Somewhere Only We Know

Chapter 18: The Early Final Exam

Hiccup couldn't resist letting a smile appear on his face as he slowly started to wake up, and there were a few reasons why he felt happy instead of scared and nervous. Not only did he have Astrid's full support in his plan to reveal the truth about dragons to their entire village, but the girl he'd been writing letters to for many weeks was right here in the flesh. Even though Hiccup enjoyed doing it, a part of him felt a little relieved that he didn't have to go all the way through the forest and into the cove just to send her a letter.

From the moment he read her first letter, Hiccup could tell that Rapunzel was a curious girl, but now that he's finally met her, he knew there was so much more to her. Rapunzel was very understanding, as she didn't mind wearing new clothes and having a new identity, not to mention kind, since she'd gotten along well with Astrid too. If one of the toughest Vikings on this jagged hunk of rock Hiccup called home could be friendly toward Rapunzel, then he was sure it'd be the same with everyone else.

Hiccup felt deeply grateful that Rapunzel didn't have a problem sharing his bed, even though he would've been just fine having a blanket while lying in front of the fire. The boy suddenly blushed as he thought Rapunzel still looked beautiful, now that all of her hair was braided and she wore a new dress and her very own pair of fur boots. Despite what Rapunzel had told him last night, Hiccup still felt a little awful for convincing her to get rid of her old dress, considering she'd been wearing it for many years.

Hiccup knew that if tried to apologize, then Rapunzel would give him a smile and tell him that he didn't need to give an apology and it was her choice to get rid of the dress. All of a sudden, Hiccup's eyes widened as he remembered that he was supposed to wake up his father early enough so that he could give him a private Nightmare viewing. With his eyes now wide open, Hiccup did his very best not to make a sound that could possibly wake up Rapunzel as he pulled the blanket off his body and got out of bed.

Hiccup slowly walked out of his bedroom and down the stairs, but not before turning around and taking a quick glance to see if Rapunzel was still sleeping, which she was. A frown soon started to form with Hiccup's lips as he was able to notice that his father currently had a smile on his face, but Hiccup knew that it was either now or never. Hiccup knew his father would be angry, but he hoped that he'd eventually be happy with his son for not just telling him the truth, but for not putting anyone's life in danger.

The chief's snoring only became much louder as Hiccup walked closer to the man's bed, and Hiccup instantly took a deep breath before patting his father on the shoulder. When Stoick didn't stir and kept on snoring, Hiccup patted his shoulder a little harder, but when it still didn't work, Hiccup knew there was only one way to wake him up. This plan didn't actually involve touching his father or any part of his bed for that matter, but Hiccup could only pray to the gods that he wouldn't up Rapunzel in the process.

"Dad!" Hiccup shouted loudly, and he also said the name as fast as possible, even though he believed that Rapunzel wouldn't hear him, since she was up in the second floor.

To the boy's relief, Stoick's snores stopped completely as he woke up while propelling himself into an upright position in his bed, and the chief quickly turned to face his son.

"Hiccup! Are you alright, son?" Stoick asked concernedly, and the man started to become confused when he noticed that Hiccup didn't look scared but only a little nervous.

"Yeah, Dad, I'm okay, and sorry for waking you up so early, but I was hoping if we could go to the arena so I can show you my skills with the Nightmare." Hiccup requested.

"We'll be there in a few hours, Hiccup, so that the entire village can get to see you, because everyone's been looking forward to it just as much as I have." Stoick responded.