How to Deal With Amnesia

Chapter 23: How is This a Plan?

"Hiccup!" Astrid yelled in concern as she leaned forward to make Stormfly descend to his aid.

Hiccup was thrown off of Toothless and slowly sat up, still a bit stunned from the fall. As soon as the dragon realized what was happening, he got in a ready instance, growling menacingly. Hiccup noticed Astrid, Fishlegs and his father, the closest ones, already getting nearer, so he quickly rose up his hands in a 'stop' signal and moved his hands in a 'shoo' gesture, which the dragons knew that it meant for them to back away.

Skullcrusher, Killer and the nameless Nadder didn't really know the hand gestures, the first because Stoick didn't have time or patience to train, the other two because they didn't even get close to that part of the training. Even so, they backed away as well, following the group.

The other dragon riders and the A Team, Windshear and Shattermaster, well, it was another story. Everyone of them knew a basic set of hand gesture, like to come, attack, stop, go back, and others. He remembered some of them when he was talking to Fishlegs about it the other day. Each dragon and rider usually had other kinds of specific hand gestures that they could train separately.

"What?" Stoick asked in astonishment. "Skullcrusher, what are you doing?"

"No! Wait!" Astrid raised her extended her hand in a 'stop' gesture to Stoick, before he forced his dragon to go down. She knew too well that confident look in Hiccup's dazzling green eyes and that lopsided smile when he had something hidden in his sleeve. Her voice came loud enough only so Stoick and Fishlegs could hear. "I think he has a plan."

Hiccup stood up and kept calm as he asked to lower their weapons, turning his attention to Norbert.

"You're Norbert, right? The leader of these Hysterics?"

"Of course. And who wants to know?"

"I'm Hiccup, son of Stoick, the Vast, and I'm the one and only Dragon Conqueror."

Toothless suddenly went from scary to confused in a blink of an eye. If the dragon had eyebrows, he'd be raising one. Hiccup looked at Warthog.

"He's not a Hysteric."

"So what?"

"He's here because of a deal, right?"

"What do you want, Boy?" Norbert began to get impatient.

"I'm here to offer you a deal."

"I thought you were here because you crashed on my deck."

"Well... Yeah, that happened... But I still have a deal for you. A really good proposal."

"Talk."

"Stop the attack on Berk now, and you can take me to your island. I can show you how to control dragons as well."

Norbert's eyes had a greedy shine in them. And there was something evil in them too, that was when Hiccup got sure Norbert would want to come back to attack Berk (and any other tribe he could) with dragons.

"Ah, but I already have this boy to do that." He pointed to Warthog with his thumb.

"Yeah, but is he the great Dragon Conqueror?" He briefly remembered Alvin, the Treacherous saying something like that. "I know I'm just a fishbone, But I am the one who learned how to control dragons. Do you want a boy who just got to learn a few tricks in a couple of days, or someone who was the first to do so and has been doing it for years?"

Norbert laughed. Toothless got the opportunity that everyone was distracted to swing and free his tail from the net.

"I got your point... You're smart, Boy."