Defenders of the Frozen Dragon

Trust

Heather spent most of her morning walking around the town.

She casually asked people about the population, the docks, the catapults, the quality of their weapons, anything she could think of. She made sure never ask the same person more than one question, that way no one gets suspicions. But, little by little, she was forming an accurate picture of Berk as a military target.

Later that day, she decided to take a walk into the woods where she came across Hiccup and heard him talking to Toothless. Like, it sounded like he was having a real conversation with the Dragons.

"I know, I get it." Hiccup says as he's going through his bag and glanced up, finding Heather reclining on a rock just a few feet away, smiling at him.

"What the...Heather. uh, uh, what are you doing here?" Hiccup stammered out.

"I just want to know what's going on," Heather said calmly as she sled down the side of the rock. "I just hear you in the woods, talking alone. And it seems that everyone sees this as normal. Then I overhear you talking to dragons. Like actually talking."

"Well...it's hard to explain." Hiccup says. "Remember Toothless?"

At the sound of his name, the black dragon bounded happily out of the shadows...and saw Heather before stopping with a vicious snarl.

"I don't think he remembers me," Heather quavered while backing away.

"It's okay, Toothless! She's a friend!" Hiccup promises as his brother-dragon didn't look pacified. "Toothless is who I spend time with, I learn things about dragons that nobody ever knows, like how to tickle them so they faint."

"You spend time with it?" Heather said dubiously. "You make it sound like some kind of a friend. A real friend!"

"He is a real friend." Hiccup told her. "He's kind of the only friend I've got. In fact, he's more of a brother." He rested his hand on Toothless' broad black muzzle. "We've looked out for each other since we were children. He even told me once..."

"Told you?" Heather asks.

Hiccup wonders if he should explain everything to her, and he decides to trust her. "Listen...I'll explain, but keep calm." He asks Heather who nods in response. He closes his eyes and begins to reveal his dragon half to her.

Heather looks at him, shocked and amazed to what she's seeing.

"I've been like this since I was a baby. My father said that it was a gift. He...he died saving my life from Dragon Hunters who wanted to use me to capture other dragons." Hiccup tells her.

"I'm sorry." Heather apologizes and faced Toothless. "But a Night Fury...is your brother? You're asking me to accept a lot on your say-so."

"I can prove it," Hiccup promised firmly, and gestured toward the dragon. "Want to go for a ride?"

Heather considered the hostile looking dragon. Hiccup apparently had something more in mind than the short flight they'd taken the day before. He clearly trusted the creature, and it seemed just as clear that the creature didn't trust her.

Still, she had to find out what this dragon/rider pair could do. Savage would want to know.

There was also some curiosity of her own. There was something about this thin, quiet boy. This Dragon Prince.

A loner? He seemed to want company as he didn't have any real friends, except for his dragons. He seemed quite happy to have her company. She could certainly take advantage of that.

But taking advantage of him...that was something different.

It just felt wrong. She'd used people before and hadn't batted an eyelash over it, if it had to be done.