The Dragon Rider

Chapter 8 ~ A Father, A Friend

Stoick's mighty warship drifted into the distance and Merida let Gobber's words to the gods wash over her as she stubbornly wiped away a tear. This couldn't have happened. It felt like the world was caving in. She'd barely known these people for a few days but in that time she'd become a dragon rider and felt more at home than anywhere else in the world. These warriors, witty and rude and sarcastic yet entirely vulnerable, had proven to her that peace could exist between dragons and men. They'd curbed her hot blooded mind and shown her sense. She zoned in to hear the last of Gobber's speech.

"A great man has fallen. A warrior. A chieften. A father." At that word she saw Hiccup suppress a sob and she hung her head. "A friend."

The first dragon rider was handed an arrow and a recurve bow, very similar to the one that Merida herself used. He lit it from the dying embers of a fire resting by his feet and loaded it, drawing steadily. He let out a breath and released it. The arrow soared through the air and struck the wooden pyre; the others took their cue and drew their own flaming arrows.

Merida breathed steadily before letting go. She didn't see exactly where her arrow landed, but it didn't matter to her. The only thing that mattered was getting this over, getting everyone back on track again.

"I'm sorry Dad," Hiccup could barely speak. His actions towards Astrid earlier could be forgiven, Merida thought to herself. He was on the verge of a mental breakdown. The twins and Snotlout wiped their eyes and Fishlegs looked entirely and utterly depressed. Astrid merely glanced at the floor, her expression forlorn. "I'm not the chief that you wanted me to be - and I'm not the peace keeper that I thought I was. I, don't know..."

He turned away slowly and his gaze met Merida's. His eyes were on fire and were dark, blackened by the ashes of his battles. The dragon trapper looked back steadily, unmoving. I don't know what I'm supposed to do, she finished for him in her head. I don't know who I'm supposed to be. Valka stepped forward and Hiccup trained his eye on his mother instead.

" You came early into this world. You were such a wee thing; so frail, so fragile. I feared you wouldn't make it. But your father, he never doubted. He always said you would become the strongest of them all, and he was right." She placed a hand on his shoulder, steadying him gently. "You have the heart of a chief and the soul of a dragon. Only you can bring our worlds together. That is who you are, son."

Hiccup hung his head and spoke again, almost rambling to himself now.

"I ... I was so afraid of becoming my dad. Mostly because I thought I never could." He began to stutter helplessly. "How do you become someone that great, that brave, that - selfless? I guess you can only - try."

He turned to face them, a glint from the blazing ship in the distance flickering amongst the forests that were his eyes. "A chief protects his own. We're going back." His expression then reminded Merida of her own when she was determined to strike gold on the archery range.

"With what?" she asked, incredulously.

"Uh, he took all the dragons?" Ruffnut said matter-of-factly. Hiccup shook his head.

"Not all of them."

*~*~*

"You've got to be joking," Merida dead panned as she saw the baby Scuttleclaws.

"They're the only ones left!" Hiccup argued. "All the others were taken!"

"These things are lethal!" Merida pulled her fur vest and tunic off of her shoulder to show a bruise and Hiccup flushed as her skin was uncovered. "This is what I got when I tried to take some of them to Drago a month ago. They don't listen to anyone!"

"Which is why the Alpha didn't take control of them," he continued. "And besides, what choice do we have?" Merida had to admit, they didn't have any other options.

"Fine," she huffed, "but who do I ride with?"

"What d'you mean?" Gobber asked, then he counted the Scuttleclaws, seven of them. There were eight people to get back to Berk and as the least experienced rider Merida needed to ride with someone else. The older blacksmith pondered for a moment before his gaze rested on Hiccup. "Hiccup's the most experienced out of all of us. You'd be better off with him."

Merida turned to the young man who nodded his approval. Astrid didn't say a word, only shuffled her feet. Fishlegs gave her a quick sideways glance before approaching his Scuttleclaw cautiously.

"Okay," Hiccup said to Merida who'd climbed onto the Scuttleclaw, sitting behind him, "you're going to have to hold on to something. This dragon's going to be nothing like Stormfly; she was easy enough to train and she took to you easier. The babies -"

"Don't listen to anyone, I know," Merida interrupted. She wound her arms around his waist loosely as the riders prepared to take off and she felt his sharp intake of breath. "I'll be fine. I'm with the dragon conqueror, after all."

"Alright everyone!" Hiccup shouted, "let's go get Drago!"

"I'm totally going to bloody his fist with my face!" Tuffnut yelled gleefully.

"For once Tuff, I give you full permission to do so!" Hiccup called back as the Scuttleclaws ran and took off from the destroyed Nest. Soon, even flying in a reasonably straight line was causing serious difficulties and the riders found that even with five years experience, baby dragons were a menace to contend with.

"Fly straight will you?!" Ruffnut shouted exasperatedly.

"I DON'T WANT TO DIE!" Fishlegs cried from the back of the pack, his dragon ridiculously over-excited.

"We can't fly these things!" Tuffnut yelled irritably, to which Fishlegs replied, "No kidding!" before smashing into a heap of snow. Astrid fell back to free him and he muttered a "Thanks," before flushing bright red.

"This is very dangerous!" Gobber shouted to Hiccup between crashes into the ice walls. "Some might suggest that this is poorly conceived!"

"Well it's a good job that I never listen!" Hiccup replied.

"I like that attitude," Merida grinned and tightened her grip around him as they came close to crashing into one of the millions of icicles that the deceased Alpha had created. She saw the flush creep up his neck and she entertained several ideas in her head but dismissed them quickly. But not entirely.

"I'm glad," he smirked in reply and she felt her stomach do a flip, though it was probably from the bumpy ride they were enduring, she told herself firmly.

"So," Snotlout called, "what's your plan?"

"Get Toothless back," Hiccup shouted, "and kick Drago's -"

"Language!" Merida mock-scolded, earning a snigger from the rider in front of her.

They both had to stifle a laugh when they heard an 'oof!' from behind them, indicating Gobber's fourth encounter with the ice.