Chapter 4
(Gobber's POV)
It was just after dawn, and already I had a backload of jobs to do. Swords, maces, bows, spears, arrows, chains, axes, they all needed repairing. And I needed help.
Ever since Hiccup died 9 months ago, jobs have been piling up for me. I'm really not used to not having an apprentice, so this sudden change is kinda new in a way. I've been looking for a new apprentice among the kids Hiccup's age, but Snotlout's too full of himself and unskilled, Fishlegs is too into books, scrolls and literature (I can't stand it when he rambles on about old stuff and written stuff and smart stuff - it's just so confusing!) and Ruffnut and Tuffnut are just too darn stupid. Astrid would do but she thinks mostly with her axe and not her head, and I feel like I need a thinker after Hiccup (don't tell her I said that she thinks with her axe! I'd lose my other hand - and my other foot!).
The clatter of spears brought me back to earth. Speak of Loki and he shall appear. It was Astrid with some of the broken weapons from training. She seemed sad.
"What's wrong Astrid? You've been so down lately."
"I-I don't know what you're talking about Gobber."
"Yes you do. It's Hiccup, isn't it."
"What?" she cried. "It's not about Hiccup!"
I gave her a look.
"Ok-maybe-it-is," she mumbled "But don't you dare tell anyone I said that."
I chuckled. "I won't!"
Astrid sighed. "Well, I'd better start my training for the day. Bye Gobber." she walked off, the slump in her shoulders obvious to me.
I sighed. I'll get her to talk one day. I walked over to the back of the shop, looking for some of my scrap metal to help fix the weapons.
Suddenly something tightened around my ankle and I crashed to the ground, falling through a doorway. I heard a laugh that I recognised as the Thorston Twin's and I grumbled in annoyance before getting up. I was about to yell at them for their trick on me, but I was stopped short by the sight that met my eyes.
It was a small room, cluttered and chaotic but somehow organised. Papers, books, drawings and pencils were everywhere and a shelf stood against a wall. Even more sketches were pinned up on the wall, but there was evidence that some had been ripped down. I picked up a drawing lying on the desk and looked at it. My expert blacksmithing eye (if I don't say so myself) immediately saw that the design on it was very complex.
Turning it over, I saw some writing scrawled in the top right-hand corner.
HHH III.
Shock hit me and my eyes widened. This was Hiccup's room. I had completely forgotten that I had this back room and that I gave it to him. And this drawing, this invention, was his.
I grabbed some more drawings, seeing invention after invention, all genius. Each and every one of them had Hiccup's signature on the back. There were at least twenty of these, each one new and exciting. I had an idea.
We can use these against the dragons. Using Hiccup's ideas against the beasts that took his life may avenge him. I have to show Stoick!
As I was turning around to go to the Great Hall where the Chief would most likely be, my bulk knocked a large book off the bookshelf. It landed splayed open and I saw many words written in Hiccup's neat handwriting. Curious, I picked it up and started reading.
Jerc the Jerk (yes, us Vikings continue to be unimaginative) hit me again today. It left a bruise and is really sore but I'm not telling anyone. Well, who would care? Dad thinks I'm a disappointment, I'm just an apprentice to Gobber and everyone thinks I'm useless and a fishbone. At least I got my plans for a new invention finished. I'm not sure what to call it yet, but I'll get there. I want to help in the dragon raids so much and the best I could do would be throwing a bola. I'm not strong enough to completely throw one by myself, but my new invention will do it for me. Now I just need to build it without Gobber's knowing. He wouldn't understand.
I stopped. By the looks of it, this was Hiccup's diary. I didn't want to intrude on his personal life so I shut the book and placed it on his desk, but I was interested. I never knew that Jerc hit Hiccup, though it would explain some of the times he came into the shop with bruises everywhere. He had claimed he fell over, but now I'm not so sure. I'd better ask Jerc about it.
I picked up the diary again, flipping to another page in the book. I started reading again.
I was pretty nervous in Dragon Training today but I used the grass Toothless and I landed in on the Gronckle. It knocked it out pretty quickly, which was a relief because Astrid was coming at it with her axe. I think I'll call the grass-like stuff Dragon Nip.
I want to show everyone that I'm not a hiccup. I don't want to be top of Dragon Training and kill a dragon, but that seems like that's the only way to show people that I'm not useless. So far, Fishlegs and the twins have been marked down so they won't be killing the dragon at all. Snotlout, Astrid and I are left. Those two try make Training a competition, but I've told them so many times that it's not. Well, maybe it is.
Toothless' gear is coming along nicely and his tail is working really well! I'm quite proud of it but the hardest part is not letting anyone find out what I'm doing. I've nearly been caught a few times but they just saw it was me and left. I didn't ever think that me being Hiccup would help me one day, but it's helped me from getting caught.
I stopped reading. This was starting to confuse me. He used grass in training to knock that Gronckle out? And he was hiding something from everyone? And who was this "Toothless"? I had so many questions, but I skipped the rest of the page and went to the back of the book, hoping to find something that Hiccup had written just before he died.
Instead I came to a charcoal drawing. Of a dragon.
My eyes widened in surprise. Why would Hiccup have a drawing of a dragon in his diary? I had never seen a dragon like this before. It had large wings, a flattish head, large eyes and was as black as night. The dragon in the picture was looking out from the paper, almost like it was real and it was looking at the artist as he drew it. And the dragon looked... happy?
I frowned. This was weird. Dragons were mindless beasts, incapable of feeling or thought. Closing the book, I added it to the pile of papers to show Stoick. Then I thought about it more. If Stoick saw that drawing or saw that Hiccup was cheating in Training, he may burn the diary. I didn't want that. I wanted to read it more and try to get to know my ex-apprentice better, even though he was dead.
Taking the book and papers, I squeezed out the door and into my shop. Casually I left it and walked over to my house, avoiding any Vikings. Entering my house and closing the door behind me, I lifted up the floorboard leading to my secret stash of special personal items, sweets and secrets. Placing the book into the cavity, I replaced the floorboard, turned around and started walking to find Stoick. I would start reading the book later tonight.
Turns out Stoick was on the far side of the island, listening to the complaint of the day from Mildew. And I needed to get some jobs done. I never got around to reading Hiccup's diary, but the drawing he did stayed in my thoughts long into the night.
xXx
(Stoick's POV)
I was devastated after my son died, but I had to keep going for Berk. We all had to keep going. I regretted not spending enough time with Hiccup, but what is done is done. So I put my head up and continued.
What no-one knew was that I was struggling. Losing Valka broke my heart, but losing Hiccup as well shattered it. I didn't blame Astrid for what happened - it was against a Night Fury and she had only finished training that afternoon for Thor's sake! And I still need to appoint a new Heir.
My train of thought and my lunch were interrupted by Gobber tapping on my shoulder and thrusting a handful of paper in front of me.
"Stoick!" he cried. "Look at these. With these designs, we could really have the upper hand against the dragons!"
"Woah woah woah. You interrupted my lunch so you could tell me that paper would help us against the dragons? What can they do then? Do they suddenly repel all dragons?" I said.
Gobber scowled at me. "Some of Hiccup's sarcasm must of rubbed off on you."
At my son's name I flinched and turned away. Gobber set the papers down on front of me.
"Stoick. Have a look at these and tell me what you think. They could really help us against the beasts as well as avenge Hiccup."
I gave in to my best friend's persisting and looked at the papers and blinked. I saw intricate designs for weapons, catapults and shields. One weapon looked like a crossbow, but according to the drawing it was massive, and on a swivel platform. Then there was a catapult. It looked like a ordinary catapult, but it had two dishes at the end of the pole and it turned around and around using man-power, picking up each boulder and throwing them each one after the other in a never-ending succession. I could tell that these designs were amazing and that they could be made. Whoever made them was a real thinker.
"These are amazing! You didn't make these designs, did you Gobber." I said.
"Uh, no. No I didn't."
"So who did?"
Gobber suddenly found the floor very interesting. "Well, uh, that would be Hiccup."
"Hiccup!?"
"Yes Spitelout." Gobber said to the viking on the other side of the table (who was obviously eavesdropping).
"But he's... he's... Hiccup."
"Meaning that he's also a genius, Spitelout." Gobber sighed. "You haven't realised that yet?"
I wasn't listening to their argument. I was looking at the designs, using all my skills as the old blacksmith's apprentice (all Heirs to Berk has to go through some training with the blacksmith. Hiccup just did it later then most because of his size) to see how they would look, how they would work, how they would help us.
I focused back on Gobber and Spitelout arguing.
"...Hiccup was a hiccup!"
"Yes, but he used his brain, unlike you."
I rolled my eyes. "ENOUGH!" I yelled.
Immediately they stopped and looked at me. Actually, all the people in the Great Hall stopped. Ignoring them, I looked at Gobber and Spitelout.
"Spitelout, yes, Hiccup may have been a hiccup but we're putting that aside for now and focusing on these plans. Gobber, thank you for showing me these. Now are you able to make them?"
"I will be able to," Gobber said. "But you need to assign an apprentice to me because I need help for projects this big."
I took the hint. Assigning an apprentice to Gobber also meant choosing an Heir.
"I'll do it tomorrow," I said. "For now, meet me in my house so we can discuss this."
Another chapter done. Sorry, it's not one of my best. Oh, and there are two references in this chapter - one for a book and one for a movie. If anyone can tell me what book/movie they're from, then well done you! If/when you find it, just post a comment where it is and I'll tell you if it's correct or not.
Bye! *jumps on my Deadly Nadder Sunrise and flys off*
-astroskypilot out -