HTTYD: Dragon Girl

Chapter 4: Deal

I hurriedly close the back door, slowing down just enough to make sure it doesn't slam shut and alert Unferth to my whereabouts.

"Astrid!" Unferth calls a third time, sounding aggravated.

"I'm here!" I call back, praying to all the gods I know of that Unferth won't put two and two together and realize I've been out in the woods as I hurry to my room.

Just in time, too. Unferth appears in the doorway right as I sit down. He looks really uncomfortable, shuffling his feet and staring at the ground. "I need to talk to you," he says in a somewhat begrudging tone.

"Oh," I say, a little surprised. "Um, that's good, actually, because I kinda have to tell you something..." He has to know that I don't have what it takes to kill dragons, even if I don't tell him how I know.

"Oh," says Unferth. "Er, you go first, then."

"No, no, you can go," I say. Thor, this is awkward.

Unferth takes a deep breath. "All right, then." He pulls out one of my chairs and sits down, looking ridiculous as he squats there, his humongous bulk taking up half of the tiny room. "You get your wish. You start training tomorrow. For dragon combat."

"Oh, boy," I say, cursing myself inwardly for not going first. "About that. I've been thinking about it, and you know, I think Enger's right. I've been trying to make marks in all the wrong places, and, you know, maybe I should just stick with blacksmithing and--"

"Enger's the one who suggested it," says Unferth. He doesn't notice me deflate at this revelation, as he's too busy twisting around to pick up a huge battle-ax. "You'll need this," he says, dropping the ax into my arms. Its weight forces the air from my lungs out with a whoosh.

"I-I don't want to fight dragons," I say desperately.

"Of course you do," says Unferth, waving me off.

"Okay, rephrase," I say. "I can't kill dragons."

"You'll learn," Unferth says carelessly.

"No, I'm pretty darn sure I won't," I say, readjusting the ax in my arms to spread out the weight. "It's something... weird, I can't explain it, but killing dragons just doesn't seem like something I can do."

"Stop right there," Unferth orders, a hard glower on his face. "You will kill dragons. You may not have been born a Skaldian, but you are one now. You will follow in the footsteps of the Vikings who settled here on this island nine generations ago."

"Am I invisible or something?" I demand. "I mean, are you hearing any of the words coming out of my mouth?"

"You will come to dragon training," Unferth says, ignoring me. I take that to mean I am invisible. "I will teach you. And you will try to make yourself a proper Viking. Deal?"

"This is sounding more like a lecture than a discussion," I protest.

"Deal?"

Unferth's face demonstrates very clearly that he's not going to take no for an answer. I sigh and nod, relenting. "Deal."