How to Love a Night Fury

Chapter 15

The next morning I was preparing myself for the final exam. I was pacing back and forth from how nervous I was, that I might have slowly started to wear down the stone flooring of the Kill Ring entrance. It didn't help that my dad was making a speech either.

"Well, I can show my face in public again! If someone had told me that in just a few short weeks, Hiccup would go from being, well... Hiccup, to placing first in Dragon Training... Well, I would've tied him to a mast and shipped him off for fear he'd gone mad. Yes! And you know it! But here we are. And no one's more surprised...or more proud than I am. Today, my boy becomes a Viking. TODAY, HE BECOMES ONE OF US!" My dad exclaimed and cheering ensued from the other Vikings.

Astrid was waiting with me as I tried to calm down. I tried to get her to leave, but with her being stubborn like everyone else in the village that didn't really work.

"Be careful with that dragon." She said.

I rolled my eyes and looked at her. "You're not helping any."

Astrid sighed and walked up to me with a shield, shoving it into my arms.

"Why can't you accept that I'm trying to mend the past?" She asked as I slipped the shield onto my arm.

"Maybe because you've hated me for fifteen years? Ever think about that Astrid?" I retorted.

She went quiet after that and I looked away taking a couple deep breaths to calm my nerves.

'This would be so much easier if Kala was here with me..'

I sighed and looked at Astrid.

"If you really want to mend the past, then promise me that if anything goes wrong..you'll keep them from finding Toothless. I don't want anything to happen to him. Get him off the island if you can."

Astrid nodded, holding her right arm. "Of course Hiccup, I promise. Just be careful in there."

"I'll try my best." I said.

'I'll try my best for Kala. There's no way I'm going to die before telling her that I love her for the first time.'

Gobber came into the entrance with a smile.

"It's time, Hiccup. Knock him dead." He said happily.

I took another deep breath and entered the ring. The cheering was deafening as I took a dagger from the weapon rack that was put up.

"Hm. I would've gone for the hammer." I heard my dad comment.

I fixed my hold on the dagger and the position of my shield then readied myself.

"I'm ready." I stated loud enough for everyone to hear.

One of the Vikings opened up the cage that the Monstrous Nightmare was locked away in and the cage immediately burst open. The Nightmare was completely lit up as it rushed out of the cage and climbed across the dome that kept the dragons from getting out. It snapped at the people outside the dome, then spotted me at the bottom of the ring and hopped down right in front of me.

I looked into its eyes and saw that it was scared. So with all the determination I could muster, I tossed my dagger and shield to either side of me. They scraped across the stone floor as they slid.

The Nightmare gave me a confused look as I slowly started to walk towards it with my hands raised.

"It's okay. It's okay." As I got closer I hesitantly took off my helmet and tossed it aside like my dagger and shield, then I raised my hand again. "I'm not one of them."

The dragon calmed down as it sniffed my offered hand, the flames on its body dying down.

"Stop the fight." My dad said.