Hostage AU

Fighting Bitterness

Unsurprisingly, Astrid was the first to arrive. From what Hiccup had found out, Astrid was a bit of an overachiever. Predictably, Fishlegs was next. He was so excited, he couldn't stop babbling dragon facts under his breath. The real shocker was when the Twins showed up right behind Fishlegs.

Astrid gaped at them, but Ruffnut just shrugged and said, "eh, we figured that there was a good chance of something getting massively destroyed, whatever the plan is."

Snotlout slouched into the arena a few minutes later. Once everyone was there, Hiccup had them all stand in a row. He strode in front of them and spread his arms wide, somehow managing to look like he wasn't mad, even though he still hadn't been allowed to wear a shirt.

"Welcome to Dragon Training! Sorry, Gobber told me to say that. Anyway, who's interested?"

Astrid stepped forward immediately. She had loved flying on Toothless, and there was no way she was gonna let anyone top her.

The Twins threw their fists in the air and yelled, "DESTRUCTION! I call the zippleback!" They immediately began fighting over who would get the zippleback, until Hiccup explained how they would ride it together.

Snotlout looked bewildered. He protested, finally giving in after much coaxing from Hiccup, on the condition that he got the Monstrous Nightmare.

Fishlegs was timid and scared at first, but after many reassurances, he bonded with the Gronckle, who he named "Meatlug."

After Hiccup had finally finished bonding the kids to their dragons, he leaned against the wall and sighed in relief. Astrid had bonded with the Nadder, who she named "Stormfly." Snotlout did indeed get the Monstrous Nightmare, who he named "Hookfang." Ruffnut had gotten the gas head of the zippleback, which she named "Barf." Tuffnut got the spark head of the zippleback, which he named "Belch." Fishlegs had, of course, named the Gronckle "Meatlug."

The new riders were bonding happily with their dragons when Stoick walked in. He was a furious shade of red. He marched up to Hiccup and furiously asked, "What are you DOING?!" Hiccup tried to stop himself, but he flinched backwards and his brain wouldn't stop screaming, PLEASE DON'T HIT ME!

Stoick's fury disappeared in an instant as his son hunched over, obviously expecting a blow. Stoick felt like kicking himself. That was entirely the wrong way to do this.

Hiccup watched, surprised, as his father drew back instead of hitting him. What was he doing? Why wasn't he hitting Hiccup?

"Oh, Hiccup, I'm so sorry, I didn't think. I promise, I will never, ever hurt you." Hiccup just gaped at Stoick. Why was he apologizing? Hiccup was the one who had done something wrong.

Stoick reached out and touched Hiccup's shoulder. Hiccup forced himself to stay still. "I'm sorry, son. I was angry, but I would never hurt you." Hiccup looked up at Stoick in puzzlement. "But... I made you mad. Shouldn't I be punished?"

Stoick winced. What had Alvin done to make Hiccup think like this? "No Hiccup. Children... Children shouldn't be hurt. Not for anything. Neither should anyone else, but... Children especially." Hiccup drew back, angry and insulted. "I'm not a child! I can take care of myself!"

Stoick looked a hundred years old. "I know, Hiccup. That's what's wrong. You should be a child. You're only fifteen. But you're not. That's what's so sad."

---

Hiccup lay in bed, thinking. There was considerably less light in the room, as his father had covered the window with a heavy tarp. Hiccup was grateful. There would be no possibility of sleep if he couldn't stop thinking about Alvin creeping into the room as he slept, at his most vulnerable, and-

No. He had to stop. That train of thought would only lead to fear and bitterness. He was safe. Berk would not be attacked, and if it did, he and the new riders would fight to keep Berk. Hiccup rolled over, blew out his candle, and fell asleep feeling a resolve he hadn't felt in a long, long time.

---

A hand crashed down on the stone council table. A lesser person's hand would have been broken by the force, but not his. "We sail for Berk immediately."

"Why aren't we taking the whole army?"

"We're not going to fight Stoick. We're there for one boy. My Dragon Conqueror."

A/N: I AM SO SORRY! It's short! I just had to end the chapter there though... So yeah. The feelsies are realsies! I would love some commenting or other feedback. If you're still reading this story, could you follow me? I don't like self advertising, but I'm not really getting any followers. Thanks for sticking with me!