The Strength of the Princess (HTTYD)

Hard Lessons

Chapter 22: Hard Lessons

Snotlout zipped through the air on Hookfang. Haldor tried to keep up on his Snifflehunch, but he fell behind. Snotlout landed at the base first and struck a confident pose. "I told you Monstrous Nightmares are the best," he said once the other Viking finally landed.

"You two are pretty fast," Haldor said as he dismounted. "But Brightclaw has his strengths as well."

Snotlout looked the Snifflehunch up and down. "Which would be...?" He did not mean to be rude, but he did not understand why someone as cool as Haldor had such an odd dragon.

Haldor smiled, not seeming offended in the least. "He can fly for long periods of time with great weight on his back without getting tired,  he's extremely loyal, and he has an acute sense of smell. He can actually sniff out if someone is a friend or foe."

"Really?" Snotlout looked at Brightclaw with newfound respect. "That is pretty cool." The dragon suddenly bounded over to him and started sniffing him. Snotlout laughed when his nose tickled him. Satisfied, Brightclaw moved onto Hookfang.

"He likes you," Haldor said in approval.

"Of course he does! I'm a likable guy."

"I've noticed Eira seems to like you as well," Haldor said casually.

Snotlout noticed the subtle change in the atmosphere, and it made him uneasy. "Is there a reason she shouldn't?"

"No, that's not what I meant. I'm simply looking out for her."

"I'm not going to hurt her, if that's what you're suggesting. I like her too."

"I know you would not intentionally hurt her, but..." Haldor paused as if searching for the right words. "She is quite sensitive. You need to be careful about what you say and do around her."

Snotlout felt calmer when he saw where Haldor was coming from. Still, something irked him about his assessment. "I'm working on that, trust me, but I'm not going to treat her like she's fragile. I know you're her brother and everything, but she's stronger than she looks. You trusted her to leave her home and fly all the way out here on her own. You need to trust she can take care of herself."

Haldor dipped his head in acknowledgement. "You are right. I am glad she has someone like you to support her."

Snotlout had an odd feeling this had been a test. Oh well. At least it seemed he passed. "Eira and Swiftwings can always count on us, right Hookfang?"

The Monstrous Nightmare snorted in agreement.

Haldor smiled. "Excellent. I will return to Torvald soon, and I am glad to leave her in good hands." He paused. "There is one other thing... Do you know how she got that scar on her forehead? She would not explain it to us, and we did not want to pry."

Snotlout froze. If Eira did not want to tell her family about what happened with Dagur, was it really his place to explain? Then again, her brother was probably just looking out for her again. What if he thought one of the riders caused the scar? Was this another test? If so, what was the right answer?

"It's alright if you do not want to tell me," Haldor said after a moment of silence. "I probably worry too much."

"She got it saving someone," Snotlout said quickly before he changed his mind. "It was very brave of her, especially considering he was an enemy at the time."

Haldor raised his eyebrows in interest. "Was?"

"It's... er... complicated."

Haldor nodded. "I understand. Thank you for telling me. I am glad she has the courage to follow her convictions."