his hands to show he was unarmed as he slowly approached the Nightmare.
"What is he doing?" Stoick asked as he leaned forward to get a better view.
"It's okay. It's okay." Hiccup soothed, then he took his helmet off as the dragon growled and tossed it aside like the shield and dagger. "I'm not one of them."
The Nightmare calmed down and gently pushed its snout into Hiccup's stretched out hand, purrs forming in its throat as the scent of Night Fury reached its nostrils. Hiccup smiled and rubbed its snout soothingly.
"Stop the fight." Stoick ordered.
"No!" Hiccup yelled. "I need you all to see this. They're not what we think they are. We don't have to kill them."
The Nightmare nudged him purring happily and Hiccup laughed and scratched its head.
"I SAID STOP THE FIGHT!" Stoick bellowed as he slammed his hammer against the arena dome hard.
This agitated both Hiccup and the Nightmare as they both growled from the noise and backed away from one another as the Nightmare's body became ablaze again, Hiccup clutching his head to get the ringing to stop.
"Out of my way!" Stoick ordered as he pushed his way through the crowd to get down to the arena.
The Nightmare looked at Hiccup worried. "What are we going to do?"
"Pretend to attack me.." Hiccup whispered just loud enough for the Nightmare to hear him.
The Nightmare nodded slightly then began to 'attack' the boy, who ran from it, no, from him to keep the charade going.
"Hiccup!" Astrid yelled, very worried for her friend.
That worry dissolved not even a second later when she noticed that Hiccup and the Nightmare were just faking it and she stopped in her attempt to rush in and help him. She stayed in the entrance with a worried look adorning her features as she watched her best friend run from a dragon's 'attacks'.
YOU ARE READING
HTLANF AU: How to Raise Your Night Furies
FanfictionIn one universe there's Hiccup and Kala as a couple, living together happily with their three children Dart, Stoick, and Lief. But what if I told you there was another universe where that wasn't the case? What if I told you there was a universe out...
